Row Around Iceland: The Story of Kjartan Hauksson
By Allan Lynch

Kjartan Hauksson had two dreams in life. The first was to row around Iceland, which would serve as preparation for his second, grander dream: rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. For most people either dream would be overly ambitious, but for Hauksson it was a natural as breathing. He grew up playing with boats in safjrur (Icefjord), a small fishing village in northern Iceland.

Hauksson inherited his passions for the sea and boats from his grandfather, Danel Rgnvaldsson, a local shipbuilder who provided a steady supply of building material and advice.

By the age of seven, with lots of grandparental encouragement, Hauksson had already built several rowing boats. They were a simple design, but good enough to take his friends out on the water.

Kjartan at the start of 2,000 km

By the age of 15, Hauksson had bought and rebuilt his first motorboat. It was a open boat with a small, not always reliable, inboard engine. The result was that Hauksson often ended up single-handedly rowing this heavy, four-person boat home. Nonetheless, Hauksson used this boat, Elding (Icelandic for Lightening), to launch an after-school career as a commercial fisherman. In between his studies and fishing, he added to his business opportunities by qualifying as a commercial diver.

After studying at the Marine Engineering and Navigation schools in Reykjavik, with terms in the USA, England and Scotland, Hauksson launched his own marine construction and subsea cable laying company, KJH ehf. But for all his study, business activity, and passing years, Hauksson never forgot his dreams. At age 43, he set out to live his first dream of rowing around Iceland.

The Preparation

During the winter of 2003 Hauksson began work building a down-sized version of an ocean-going rowing boat. The boat had two closed compartments. One compartment was for the rower, navigation and communications equipment. The other for food storage and supplies. His goal was to row, single-handedly, the 2300km / 1241 Nautical Miles around Iceland, with only four planned restocking stops. In addition to fulfilling Haukssons dream, the adventure was also a fundraising opportunity for his favorite cause, the Handicapped Association of Iceland (HAI). Hauksson has been a volunteer with the HAI for three-years and knew of its good reputation and terrible need. Eventually his row earned 8.5 Million Kroner (approximately $135,000 USD) for the association.

Friends and supporters of Kjartan

Preparation went beyond securing equipment. It included an almost all-encompassing training regime to ensure he could endure the physical demands of the row. Hauksson follows FISA (International Rowing Federation) guidelines, training seven days a week (twice a day in summer!). His regime, which barely seems to leave time to work, includes: attending sculling camps to improve technique; working with former Italian national rower, Leone Tinganelly, who lives in Iceland; weight lifting; rowing and endurance training; cross-country skiing and judo; and diet.

The adventure began when Hauksson rowed out of the harbour in Reykjavik in August 2003. The original dream was to circumvent Iceland in one epic row. Three weeks later, his boat destroyed by difficult weather and constant strong crosswinds that kept driving his craft on to Icelands rocky northern shores, Hauksson realized he would have to adopt a new vision. Fortunately, Hauksson came ashore with only scrapes and bruises.

He used 2004 to train and prepare for a second much longer leg (1900km/1025 Nautical Miles) to the finish line. While he planned the next phase of his adventure, Hauksson realized the need for a completely different boat. It would need to be much lighter to row against the wind, and not be driven on shore in what he calls uncontrollable landings. This new boat would also need to be light enough so he could single-handedly pull it ashore in a remote location if necessary. While it needed to be as flexible as a ballerina, the new boat would also need enough volume to carry him, his gear and two days worth of supplies.

These changes also meant he had to plan to go ashore more often to rest and restock. During that initial leg of the adventure, Hauksson rowed 400km/220 Nautical Miles, with only one stop for supplies and media interviews, and even then he didnt set foot on land. In addition to dexterity and space, this new boat would also have to totally self bailing, have good surfing characteristics and stability. Finally, the boat needed to be "unsinkable" and, if damaged, easy to repair.

Mark Ginisty, a friend from France, offered to assist Hauksson in building the new boat. Mark is a naval architect who has designed and built many ocean rowing boats, including those for Anne Quemere and Maud Fontenoy. Hauksson and Ginisty concluded they didnt have sufficient time to build a new boat, so they opted to search for something off-the-shelf.

