site.btaBulgarian Rowers Stefan and Maxim Ivanov Cross Arctic Ocean, Complete FAR Expedition

Bulgaria's Stefan Ivanov and his son Maxim have crossed the Arctic Ocean and successfully completed the first Full Arctic Row (FAR) expedition, which started on June 23 from Haugesund, Norway. It was planned and executed not only as the longest rowboat voyage across the Arctic Ocean, but also as the first in which it was crossed with end-to-end rowing.

The athletes wrote on their Instagram profile: “We docked in Svalbard! After crossing the Arctic Ocean with NEVEREST, our bodies are drained from the humongous efforts, but our souls are overflowing with satisfaction and the brain with countless unforgettable memories. We can't wait to get back to our loved ones, who we miss more than ever.”

The expedition in the most difficult conditions northwards on the planet continued on August 8, when Stefan Ivanov was joined on the oars by Cameron Bellamy from the South African youth national rowing team. The two crossed the Arctic Circle on August 15 and parted ways near Ornes, Norway, where Stefan Ivanov's son, Maxim, the youngest rower to cross an ocean, boarded the Neverest on August 20. The two reported that they had successfully completed the expedition late on the evening of September 8.

This is the second successful ocean crossing for the two Bulgarians. In 2020 Maxim Ivanov, who is now 21, and Stefan Ivanov, 52, crossed the Atlantic Ocean on their own in the space of 105 days. The two covered a distance of 4,444 nautical miles in the hurricane season.  

The athletes’ voyage is in support of "Yes! For life!", the Health Ministry's campaign raising public awareness of organ donation and transplantation, launched on November 5, 2019. The Ivanovs' other mission is to draw attention to the conservation of the Southern Ocean through a petition that anyone can sign up to challenge the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to declare four million square kilometres as new marine protected areas.

The Neverest crew reported that they had collected plankton samples along the way for the Faculty of Biology at the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia to do research on climate change and global warming.

“Throughout our journey, we've been meticulously collecting dozens of plankton samples from a depth of 50 meters, even when it's freezing cold or we're exhausted.

"We take great care in this work, knowing its importance. Prof Kenderov began this research in Antarctica, near the Bulgarian base on Livingston Island, and we are now continuing it in the Arctic,” the rowers wrote on Instagram.

At the end of the expedition, Stefan Ivanov told BTA they were "exhausted with fatigue, but overflowing with satisfaction." He added that tonight they are planning to eat all the pizzas in Longyearbyen to celebrate.