Fiann Paul facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Fiann Paul CGeog, Hon.MM

Born	Paweł Pietrzak (1980-08-15) 15 August 1980 (age 44) Warsaw, Poland
Citizenship	Polish, Icelandic
Education	C. G. Jung Institute, Zürich (Jungian Analyst)
Awards	Ocean Explorers Grand Slam (2019)

Fiann Paul (born Paweł Pietrzak on August 15, 1980) is an amazing explorer from Poland and Iceland. He is famous for his incredible journeys rowing across oceans.

Fiann holds many world records for ocean rowing. He's known as the fastest and most record-breaking ocean rower. In 2019, he led the first ever human-powered trip across the super-challenging Drake Passage. He also became the first and only person to complete the Ocean Explorers Grand Slam. This means he rowed across all five of the world's oceans using only his own power!

Early Life and Learning

Fiann Paul was born Paweł Pietrzak on August 15, 1980, in Warsaw, Poland. In the mid-2000s, he moved from Poland to Iceland. He became an Icelandic citizen and changed his name to Fiann Paul. Today, he lives in Reykjavík, Iceland.

In 2021, Fiann finished his training to become a Jungian Analyst at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zürich. He studies how people's minds work when they do super-long endurance activities. He also looks at the thoughts and feelings of explorers and athletes.

Amazing Ocean Rowing Feats

Fiann Paul has rowed across all five of the world's oceans. He did this in a rowboat powered only by humans, without any outside help. He set speed records for the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. He also completed the only human-powered crossing of the Southern Ocean. Because no one else had ever done it, there wasn't a speed record to beat!

Fiann has the best success rate in ocean rowing history. This means he has successfully completed more record-breaking expeditions than anyone else. He always rowed in the "stroke position." This is the person who sets the pace for the whole boat. The total effort he put into ocean rowing is like running about 300 marathons one after another! He once said his resting heart rate during these trips was almost double the normal rate.

Rowing Adventures Through the Years

2011: Fastest Atlantic Crossing

In 2011, Fiann was the stroke for a boat called Sara G. This boat became known as "the Fastest Boat in ocean rowing history." They set a new speed record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean. They also won the Blue Riband Trophy of Ocean Rowing.

2014: Two Oceans Conquered

By 2014, Fiann became the first person to hold speed records for rowing across two oceans at the same time: the Atlantic and the Indian. During one trip, his boat even crashed into a blue whale! The steering cable also broke, so the crew had to steer the boat by hand. After some crew members got hurt in a hurricane, only three rowers were left to finish the journey.

2016: A Hat-Trick of Records

In 2016, Fiann became the only rower ever to hold three overall speed records at once. These were for the Atlantic, Indian, and Mid-Pacific Oceans. Guinness World Records officially recognized this amazing achievement.

2017: Four Oceans and Arctic Records

In 2017, Fiann rowed across the Arctic Ocean. This made him the first person to row four oceans. He also set the overall speed record for the Arctic Ocean. His team's boat, Polar Row I, broke the old Arctic Ocean record by 3.5 times! This was impressive because they faced strong headwinds for most of the trip. Guinness World Records confirmed Fiann as the "First to row 4 Oceans" and the "First to hold current speed records on all 4 oceans."

2019: The Impossible Row and Grand Slam

The idea for the "Impossible Row" across the Antarctic started in 2017. After finishing his Arctic row, Fiann told The New York Times he wanted to try an even harder route. He gathered a team, including Andrew Towne, Jamie Douglas-Hamilton, Cameron Bellamy, John Petersen, and Colin O'Brady.

This incredible row took 12 days, 1 hour, and 45 minutes. The team faced freezing temperatures, snow, hail, and huge icebergs near Antarctica. They finished on December 25, 2019. This expedition achieved three historic firsts:

First to row across the Drake Passage.
First to row to the Antarctic continent.
First to row in the Southern Ocean.

The journey was so amazing that it became a Discovery Channel documentary in 2020 called The Impossible Row.

Awards and Recognitions

In 2019, Fiann Paul was chosen to be a coordinator for the Ocean Rowing Society International. This group helps manage international ocean rowing.

In 2020, he received an Honorary Master Mariner award from the Association of Master Mariners. This award is given at the Gdynia Maritime University in Gdynia, Poland. Being a Master Mariner is the highest qualification for a seafarer. In Poland, it usually takes about 8 years of study to earn it.

In 2021, Fiann also helped create a special geodatabase for free. This database keeps track of the history of human-powered ocean exploration.

Other Honors and Awards

Blue Riband Trophy of Ocean Rowing, 2011
Winner of the Great Pacific Race in the classic class, 2016
Winner of the Great Pacific Race in all classes (beating open class boats), 2016
Received the oars of Anders Svedlund from his friends and family
Diploma from Military Personnel of Jan Mayen for his ocean rowing achievements

World Records

Fiann Paul holds many world records, especially from Guinness World Records.

Guinness World's Firsts

Pioneering and Exploration Records

First to row 4 oceans, 2017
First to row the Arctic Ocean open waters from south to north
First recorded full human-powered crossing of the Barents Sea, 2017
First to row the Arctic Ocean open waters from north to south, 2017
First recorded full human-powered crossing of the Greenland Sea, 2017
First to row the Arctic Ocean in both directions, 2017
First to row across the Drake Passage, 2019
First to row on the Southern Ocean, 2019
First to row to the Antarctic continent, 2019
First to row in both Polar Regions, 2019
First to row on 5 oceans (first to complete Ocean Explorers Grand Slam), 2019

Other Performance Records

First person to hold three overall speed Guinness World Records for ocean rowing on different oceans at the same time (a "hat-trick"): 2016
First person to hold three simultaneous overall ocean rowing speed records on different oceans twice (another "hat-trick"): 2017
First to hold current speed records on 4 oceans, 2017

Guinness "Mosts"

Records for Total Accomplishments in Ocean Rowing

Most ocean rowing speed records held at the same time on different oceans (3), 2016
Most ocean rowing speed records held at the same time on different oceans (4), 2017
Most overall ocean rowing speed records within two years (2), 2017
Most Polar Open Water rows completed by a rower (3), 2019
Most latitude records held by a rower (6), 2019

Overall Speed Guinness World Records

Fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, 2011
Fastest crossing of the Indian Ocean, 2014
Fastest crossing of the Mid-Pacific Ocean, 2016
Fastest crossing of the Arctic Ocean, 2017

Other Speed Guinness World Records

Highest number of consecutive days rowing over 100 miles a day (12 days), 2011
Fastest row across the Indian Ocean by a team, 2014

Geographical Guinness World Records

Latitude Records

Northernmost latitude (78°15'20'' N) reached by a rowing boat, 2017
Northernmost starting point (78°13' N), 2017
Northernmost latitude reached by a rowing boat (Arctic ice pack edge - 79°55'50'' N), 2017
The southernmost start of a rowing expedition, 55° 58′ S
The southernmost latitude reached by a rowing boat, 64°14′S

Longest Distance Records

The longest distance rowed on the Arctic Ocean Open Waters in one trip, 2017
Longest distance rowed by a team on the Indian Ocean, 2014
Longest total distance rowed in the Polar Open Water.

Ocean Rowing World Records

Most record-breaking ocean rower
Most record-breaking ocean crossing, 2017
Fastest ocean rowing boat in history compared to the average speed of any row on any ocean, 2011

Other World Records

Most record-breaking expedition in history, 2017