Fiann Paul

Fiann has crossed all five oceans in an unsupported human-powered[35] row boat with world-record-breaking speed, setting the overall speed records for the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Arctic Ocean (he achieved the only human-powered crossing of the Antarctic Ocean and as a result no speed record was adjudicated due to lack of competition).[36][37][2]

Fiann was introduced to ocean rowing in 2007 while working for Swedish charity Chiparamba Foundation coaching athletes in Africa.[38][39]

In 2011 Fiann acted as a stroke of Sara G which earned the title of "the Fastest Boat in ocean rowing history", established an overall speed record for the Atlantic Ocean and won the Blue Riband Trophy of Ocean Rowing.[40][27] Their course, The Atlantic Trade Winds I is the most competitive ocean rowing route,[41] sought by rowing legends, such as James Cracknell OBE, and endurance athletes such as Mark Beaumont BEM.[42][43][44]

The level of challenge for the crossing was multiplied by a broken center board, which broke less than halfway across the expedition. The story was portrayed in a movie One Ocean, No Limits which was broadcast by Irish National TV.[45]

In 2014 Fiann became the first person to simultaneously hold overall speed records for the fastest rowing across 2 oceans (Atlantic and Indian).[46] Throughout his career Fiann broke four oars. Three were destroyed in maritime storms and the fourth was shattered during an evacuation mission on the Indian Ocean aboard Avalon, when a tanker, Nordic River[47] arrived to save an injured crew member, yet began to pull the small craft disastrously into its propeller, five times the height of the boat itself. The oar broke in Fiann's hands while pushing the rowers’ boat away from the tanker, saving the crew from collision, as the crew radioed the tanker to cut its engines just in time.[48][32][49]

In addition to another collision, this time with a blue whale, the critical steering cable broke, which forced the crew to manually steer the boat, thereby reducing the rowing deck to two rowers per shift; half of what it is designed for. Finally, after sustaining injuries passing through a hurricane, the crew narrowed down to only 3 rowers in total (1.5 per shift), who had to power a 2-ton heavy boat designed to be rowed by 8. The incomplete crew had to row 2:40hr on, 1:20hr off shifts instead of the standard 2h:2h pattern in order to maintain their course. This extreme challenge put crew members into a lengthy delirium, lasting many days due to severe exhaustion and sleep deprivation.[50]

Ocean boundaries following the 3 oceans model

In 2016 Fiann became the only rower ever to achieve all three overall speed records (Atlantic, Indian, Mid-Pacific) and the only rower to hold all three records simultaneously.[51] Upon this achievement, he was awarded by Guinness World Records the title of "The first person to hold simultaneous overall speed records for ocean rowing all three oceans",[52] one of the highest honors in the history of ocean rowing.

Prevailing winds on Earth

Of significance is the fact that Fiann achieved 3 overall speed records in purely human-powered boats, against open-class boats, which are advantaged by partly wind-supported designs on a Trade Winds routes.[53][54][55]

In a documentary called Corrida of the Pacific made by Globo TV, Fiann reported that his total sleep time during the first week was 5 hours due to strategically attempting to achieve an advantage by racing ahead, as he stated that it was psychologically much easier to win the race from the front.[36] The world record was broken by 4 days. The next boat arrived 6 days later. Out of 12 boats that announced their participation in the race, only 6 managed to complete the challenge.[56]

Ocean boundaries following the 4 oceans model

In 2017 he expanded his title by rowing the Arctic Ocean, becoming the first person to row 4 oceans and earning the Arctic Ocean overall speed record.

In order to receive a permit to row to Svalbard, Fiann needed to apply to the Governor of Svalbard, to introduce an evaluation of the chances and the team's ability to accomplish the expedition. Fiann estimated an average speed for the expedition of 2.7 Knots. The Governor's representative declared the claim a bluff, due to the present Arctic Ocean rowing overall speed record being 0.7 Knots and that small sail boats average 4 Knots. Thus, they pressed the highest possible insurance bond, which became the biggest element of the expedition budget. The accuracy of the ETA declared by Fiann deviated by 4h. As per plan, the rowers flawlessly caught the rising tide of the 108 km long Icy Fjord off of Longyearbyen.[57][37][58][59]

The Polar Row I was the biggest record demolition in the history of ocean rowing: the existing Arctic Ocean record was broken by 3.5 times, despite the Polar Row I team being buffeted by headwinds 60% of the time.[60][61] Fiann stated that the headwinds they faced were "a validation of our manpower performance". Upon this achievement he received Guinness Titles of: "First to row 4 Oceans" and "First to hold current speed records on all 4 oceans".[37]

Ocean boundaries following the 5 oceans model.

