After 91 days and 9 hours out at sea alone, Cyril Derreumaux is checking an item off his long bucket list of adventures, one that he’s been training for the past four years. On June 21, he left Monterey, California, to solo paddle across 2,400 nautical miles of the Pacific Ocean to get to Hawaii.
Earlier today Derreumaux arrived at Hilo Bay to a gathering crowd and a welcoming escort from the local paddling community. People who have been following his journey since the beginning showed up for the joyful ending, coming from different islands and even flying in from San Francisco.
“Yesterday, the weather was just amazing. Like two, three days before on the water, the weather was 15 to 20 knots of wind. The day before was 10 to 15 knots. And the day of was four to 10, like glass water, beautiful pristine waters. It was like God send,”
Derreumaux now looks considerably different than when he left the California coast three months ago. He’s about 20 pounds lighter, his beard is longer, but his smile is just as wide as when he started his journey back in 2019 before his ocean kayak “Valentine” — named after his sister — was built. In 2020, his planned departure was aborted since they couldn’t send the boat due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then in 2021, his first attempt was cut short due to several issues. Derreumaux had to be rescued six days in following bad weather and a damaged sea
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