(Photos courtesy Around-N-Over: Above, Erden’s arrival in Louisiana during circumnavigation)
Did you know that Erden Eruç is one of your neighbors here in West Seattle?

He’s in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person to complete a solo human-powered circumnavigation of the planet. He did it without much fanfare, but fanfare wasn’t the point – read about it here.

That would be the achievement of a lifetime, to say the least, for just about anyone. But it’s one of many for Erden: Among other things, he’s also the first person to have rowed the three major oceans (including 5,465 nautical miles across the Atlantic).

If you haven’t met him yet – or even if you have! – you’ll want to be at Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor) in The Junction this Thursday night, 7-9, to see and hear from him and find out what he’s planning next. He’s not just resting on his achievements; he leads the nonprofit Around-N-Over, which supports his goal of educating and inspiring people, especially students, who he often tells: “When we dream big and choose to embark on a larger-than-life journey, success depends on taking a few big steps which are noteworthy in their own right or many small steps at a rapid pace.”

Erden has been a West Seattleite for a year and a half, but has resided in Seattle “since 1999 except for a 1 year stint in Sydney, Australia,” he tells us. He’s getting ready for a new adventure you can read about here, but at EWA this Thursday night, he’ll focus on the human-powered circumnavigation tale, plus “footage of fish that I caught given the focus of Emerald Water Anglers’ store.” If you haven’t been to EWA yet (where the merchandise includes outdoor apparel, too, for more than fishing), it’s on the ground floor of Oregon 42, southeast corner of 42nd and Oregon.