Goal: To be the first person to travel 4500 km across the Pacific ocean from Canada to Hawaii by human power
Adventure Status: Cancelled
Read the Blog: Pedal the Ocean
Visit the Web Site: PedaltheOcean.com
Details:
Greg Kolodziejzyk is going to pedal a high-tech, custom-designed,
human–powered boat called WiTHiN
4500 kilometres from Vancouver to Hawaii!
WiTHiN human powered expedition boat
They call it the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” Heavy seas and unpredictable weather. A rugged, lonely coastline. Countless ships and sailors taken by its fierce storms and jagged rocks. Westward, nothing to see but North Pacific swells, until Hawaii finally climbs above the horizon. Men have sailed the route for centuries. Now, one man will put his trust in his legs, his heart, and his mind to make a historic journey.
In June, 2010, Greg Kolodziejzyk will attempt to become the first person in history to navigate this notorious stretch of ocean under his own power. His plan – pedal a custom-made state-of-the-art human-powered boat 3000 miles across the Pacific Ocean, from Victoria, Canada to Hawaii. The world-record attempt is expected to take between 40 to 80 days.
Real-Time Tracking
Greg will be updating his blog every day, with log entries, photos, video snippets, and audio podcasts beamed via solar-powered satellite communications from the middle of the Pacific ocean. His location will be automatically tracked in real-time by a special locator beacon, so you can follow the ups and downs of his epic solo voyage from moment to moment. Click here to view an interactive map showing Greg’s location right now. Click here to read Greg’s blog.
The expedition boat “WiTHiN”
WITHIN was designed by world record-winning naval architect Stuart Bloomfield and Pedal The Ocean chief engineer Rick
Willoughby. She is a fully faired, self-righting pedal-powered boat capable of high speed in good conditions (8 to 9 kph) and maintaining way in adverse weather conditions. The boat is built and optimized with Greg’s continuous power output and weekly provisioning requirements in mind. By knowing how much energy he can output for an extended period of time and how many calories of food that requires, the design team has worked outwards from these key factors, building a machine perfectly matched to the challenge.
WiTHiN features 5 watertight compartments: A bow compartment (small storage), Forward compartment (main storage to hold over a 100 days worth of food and supplies), cockpit (floodable with a bilge pump), Sleeping cabin, stern compartment 
(small equipment storage). Solar panels and a wind generator will provide electrical energy to power the 2-way radio, satellite phone, computer, GPS, AIS monitor, EPIRB, bilge pump, water desalination equipment, navigation light, iPod, and autopilot.
WiTHiN is powered by a drive leg – custom designed and built by Pedal The Ocean sponsor MitrPak, turning a two-bladed propeller. The drive leg is a single unit, inserted through a well in the forward area of the cockpit. The drive leg can be replaced at sea with a spare unit, or serviced, if repairs are required. The propeller and other aluminum and stainless steel parts are custom CNC milled by PTO team member and sponsor Rohmec Industries. At 80 rpm, generating 150 watts of input power, the drive unit propels WiTHiN to speeds of about 8 to 9 kph.
Lets fight the childhood obesity epidemic one bike at a time
Greg’s pursuit of the limits of human power inspires a refreshing ‘do more with less’ philosophy. It also opens up opportunities for a larger discussion he feels is desperately needed, confronting the serious issue we face with skyrocketing childhood obesity rates.
Currently 1 in 3 of North American children are overweight. The health care costs associated with this issue cost Americans over $13 billion a year. Canadians spend over $1 billion. A leading cause of this alarming epidemic is the sedentary modern lifestyle.
We can get started on a solution by getting our kids active again! There are currently over 8 million families in North America living below the poverty line. For many of these families, providing bikes for their children is a luxury they can’t afford. Unfortunately, these kids won’t have a chance to get outside and ride a bike. They’ll miss out… and end up sitting at home watching TV instead.
Together, we can make a difference – one bike at a time. Donate a bike to a child who can’t afford one – by sponsoring a mile for $50. Let’s give away 3000 bikes to 3000 kids! That’s one bike for every mile Greg pedals WiTHiN across the Pacific ocean.
You can help! Sponsor a mile for $50 and you will provide one underprivileged child in North America with a brand new bicycle, through the registered charity Kimberlee’s Bikes for Kids. Let’s ensure that our children grow up healthy, happy, and ACTIVE!
3000 bikes for 3000 kids in 3000 miles! Click here to donate now!
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