After spending 92 days at sea, Cyril Derreumaux paddled through Hilo Bay on Tuesday to finish his journey across the Pacific Ocean.
Derreumaux, 46, has been training to paddle solo across the Pacific for nearly five years and finally completed his mission. He was welcomed with lei and gifts from the community, as well as hugs and kisses from loved ones who traveled to see him.
Taking off from Monterey, Calif., in June, Derreumaux made his way to Hilo in a handmade kayak where he encountered various adventures during his three months at sea.
Derreumaux traveled 2,500 nautical miles with more than 70 individual bags of one-day portions of food and collapsible water bottles. Fully loaded, his kayak weighed about 800 pounds, and he made the trek without any physical contact with other people.
“He started thinking about this years ago. He made a boat, and COVID-19 delayed the delivery,” said Ashley Redmond, Derreumaux’s partner. “He tried last year, but was rescued after six days. This is the third attempt, and he’s finally done it. We’re all so proud.”
Derreumaux’s parents, Jean Paul and Brigitte Derreumaux, traveled from France to watch their son complete his adventure.
“We are so ready for him to be on land, so I can sleep again,” Brigitte Derreumaux said. “I think he had good mental health to get through it, but I’m a little worried he may have trouble walking after so much time.”
Derreumaux blogged throughout his journey and was able to contact supporters frequently. Although he ran into challenges, most of his experience was positive.
One blog post answered the most popular question: Why did Derreumaux want to do this?
“I think it’s because I want to know. I want to find out for myself. I want to feel what it’s like. I want to LIVE the experience,” Derreumaux wrote. “I wanted to know, personally, and not reading from someone else’s book of experience:
• what it feels like to work passionately on a personal project for years before completion
• what it feels to make it happen
• what it feels like to say the hardest goodbyes
• what it’s like to push the dock of the marina off, for this big ocean
• what it feels like to see loved ones turn around and be alone, looking ahead, and let’s go
• what it feels like to be ready for the fight, for the challenge, for the ‘whatever comes’
• what it feels like to drift at night, to be blown off course, to be carried by the current
• to spend a night in terrible weather, not knowing when it would stop, but being certain that it would some time
• to wake up to the most quiet ocean, no sound, a magical sunrise and a bird coming out of nowhere to say hi
• to feel so small in this little vessel, in front of the length, depth and mighty strength of this ocean, yet safe.
• if I could convene with the ocean’s moods and understand her patterns
• how I would behave being alone for 3 months
• if I can bring my game up to the task
• what success means, after so much struggle
• what I would learn about myself, the world, and my place in it.”
Doug Levy traveled to Hilo to watch his friend see land for the first time in months.
“I remember him talking about this when it was just a crazy idea in 2017,” Levy said. “I saw him map it out and make plans, and now seeing that he was able to accomplish this, it’s amazing.”
Those interested can read more about Derreumaux’s experience and what it took to make it happen on the Facebook page, Cyril Derreumaux Adventure.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com