Aleksander Doba
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Aleksander Doba (9 September 1946 – 22 February 2021) was a Polish
kayaker ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word ''qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be a ...
known primarily for his long voyages crossing
ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...
s. In 2010 and again in 2013 he kayaked across the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
westward under his own power. The two voyages were the longest open-water kayak voyages ever made. He was named 2015 Adventurer of the Year by
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
. In 2017 he completed an eastward kayaking trip across the Atlantic. He died while climbing
Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...
after reaching the mountain summit.


Kayaking

Doba first tried kayaking at age 34 on a trip organised by the company he was working for. He quickly started going on kayaking expeditions regularly. He went on to win the gold medal at the Open Academic Polish Championships in
Whitewater Kayaking Whitewater kayaking is an outdoor adventure sport where paddlers navigate a river in a specially designed kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles: river running, creeking, slalom, playboating, and squirt boating. Each style offers ...
in 2003 at age 57 and defended the title the next year. Doba's first voyage across the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
was from
Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
to
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
in 2010 and spanned . He was 65 years old when he undertook this journey. It was accomplished in a
sea kayak A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak used for the sport of Watercraft paddling, paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and oceans. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They t ...
and set a record for the longest open-water crossing ever undertaken by a kayaker, at roughly 99 days (the previous longest kayak crossing belonged to Peter Bray who traveled from Newfoundland to Ireland in 2001 and took over 76 days, relying on muscle power only and no sail). While it was not the first transatlantic kayak crossing in history, Doba was the first one to travel this way from continent to continent and not island to island. Doba's journey started at 15:30 Polish time on 26 October 2010 in
Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...
, Senegal, and ended when he reached
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, touching dry land at 10:12 local time for the first time in 98 days, 23 hours, and 42 min. He then reached
Acaraú Acaraú (also Acarahú) is a municipality in the Ceará state of Brazil. The city lies on the Acaraú River near the northern Atlantic coast. In 2020 the population was estimated at 63,104. The municipality is a major producer of Brazilian lobster ...
at 17:50 local time (99 days, 6 h, 20 min). His mean speed was , and he averaged per 24 hours, with a maximum 24‑hour distance of . When he arrived in Brazil he weighed , having lost in 14 weeks of the journey. After resting there, he initially planned to paddle another north along the shorelines of the Americas to
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
However, he eventually decided to transport his transatlantic kayak to Peru instead and embarked on a journey down the Amazon River but after being attacked and robbed twice in Brazil he had to quit. On October 5, 2013, at age 67, he departed from Lisbon (Portugal) for a second transatlantic voyage, with the intention of paddling across the Atlantic's widest point. He arrived at
New Smyrna Beach, Florida New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States, located on the central east coast of the state, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The downtown section of the city is located on the west side of the Indian River and the ...
on April 19, 2014. The voyage took him 196 days to complete, and he paddled . On September 3, 2017, Doba completed his third solo transatlantic kayak trip when he kayaked into a port in
Le Conquet Le Conquet (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. This is the westernmost town of mainland France. Only three island towns—Ouessant, Île-Molène and Ile de Sein—are farther west. Maritime tran ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
from
Barnegat Bay Barnegat Bay is a small Brackish water, brackish arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately long, along the coast of Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, New Jersey in the United States. It is separated from the Atlantic by the long Island B ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
in May 2017. He was at sea for 110 consecutive days. He used a kayak, weighing when fully loaded. During the trip, he struggled against storms; his rudder was damaged and had to be repaired by sailors from a merchant vessel. Doba has also paddled in a kayak with others around the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
(in 1999, 80 days, ), from
Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
to
Narvik () is the third-largest List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Narvik (town), town of Narvik. Some of the notable villag ...
(in 2000, 101 days, ) and around
Lake Baikal Lake Baikal is a rift lake and the deepest lake in the world. It is situated in southern Siberia, Russia between the Federal subjects of Russia, federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast, Irkutsk Oblasts of Russia, Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...
(in 2009, 41 days, ). He has also jumped 14 times with parachute, piloted gliders for a total of 250 hours, and practiced cycling. He held a marine yacht skipper certificate.


Personal life

Aleksander Doba was born on September 9, 1946 in
Swarzędz Swarzędz (German language, German: ''Schwersenz'') is a town in west-central Poland with 29,766 inhabitants. It is the seat of a mixed urban-rural commune called Gmina Swarzędz with 40,166 inhabitants. The town is situated in the Poznań metropo ...
, near
Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
,
Greater Poland Voivodeship Greater Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. The province is named after the region called Greater Poland (''Wielkopolska'' ). The modern province includes most of this historic re ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and lived in
Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
near
Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
,
West Pomeranian Voivodeship West Pomeranian Voivodeship is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals , and in 2021, it was inhabited by 1,682,003 people. It was established on 1 Janua ...
. He studied mechanical engineering at Poznan University of Technology and worked in a chemical factory most of his life. With his wife Gabriela he had two sons: Bartłomiej and Czesław. Doba was awarded the Gold The Honorary Badge of the West Pomeranian Griffin on 19 June 2012, Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta on 16 February 2015, the Medal of the Centenary of Regained Independence in 2018 and the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta posthumously on 8 March 2021. Doba died while climbing Kilimanjaro on February 22, 2021. According to eyewitness reports he felt well the entire journey but after reaching the top asked for a two-minute break before posing for a photo. He then sat down on a rock and "just fell asleep".


Media appearances

Several books have been written about his adventures, including three written by Doba himself.


References

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External links

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Unofficial blog for Aleksander Doba Transatlantic Kayak Crossing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doba, Aleksander 1946 births 2021 deaths Glider pilots Kayakers People from Swarzędz Polish engineers Polish male canoeists Poznań University of Technology alumni Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Mountaineering deaths Sport deaths in Tanzania 20th-century Polish sportsmen