site.btaFAR Expedition across Arctic Ocean Aborted after 313 Nautical Miles

The two Bulgarians, who undertook the first end to end crossing of the Arctic Ocean by a rowing boat, successfully covered 313 nautical miles before deciding to abort the expedition, the crew said on Monday. The decision was taken after Vladimir Tabutov suffered from an acute seasickness, while Stefan Ivanov severed a finger tendon. Ivanov, the skipper of the boat, told BTA that both are already on solid ground on the island of Froya, Norway.

The expedition, called Full Arctic Row (FAR), was launched on June 23 with the boat NEVEREST and was planned not only as the longest voyage across the Arctic Ocean ever undertaken by rowboat, but also as the first in human history in which the Arctic Ocean will be crossed by rowboat from end to end. 

The tandem of Ivanov and Tabutov was rowing along the shore, heading north towards the permafrost, above the 80th parallel.

FAR, during which the two were to row to the northernmost point on the planet ever reached by rowboat, aimed to support two causes - Health Ministry's "Yes! For Life" campaign  (in support of organ donation) and Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources' petition for the designation of four million square kilometres of new marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean.

NEVEREST's crew said they were collecting plankton samples along the way to provide to scientists from Sofia University's Faculty of Biology for research on climate change and global warming. A week after the successful launch from the Haugesund starting point followed a weekend of four-metre waves, but the two said they had to tackle 20-26 knot winds. Ivanov and Tabutov continued to paddle tirelessly until the early hours of July 1, when they decided to abort the expedition.

FAR reached Titran, Norway. The Bulgarian rowers said that they experienced countless wonderful moments together that they will remember for a lifetime.