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 Ísafjör›ur (Icefjord), a small fishing village
in northern Iceland.Hauksson inherited his passions for the sea and boats from his grandfather, Daníel Rögnvaldsson, 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.
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 Hauksson’s 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.
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