In 2019 Fiann Paul led the first human-powered transit (by rowing) across the Drake Passage, and the first human-powered expedition on the Southern Ocean. It was accomplished on 25 December 2019 and he became the first and only person (as of 2020) to achieve the Ocean Explorers Grand Slam: performing open-water crossings on each of the five oceans using human-powered vessels. He also acted as stroke on the expedition.[2]

Fiann achieved the highest success rate in the history of ocean rowing, measuring the number of attempted-speed-records to successful expeditions.[62][63][64] He was on stroke position for each row,[65][66] the role that sets the boat's pace. His total effort performed in ocean rowing was compared to consecutively running approximately 300[note 3] marathons.[68][69] In an interview with Washington Times he mentioned that his resting heart rate during off-shift times throughout the record breaking crossings was 95 BPM, almost twice the normal resting heart rate.[37] His record-breaking performance was listed by Grapevine Magazine as one of 7 most notable "Smitings" delivered in the history of Icelandic sports. In this act he was suspected of comradery with Ægir.[70] Presently, he is one of the world's most accomplished rowers.[71][72][73][74][17]

Despite reaching the top of various ocean rowing statistics, Fiann declared that he perceives the accomplishments of certain past ocean rowers as more admirable than his own, due to their performance taking place in conditions described by the Ocean Rowing Society as "not very different from the times of Columbus". Thus, their level of challenge was incomparably higher.[75][37][76]

Contrary to human-powered explorations on open waters, coastal explorations of the Arctic Ocean have been pursued for centuries by indigenous people.

In 2017, Fiann acted as Captain, Stroke and Head of the project Polar Row, the most record-breaking ocean row and most record-breaking expedition in history (over a dozen Guinness World Records). It was the first recorded human-powered expedition and the first recorded row across the Arctic Ocean Open Waters, within the minimum Guinness World Record criteria: "across major water basins above the Polar Circle from land to land ... not around islands, within archipelagos or coastal rows, i.e. not within the vicinity of land nor the possibility to get ashore."[77][58] Polar Row confronted inconsistent wind patterns, diametrically different from the most frequently attempted rows, typical to lower latitude Trade Winds routes.[60] The crew used no sails, no engine, nor support other than human-power. The magnitude of the challenge was amplified by the unavoidable slalom between icebergs and drift ice. Encountering ice is not unique to coastal rows on the Arctic Ocean, but was multiple times more difficult for the first historical row on the open waters of the Arctic Ocean, where relatively high swells threaten the highly un-maneuverable row boat among the drift ice. Prior to Polar Row, non-open waters Arctic Ocean rows and coastal Arctic Ocean rows experienced more static seas and the ability to access land at any moment.[78]

According to existing historical records, Polar Row achieved the first complete human-powered crossing of the Barents Sea and the Greenland Sea. However, it is unknown if any such crossing had ever been performed by indigenous people in the past.

Polar Row consisted of two teams: Polar Row I and Polar Row II. In total, the teams covered approximately 1400 Nautical Miles (1611 Miles or 2593 km), 1250 Nautical Miles measured in a straight line (1440 Miles or 2316 km) across the Arctic Ocean. Polar Row pioneered new ocean rowing routes from Tromsø to Longyearbyen, from Longyearbyen to Arctic ice pack (79°55'50 N) and from ice pack to Jan Mayen. It was the first complete, recorded human-powered crossing of the Barents Sea and of the Greenland Sea, some of the world's northernmost waters, which had long been called by sailors of the past, the "Devil's dance floor".[14][79][80] Upon completion of Polar Row I and arrival to Longyearbyen, Fiann was asked by Norwegian TV2 how a rower would name the Barents Sea. Fiann responded that he would call it "Devil's Jaw", adding that the winds you constantly battle are like the breath from the devil's nostrils while he holds you in his jaws.[81]

