A Greek man sailed around Crete on a kayak and circled the island in 39 days, starting on New Year’s Day and finishing on Thursday.

Manolis Loudaros shared his experience on Facebook posting pictures and writing about his daring winter trip around Crete that had him sailing for 39 days. He paddled for 500 miles (800 kilometers) to fulfill his goal.

He started from Elafonisos, off southern Peloponnese, passed through Kythera and Antikythera and reached Crete where he started his journey around the island.

In the 39 days he was on his kayak, Loudaros faced bad weather, strong winds in some cases, and conditions that made his task even more difficult. He fought against the natural phenomena and his determination won.

When he reached Lassithi, for instance, he wrote: “…strong currents, storms, extreme phenomena in and out of the water… Eastern Crete is wild, simple, with a unique natural beauty… The passage to South Crete and the approach to Goudouros, an uneven battle for strong nerves in the dark to try me. Incomprehensible and extreme weather phenomena with strong winds, unrealistic gusts 120 km / h, major disasters throughout the region, closed schools for 3 days, irreparable damage to greenhouses…”

The 39-day trip ended on Thursday in Balos: “A very difficult day, but also a very strong company that accompanied me from Falasarna to Kissamos defying weather forecasts and pushing the limits once again. The answer to the question I asked myself “is it feasible?” Yes it is! With patience, perseverance and strong nerves … ”

This was not the first time Loudaros challenged deep waters and the elements in general. Last year he made the round of Peloponnese on his kayak.

Source: greekreporter