Around-n-Over

Around-n-Over will support the 2026 Golden Globe Race campaign of Erden Eruc. This is a solo nonstop retro sailing race with historic significance which will start and end at Les Sables d'Olonne on the Atlantic coast of France after sailing south on the Atlantic Ocean and rounding Antarctica eastbound.

As an unsupported race, entrants typically complete it in about 230 to 250 days. Being a retro race, only pre-1988 full keel standard production yachts of 32-36 feet in length are allowed. The use of coastal navigation and celestial navigation methods emphasize traditional seamanship, there is no GPS or chart plotter allowed. Modern conveniences like satellite phones, desalinators or exotic materials like dyneema or carbon fiber are forbidden. "Sailing like it's 1968" is the race slogan with a nod to the Golden Age of Sailing.

The race will start on 6 September 2026. Erden already purchased a competitive vessel which earned line honors in the 2022 GGR. There is enough time until race start to train on this vessel to ensure best performance. The training will also reveal what needs replacing or improving before the race start.

USE OF FUNDS

We are actively seeking corporate sponsorships to underwrite this project. The ultimate goal will be to cover the GGR campaign costs using sponsorships. The stated target of 150,000USD for this fundraiser is half the estimated GGR campaign budget.

The campaign will complement any sponsorships and the proceeds after expenses will benefit Around-n-Over educational programs. Ideally enough sponsors will join our cause such that all contributions to this fundraiser can be released to benefit these our worthy causes.

The expenses leading up to the start include vessel purchase, tedious refit, sail inventory renewal, boatyard storage, marina access, travel and lodging for training passages. Sufficient funding would allow participation of a shore team with a team manager. There are costs to race registration, to safety requirements such as life raft service and to victuals for training and for the eight months of racing. The time between race completion in April 2027 and the award ceremonies in late June 2027 will be spent waiting at Les Sables d'Olonne with additional costs.

WHY THIS PROJECT?

We established Around-n-Over to educate and inspire especially children based on stories gathered during human powered journeys. Over the last two decades since establishing Around-n-Over in 2003, Erden Eruc remained true to his promise, raised and applied over 100,000USD toward educational projects while completing a circumnavigation by human power which registered 15 Guinness World Records in the process.

By now Guinness has registered 18 total records in his name and inducted him into the Guinness Hall of Fame in 2024. The last record that Guinness registered was "the first person to row across the Pacific Ocean from North America to Asia."

During that crossing, Erden strove to serve an educational mission by reaching classrooms, to pursue an environmental cause to advocate against plastic pollution of The Ocean in partnership with Ocean Recovery Alliance, and to execute a scientific mission to collect sound data helping survey Beaked Whales. The data were used in a scientific article published in Journal of Aquatic Mammals: "Acoustic Detections of Cetaceans from a Towed Recording System on a Trans-Pacific Rowing Expedition."

Erden intends to leverage the promotional value of his GGR participation to continue to raise awareness about plastic pollution and to share his story with classrooms. As such, this unique race with a sustainability message giving a new life to old vessels for a noble cause, will provide a powerful educational platform.

UPDATE 11/18/2023 -- We ended this fundraiser -- the [Donate] button is no longer active. The expedition is over at great deficit. The rowboat is back in the USA.

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Funds in excess of our stated fundraising goal of 125,000 USD was to benefit Ocean Recovery Alliance registered in California and Hong Kong.

Erden Eruç started this fundraiser to support his row across the Pacific Ocean mainland to mainland from North America to Asia. This journey began at Crescent City on June 22, 2021. It took Erden 80 days to reach Waikiki in Hawaii where he stopped for repairs and for better timing the crossing before proceeding further west. He relaunched on Oct 7th and reached Guam 128 days later on Feb 12, 2022. He was back on the water on Feb 21st then reached Legazpi in the Philippines on March 24, 2022.

The rowboat remained in Legazpi through the typhoon season. Erden returned there that Christmas, prepared his rowboat for the South China Sea then resumed his journey by bicycle from Legazpi to Currimao on the northwest coast of Luzon Island. Currimao was to be his launch site across the South China Sea to reach mainland Asia, preferably at Da Nang in Vietnam.

While waiting for a break in the strong winds against the current just offshore from Currimao, Myanmar declined his visa application as they could not guarantee his safety given their civil war. China continued to reject all visa requests on account of the pandemic. Given these roadblocks with the turn of seasons and running out of funds, Erden could not wait another year for the right season. The expedition is over as of April 2023; the rowboat is being shipped back from the Philippines.

Erden’s row from Crescent City to Legazpi was recognized as “the first row across the Pacific Ocean from North America to Asia.” He also took over career totals in overall days rowed (1167 days), in solo days rowed (1084 days) and solo distance rowed (26,705 nautical miles). As such, Erden is a leading ocean rower with 18 Guinness World Records registered to his name. He completed the first solo circumnavigation by human power between 2007 and 2012. He is also the first person to have rowed the three major oceans.

In partnership with Ocean Recovery Alliance, Erden Eruç will continue to raise awareness about plastic pollution in The Ocean. Erden’s rowboat already served as a vessel of opportunity for scientists in need of data and observations:

Erden is the founder and president of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Around-n-Over (www.around-n-over.org), the mission of which is to educate and inspire using human powered journeys. He creates teachable moments using his online blog, in person appearances and media opportunities. That mission will continue unabated.

Erden's journey started without major sponsors. Donations from the general public enable him to proceed without waiting for corporate affirmation and to meet our public support requirement as a 501(c)(3). Around-n-Over processes all contributions from this GoFundMe campaign; as such, all donations will be tax deductible.

Please join us.