Adventurer Stefan Ivanov preparing to cross fourth ocean by rowing boat

"I can't wait to embark on the crossing of my fourth ocean by rowing boat," wrote the renowned endurance athlete and record holder Stefan Ivanov on social media. "After already completing ocean rowing expeditions across the Atlantic, Southern, and Arctic Oceans, the time has come to share that we've organised our next, fourth expedition—this time across the Indian Ocean."

The crew will consist of four rowers. Joining the Bulgarian on board will be Ralph Tuijn (Netherlands), Evgeniy Sudyr (Ukraine), and Liu Yong (China). All of us have confirmed that we will definitely begin the expedition in May this year, starting from the west coast of Australia and heading to the east coast of Africa.

"We expect it to take about 75 days, maybe a little less, I hope," Ivanov said.

Stefan Ivanov also shared another exciting piece of news—he has officially become a member of "The Explorers Club."

The prestigious club, established over a century ago in New York, supports scientific expeditions, such as the 1909 North Pole expedition, the 1911 South Pole expedition, the first ascent of Mount Everest, the deepest descent under the surface of the ocean, reaching the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and even stepping on the moon.

Ivanov, the first Bulgarian to join the club, announced that after a long process of application and scrutiny of the upcoming Indian Ocean expedition, it has finally been approved and will be conducted under the flag of the iconic club.

"We already feel more like explorers rather than adventurers," Stefan said with a laugh.

He also explained that the team will continue collecting ocean samples during the expedition and provide them to scientists at the Faculty of Biology of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" for their research on climate change and global warming.

"Rose"

The four rowers will row across the Indian Ocean aboard Ralph Tuijn's boat, which has the pretty name "Rose", Stefan Ivanov said. He added that it was designed by the Englishman Phil Morrison, who also designed the "Neverest" - the boat built in partnership with Stefan Ivanov's son, Maxim Ivanov, on board of which the two crossed both the Atlantic and the Arctic Oceans.

4,444 nautical miles: Bulgarian father and son crossed the Atlantic ocean in a rowing boat

"Rose" was launched by Rannoch Adventure—a small boatbuilding company, or as Ivanov jokingly called it, a "boatcrafting shop" in the United Kigdom. It is very similar to "Neverest." The main difference is that instead of one rowing position, "Rose" has three, which means that if necessary, three people can row simultaneously, Ivanov explained. In their case, they will alternate in pairs—two people will row for two hours while the other two rest. However, if they encounter strong currents or get close to rocks, three people can take the oars at the same time, he added.

Ivanov mentioned that "Rose" should be able to move slightly faster than "Neverest" in terms of average speed and be a little more stable.

"The boat weighs well over a tonne," Ivanov continued, "although when the wind catches it from the side or head-on, it feels like two or three tonnes..."

Source: BTA