Hannes Lindemann

Dr. Hannes Lindemann made two solo transatlantic crossings in a dugout canoe and a production seventeen foot (approximately 5m) Klepper Aerius double folding kayak (the smallest craft in which the Atlantic has ever been crossed). His book Alone at Sea (ISBN 3-925660-27-5) documents the trips, which were totally unasisted. He was motivated to make the trip by an interest in how the human body and mind respond to stress.

He had his boat delivered to the Canary Islands, before paddling to the Caribbean. He carried 154 pounds of supplies in the form of 60 cans of food, 96 of milk, and 72 of beer. He did not carry a stove, and had to catch fish to survive as the food he carried was not sufficent for the journey. He used handmade sails to complement his paddling. The 3,000 trip to St Martin took him 72 days. En route he encounered huricanes, but capsized only twice. His record remains unbeaten.

External links

• Deutsches Museum (bonn)
• The history page of Klepper, manufactuerer of Lindemann's Kayak

See also: Hannes Lindemann, Atlantic, Biography, Canary Islands, Caribbean, Kayak, St Martin