The Impossible Row
The Impossible Row expedition route
Type	human-powered expedition
Location	Drake Passage
Target	Antarctic Peninsula
Date	13 December 2019 – 25 December 2019
Executed by	Fiann Paul
Outcome	first completely human-powered traverse of the Drake Passage, several world records, Ocean Explorers Grand Slam

in 2019 Fiann led the 530 nautical miles first human-powered traverse of the Drake Passage and first row on the Southern Ocean, waters dubbed as "the most dreaded bit of ocean on the globe” by Ernest Shackleton's biographer Alfred Lansing.[2]

The Antarctic Row was conceived in April 2017.[82][83] Upon completion of Polar Row II in August 2017, in an interview with The New York Times, Fiann vowed he would row an even more difficult route.[84] Next he needed to irreversibly prepay substantial sums of money 18-months in advance of the expedition in order to secure the assisting vessel, which is a requirement of the Antarctic Treaty and IAATO in order to receive a departure permit. Maritime law requires that small human-powered boats and primitive sailboats be accompanied by an assisting vessel during open-water journeys within the actual boundaries of the Southern Ocean. Fiann mentioned that it was all the money he had at the time.

In September 2017 Fiann recruited the first team members, Andrew Towne and Jamie Douglas-Hamilton. The row was initially scheduled for December 2018 but was postponed due to lack of availability of the assisting vessel. In January 2019 he recruited Cameron Bellamy and John Petersen, completing the two-year-long team recruitment process in April 2019 when the final member, Colin O’Brady without prior rowing, ocean rowing or seafaring experience joined the team to serve as Fiann’s first mate and aid the project financially. [85][86][87][83][88][89][90][91][92] Colin's participation in the expedition was filmed by Discovery Channel as a series, "The Impossible Row" produced in part by Colin O’Brady himself, whose story the cameras follow.[93][94][95][96]

Fiann, with the assistance of world class manufacturers, designed custom-made hybrid performance/safety suits, specifically profiled and cut for rowing movement. These custom-made dry suits offered more flexibility to row, instead of traditional safety suits that tend to chafe and immobilize. The suits were tailor-made for each team member, following 25 different measurements.[97]

Yamana people who had resided in the Cape Horn area for 10,000 years have been “rounding the horn” solo, fully human-propelled as teenagers as young as 12.y.o. in their primitive self-made paddle boats, as part of their traditional canoe-faring hunter-gatherers lifestyle. By the middle of the 20th century Chilean government restricted their small boat journeys due to being "too dangerous".[98]

Just before the team left South America, a Chilean Air Force C-130 crashed in the Drake Passage. The search area covered their planned route. As the captain, Fiann had to make a decision of how to avoid the 150x150 miles no-go zone announced by Chilean Navy. His capacity to deal with the route had to withstand a one-day-long scrutiny at Cape Horn, conducted by the navy officials. Logic dictated routing west of the search area, just as suggested the advisers, because the wind and swell tend to move east while the current moves east, which would likely have pushed the search zone east too. Moreover, for the same reason, sailors crossing the Drake Passage typically choose to compensate west. However, Fiann, trusting his intuition, went against logic and went east anyway. It proved the correct call as the military had shifted their hunt to the opposite direction. Crew member Jamie Douglas-Hamilton said this call was crucial to their success.[99][89][6]

Abercrombie & Kent’s Luxury Expedition Cruise detoured from its route to cheer Fiann in his efforts, the same cruise line which in Summer 2020, Fiann is signed as special guest lecturer, among lecturers such as Lech Walesa.[100][101][102]

The row took 12 days, 1 hour and 45 minutes, breaking several Guinness World Records. The team experienced sub-zero temperatures, snow and hail, and slalomed gigantic ice bergs unique to Antarctica.[103] Sea anchor was deployed 5 times due to difficult seas. Apart for the sea anchor days, significant mileage was made good against the wind, which differentiates human-power routes from the Trade Winds routes.[104] Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday congratulated captain Fiann Paul in person and commented:

"This row represents one of the most significant human-powered adventures ever undertaken."[2][105]

Upon arrival to Antarctica, Fiann recited The Great Sea Song poem by Canadian Inuit poet Uvavnuk, cousin of Aua.[94] On Christmas day, Icelandic national newspaper published an article about Fiann’s accomplishment, dubbed: "Feasted with Ægir on Christmas."[106] Fiann Paul received congratulations in person from the president of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson.[99][107] As of 2020, Fiann is the captain of the only three successful human-powered pioneering expeditions into the open-waters of both polar regions. Despite rowing many of the world’s most difficult seas, Fiann never capsized the boat under his command.[26][24]

