Colin Angus

(Photo: Mark Gallup)

As a young man Colin learned that limits are merely habits of perception.  At the age of 12 he dreamed of buying an ocean-going sailboat and exploring distant lands. Many were quick to point out why this couldn't be done.  Colin, the last of four children, was raised by a single mother in the depressed working town of Port Alberni.  Having never stepped foot in a sailboat he seemed an unlikely candidate to carry out such an ambition.

For Colin, however, success lay behind a simple set of steps; save some money, acquire the knowledge, and buy a boat.  Eight years after the dream was spawned, Colin departed from his hometown commencing a five-year voyage.

Colin's years sailing kindled his desire to continue exploring, and taught him that careful planning and disciplined teamwork can yield incredible results.  His next adventure was a complete descent of the Amazon River in a whitewater raft, a feat he achieved in a team of three.  On this five-month journey the trio almost died of thirst in a desert searching for the Amazon's source, were pummeled by class V+ whitewater in the Amazon's upper gorges, and were shot at by Shining Path Guerillas in the cloud forest.  Following their Amazon journey Colin went on to organize an expedition down another of the world's great rivers, the Yenisey, which flows through the heart of Mongolia and Siberia.

Colin's most recent expedition, the first human-powered circumnavigation of the world, is his most ambitious undertaking yet.  He achieved this goal with his fiancée, Julie Wafaei, which involved rowing unsupported across two oceans and trekking, canoeing, skiing and cycling through 17 countries and three continents.  This odyssey is recounted in his book Beyond the Horizon.

Colin is a best-selling author and has written for numerous publications including the Globe and Mail, Reader's Digest, and Cruising World. He has co-produced two documentaries for National Geographic that have collectively won eight awards at international festivals including the Dijon and Telluride Festivals of Adventure Films.

Julie Angus

(Photo: Mark Gallup)

Julie is the first and only woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland.  During the worst hurricane season in history, she spent 5 months rowing unsupported across 10,000 km of unforgiving seas, reaching shore in 2006 and completing her dream.  Throughout this incredible challenge, she and her fiancé, rowed through 4 cyclones, encountered great white sharks, fished for survival, and swam with animals that accompanied them across the ocean.

Julie is a molecular biologist, adventurer, writer, and filmmaker. She has two undergraduate degrees with honours from McMaster University (Biology and Psychology) and a graduate degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Victoria. She spent over a decade studying and developing treatments for heart disease, cancer and genetic ailments, before focusing completely on examining the natural world through exploration. 

She has explored over 30 countries, cycled 15,000 km through more than half of those, and trekked in the Himalayan Mountains.  Julie has written for several publications including Venus and The Ring. Her photography has appeared in Outside Magazine, Explore Magazine, The Globe and Mail and BC Business, among others. She is currently writing a book, Rowboat in a Hurricane, detailing her latest adventure.