Colin Angus

Colin rowing on the Atlantic Ocean.

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.  Colin teamed up with high school friend, Dan Audet, and after two seasons of hard work crewing on a fish boat and tree planting, the men pooled their savings and purchased a 27’ ocean-going sailboat.  Knowledge was gleaned easily and cheaply at the local library. Eight years after the dream was first spawned, Colin and Dan sailed away from their hometown on Vancouver Island.

The sailing odyssey lasted five years and the two men voyaged down the coast of North America to Mexico and then sailed to French Polynesia.  At this point Dan accepted a full-time job on a luxury yacht and the friends bade goodbye.  Colin continued sailing solo for the next three years visiting the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand.  He finally sold the boat in Papua New Guinea before returning to Canada.

Colin’s youthful years on the Pacific Ocean 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.  Only one other group had succeeded in this quest, although there had been many attempts, all with tragic outcomes.  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 journey down the Amazon, the team prepared for their next expedition; the first descent of the Yenisey River through Mongolia and Siberia.  The Yenisey is the world’s fifth longest river, and had never previously been navigated from source to sea. The men had a five-month ice-free window to complete this journey which took them through some of the most remote regions on the planet, finishing at the Arctic Ocean.

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.  His book detailing this two-year quest, Beyond the Horizon, will be released in March, 2007.

Colin is a bestselling author who has penned three books for Random House and written for many 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.  Colin is currently rowing and cycling from Scotland to Syria.

Julie Angus

Julie near shore after rowing across the Atlantic.

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 publications including The Globe & Mail, Venus and The Ring. Her photography has appeared in Outside Magazine, Explore Magazine, Reader's Digest and National Geographic Adventure , among others. Julie's book, Rowboat in a Hurricane, which details her row across the ocean and the changing state of our oceans, will be available in fall 2008 through Greystone Books.

Julie is currently pedalling and rowing 7,000 km with Colin in Expedition Rowed Trip.