The expedition coincided with 2 major anniversaries, the first sighting of the Antarctic continent by Bellingshausen, taking place exactly 200 winters ago and the voyage of Magellan 500 years ago. Fiann commented that prior to this expedition Antarctica was a Terra Australis Incognita to human-power endeavors just like it was to cartographers prior to Bellingshausen.[108]

When asked what makes one a successful ultra-endurance athlete, Fiann often outlined that love for the adventure is not enough, and that being tough is a must, but it is just the foundation. The critical advantage in his opinion is rarely achieved by men today: good understanding of and communication with one's body, a quality often inaccessible to individuals attached to the cliche version of masculinity.[78][14] On explorations:

“The last great physical explorations left on the surface of this planet are the boundaries of human-power performance. Every mountain has been summited by a helicopter, but the person who climbs it first is still a pioneer. Every land has been reached by a motor or wind-powered vessel. But many of the major water basins have never been crossed by human power”[16]

Fiann was the first modern day ocean rower to introduce a system of shifts depending on the mileage mark reached by rowers, instead of the more typically used time mark. This system allows rowers to choose how fast they complete their shift and allows the resting rowers to rest longer if the active shifts are completed with a slower pace. Recently, such a system is credited to be linked to the etymology of the word ‘Viking’.[17][109][110][111]

Fiann is one of two Icelandic members of the American-based international multidisciplinary professional society: The Explorers Club. He carried The Explorers Club Flag to Svalbard, to the Arctic ice pack and to Jan Mayen during the Polar Row, and from Cape Horn across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula during The Impossible Row. It is the same type of flag that decorated the raft of Thor Heyerdahl during the Kon Tiki expedition.[37][112][89]

External video
TEDx talk by Fiann Paul
Gifts of wounds and personality disorders traits via TEDx Talks on YouTube[123]

Timelapse of endurance hunting presented by Fiann Paul during TEDx talk.

Since 2017, Fiann has been conducting lectures on the Dark Side of the Hero's Journey, detailing the psychological aspects of ultra endurance sports and the psyche of explorers.[124][16][125]

In 2019 Fiann spoke at TEDxBend, where he elaborated on the potential generated by psychological wounds and the possibility of deriving constructive outcomes based on the personality traits related to these wounds.[126][127] Since December 2019 the talk has been featured by main TED.[128]

"World's First" is the highest form of Guinness World Record, the ownership of this title never expires.

• First to row 4 oceans, 2017[37]
• First to row the Arctic Ocean open waters South to North[143]
• First recorded complete human-powered crossing of the Barents Sea, 2017[79]
• First to row the Arctic Ocean open waters North to South, 2017[143]
• First recorded complete human-powered crossing of the Greenland Sea, 2017[58]
• First to row the Arctic Ocean in both directions, 2017[144]
• First to row across the Drake Passage, 2019[145]
• First to row on the Southern Ocean, 2019[146]
• First to row to the Antarctic continent, 2019[147]
• First to row in both Polar Regions, 2019[148]
• First to row on 5 oceans (first to complete Ocean Explorers Grand Slam), 2019[149][150][151]

• First person to hold simultaneous overall[note 4] speed Guinness World Records for ocean rowing all three oceans (hat-trick): 2016[154]
• First person to twice hold three simultaneous overall ocean rowing speed records on different oceans (hat-trick): 2017[13]
• First to hold current speed records on 4 oceans, 2017[37]

Accumulative Guinness World Records for total number of accomplishments in Ocean Rowing

• Most ocean rowing speed records held simultaneously on different oceans (3) : 2016[155]
• Most ocean rowing speed records held simultaneously on different oceans, (4) : 2017[155]
• Most ocean rowing overall speed records within two consecutive years (2): 2017[155]
• Most Polar Open Water rows completed by a rower (3)[149][150]
• Most latitude records held by a rower (6))[149][150]

Multiple speed records exist on each ocean for different routes, classes and categories. The overall speed record however, is the highest type of speed record there is.[41]

• Fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, 2011[40]
• Fastest crossing of the Indian Ocean, 2014[144]
• Fastest crossing of the Mid-Pacific Ocean, 2016[72]
• Fastest crossing of the Arctic Ocean, 2017[37]