Ginisty came up with the idea to look into a boat made by Virus, France, the Yole de Mer. The fiberglass Yole Class met their strength and weight specifications. An internet search sent Hauksson to Urs and Renee Wunderli in Florida. They own Rum International Inc., which is the sole importers/distributor of Virus boats for USA/Canada, and had a used Yole Class available for immediate delivery.

When the Yole, Frelsi, arrived in Iceland, Hauksson made very minor changes for gear and load. One of the changes was repainting the hull form the original burgundy to a more highly visible yellow.

The Row in Numbers

Boat (used on second leg): Yole Class, by Virus -Fiberglass
Manufacturer Yole: Virus, France
Length: 4.80meter / 15'9"
Width: 83cm / 33"
Rigger Span: 158cm/ 62"
Weight: 60kg / 125lbs
Cockpit open, 100% self bailing
Oars: Carbon/ Hatchet Blades
Spare Oars: Aluminum, Macon Blades

Overall Distance 2300km/1241 naut. miles
1. leg 2003 - 400km/ 220 naut. miles
2. leg 2005 - 1900km/1025 naut. miles
Days on the water: 109
Hours rowed: 550
Longest leg: 29 hours /140/76 n.miles

Total burn of energy (body)
Kcal 500.000 = 70 kg/150lbs Butter

Average Air temp: 10 degrees Celsius
Average water temp: 2 -10 degrees Celsius
Average daylight: June=24h > Sept=17h

His Goals for the Row

The goal of this trip was to be the first circumnavigation of Iceland in a rowing boat and for Hauksson to be the first Icelander to row single-handedly around his country without the support of motor or sail, or a safety boat, using only on his own power. Equally important to the personal quest, was the opportunity to raise money for HAI and introduce rowing to his countrymen.
Since this trip was also preparation for a transatlantic row, Hauksson was very keen to selecting gear and equipment based on weight and reliability. All had to be waterproof. The equipment included: GSM, NMT and Irridium Sat phone, VHF radio, GPS and compass used for navigation, two emergency beacons, flares, parachute rockets, lights, survival suit, spare parts and tools. The equipment was stored in dry bags and fastened to the open forward and aft deck of the boat. Hauksson wore a life vest at all times and was connected to the boat via a lifeline.

Kjartan rowing through the breakers

The Row

Hauksson started the second leg on June 5th 2005 rowing from Bolungarvk (near Icefjord) and ended in Reykjavik Harbor precisely at 2:15 pm, September 2nd. He came ashore to the cheers of a crowd of supporters, a scene which happened at every stop during the journey. The Frelsi proved to be the perfect choice for the row. While it was damaged several times in bad weather landings, including broken keels, holes and cracks, Hauksson was able to do ad hoc repairs without interrupting his quest.

The most difficult part of the row was the weather and areas of long shallow shorelines which had limited or no possible landing sites. Haukssons average rowing leg lasted 15-20 hours and covered as much as 100 kilometers. Some days, the winds and surf conspired to keep him at sea, forcing Hauksson to row as much as 30 hours non-stop, and traveling as much 140 kilometers. In these most difficult parts the routine was a three-minute food stop every two-to-three hours.

In spite of the changeable weather, Hauksson enjoyed good days when he could watch marine and bird life as well as Icelands spectacular mountainous landscape. Some days whales and seals accompanied him on his row.

Apres Row

After finishing his row around Iceland, Kjartan returned to work at his company, on projects ranging from work on a Clint Eastwood film to a Russian exploration searching Iceland's west coast for a World War II vessel. In his off-hours Hauksson and his wife Brynja are building a lakeside cottage, which they plan to rent to rowers, anglers and outdoor lovers, and launching a tour company offering guided multi-days rows around Iceland. The second part of Haukssons dream, the transatlantic row, is tentatively scheduled for 2008. In the meantime, the never-still Hauksson is working to increase the visibility of rowing to Iceland, founding a rowing club, and introduce rowing to handicapped people for fitness, pleasure or competition.

Hauksson welcomes contact via email: kjartanhauks@hotmail.com

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