• Highest consecutive number of days rowed a distance over 100 miles a day (12 days), 2011[156]
• Fastest row across the Indian Ocean by a team, 2014[157]

Latitude records can only be claimed within the expedition that meets the ocean rowing criteria of minimum distance covered.[77]

• Northernmost latitude (78°15'20'' N) reached by a rowing vessel, 2017[37]
• Northernmost departure point (78°13' N), 2017[144]
• Northernmost latitude reached by a rowing vessel (Arctic ice pack edge - 79°55'50'' N), 2017[144]
• The southernmost start of a rowing expedition, 55° 58′ S[149][150]
• The southernmost latitude reached by a rowing vessel, 64°14′S[149][150]

• The longest distance rowed on the Arctic Ocean Open Waters within one expedition, 2017[143]
• Longest distance rowed by a crew on the Indian Ocean, 2014[158]
• Longest aggregated distance rowed in the Polar Open Water.[149][150]

• Most record-breaking ocean rower[144]
• Most record-breaking ocean crossing, 2017[14]
• Fastest ocean rowing boat in history as compared to the average speed of any row on any ocean, 2011[27]

• Most record-breaking expedition in history, 2017[14]

• Blue Riband Trophy of Ocean Rowing: 2011[159][160]
• Winner of the Great Pacific Race in classic class: 2016[154]
• Winner of the Great Pacific Race in all classes (against open class): 2016[161]
• Holder of majority of Icelandic Sports' Guinness World Records[32]
• Oars of Anders Svedlund from friends and family of Anders Svedlund[141]
• Diploma from Military Personnel of Jan Mayen for accomplishments in ocean rowing[141]

• 
  Atlantic Ocean overall speed record, 2011:
  Route: Tarfaya, Morocco to Port St.Charles, Barbados
  Team: Sara G
  Boat type: classic 6
  Fiann's position: stroke
  Time: 33 days 21 hours 46 minutes, calculated into exactly 32 days on shorter Trade Winds I standard route, typically used for records comparison.[163]
  Distance in a straight line: 3168 miles or 5098 km
  Average speed: 3.386 knots or 3.896 mph[164]
• 
  Indian Ocean overall speed record, 2014:
  Route: Geraldton, Australia to Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles
  Team: Avalon
  Boat type: classic 8
  Fiann's position: stroke
  Time: 57 days 10 hours 58 minutes
  Distance in a straight line: 4208 miles or 6772 km
  Average speed: 2.650 knots or 3,050 mph[165]
• 
  Pacific Ocean overall speed record, 2016:
  Route: Monterey, CA. USA to Diamond Head, O’ahu, Hawaii
  Team: Uniting Nations
  Boat type: classic 4
  Fiann's position: stroke
  Time: 39 days 9 hours 56 minutes
  Distance in a straight line: 2406 miles or 3365 km
  Average speed: 2.210 knots or 2.543 mph[166]

Fiann was the captain of the only three successful human-powered pioneering expeditions into the open-waters of both polar regions: Polar Row I, Polar Row II and The Impossible Row.[26][24]

• 
  Arctic Ocean overall speed record, 2017:
  Route: Tromsø, Norway to Longyearbyen, Svalbard
  Team: Polar Row I
  Boat type: open 4
  Fiann's position: Captain, stroke
  Time: 7 days, 7 hours
  Distance in a straight line: 600 miles or 965 km (512 miles or 824 km to Hornsund)
  Average speed: 2.56 knots or 2.95 mph[167]
• 
  Northernmost Latitude record, 2017:
  Route: Longyearbyen, Svalbard to Arctic Ice Shelf, Ice Shelf to Jan Mayen, Norway
  Team: Polar Row II
  Boat type: open 4
  Fiann's position: Captain, stroke
  Time: 12 days, 18 hours
  Distance in a straight line: 150 miles or 240 km to Ice Shelf + 690 miles or 1111 km to Jan Mayen = 840 miles or 1351 km [168]
• 
  Ocean Explorers Grand Slam, 2019:
  Route: Cape Horn, Chile to Charles Point, mainland Antarctic Peninsula 64°23'S
  Team: The Impossible Row
  Boat type: open 4
  Fiann's position: Captain, stroke
  Time: 12 days, 1 hours 45 minutes
  Distance in a straight line: 610 miles or 981 km[169]