Jason Lewis (adventurer)
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Jason Lewis (born 13 September 1967) is an English author, explorer and sustainability campaigner credited with being the first person to
circumnavigate Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...
the globe by human power. He is also the first person to cross North America on
inline skates Inline skates are a type of roller skate used for inline skating. Unlike quad skates, which have two front and two rear wheels, inline skates typically have two to five wheels arranged in a single line. Some, especially those for recreation, ha ...
(1996), and the first to cross the Pacific Ocean by pedal power (2000). Together with Stevie Smith, Lewis completed the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from mainland Europe to North America by human power (1995).


Expedition 360

Lewis set off with friend and fellow adventurer Stevie Smith from
Greenwich, London Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
on 12 July 1994, to complete the world's first human-powered circumnavigation, and the two dubbed the journey
Expedition 360 Expedition 360 is the name of a successful attempt by Briton Jason Lewis to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe using only human power – no motors or sails. It was begun by Lewis and Stevie Smith in 1994 and ended at 12:24 pm on 6 Oc ...
. By July 2007, Lewis had travelled over . He successfully ended his 4,833-day expedition on 6 October 2007, having travelled . In mid-1994, Lewis and Smith mountain-biked through France, Spain and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
to the port of Lagos, Portugal. Departing on 13 October 1994, Lewis and Smith then pedaled 111 consecutive days and across the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
in a wooden pedal-powered boat named ''Moksha''. Lewis then rollerbladed thousands of miles across North America. He was struck by a drunk driver in
Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most populo ...
, and spent nine months recovering from two broken legs. He finished the North American expedition leg in 1996. In 1998 and 1999, Lewis and Smith spent 53 days pedaling ''Moksha'' across the Pacific Ocean from
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
to Hilo, Hawaii, where Smith ended his journey. In four days, Lewis and a small group of supporters hiked the 80 miles across Hawaii. After 73 days of solo pedaling ''Moksha'' across the doldrums, Lewis completed the Pacific Ocean crossing from Hawaii to the island
atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
of
Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
. With the help of friend and expedition supporter April Abril, Lewis then pedaled ''Moksha'' 1,450 miles for 32 days across the Coral Sea to Australia. In 2001, Lewis and a group of supporters spent 88 days cycling 3,500 miles across the Australian outback, starting near
Cooktown, Queensland Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repair ...
, and finishing in the port city of Darwin, Northern Territory. After spending many years raising funds to continue Expedition 360, Lewis was reunited with ''Moksha'' in 2005. He and expedition supporter Lourdes Arango pedaled 450 nautical miles from Darwin to Dili,
East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
. Throughout 2005, Lewis kayaked thousands of miles through the Indonesian archipelago from East Timor to Singapore. In 2006, he biked from Singapore to the
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...
, and biked and hiked through the Himalayas to the port of
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
. Covering 2,000 nautical miles in 46 days during early 2007, Lewis and friend Sher Dhillon pedaled ''Moksha'' from Mumbai,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, crossing the
Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
to
Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
. Lewis then planned to travel through
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, Sudan,
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, and the Middle East before reaching Europe – encountering a problem in Sudan. The Egyptian authorities would not let him pass through their waters, and when his visa for Sudan ran out he was left with an "impossible decision". He attempted to kayak across Lake Nasser to
Abu Simbel Abu Simbel is a historic site comprising two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel ( ar, أبو سمبل), Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. It is situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about ...
but was arrested on suspicion of spying. He was released, but Egyptian authorities forbade him from cycling the 178-mile journey to
Aswan Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the ...
. He completed this section illegally by riding partly at night. During his journey through Sudan he encountered actors
Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...
and Charley Boorman who were travelling south as part of their
Long Way Down ''Long Way Down'' is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South ...
motorbike trip. In July 2007, Lewis reached Syria, and then cycled across
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
,
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, Germany, and
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
before returning to London on 6 October. Pulling ''Moksha'' in tow, Lewis crossed the Greenwich Meridian Line where he had begun his expedition 13 years earlier. During his expedition, Lewis twice survived
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
,
sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
, a bout of mild schizophrenia, and a crocodile attack near Australia in 2005. As part of a wider interest in sustainability and education, Lewis has visited more than 900 schools in 37 countries, giving talks to students and involving them in a variety of programs to promote world citizenship, zero carbon emission travel, and awareness of consumption habits on the health of the planet. In August 2020, Lewis announced on his blog that he and Stevens will embark on a three-year journey named GB360, circumnavigating United Kingdom and Ireland with refitted Moksha, bike and kayak, documenting examples of sustainable living along the way. They began the first leg of their trip, Cymru360 circumnavigating
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, from
Deeside Deeside ( cy, Glannau Dyfrdwy) is the name given to a predominantly industrial conurbation of towns and villages in Flintshire and Cheshire on the Wales–England border lying near the canalised stretch of the River Dee that flows from nei ...
on 19 June 2021, covering 650 miles in 8 weeks, and ending on 12 August. After completion, Lewis tweeted that if funding permits, they plan to circumnavigate
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
or Ireland in 2022.


Bibliography

*''The Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Earth'', Billy Fish Books 2012 *''The Expedition, The Seed Buried Deep'', Billy Fish Books, 2013 *''The Expedition, To the Brink'', Billy Fish Books, 2014 *Contributor to ''Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul'', HCI, 2002 *Contributor to ''Flightless: Incredible Journeys Without Leaving the Ground'', Lonely Planet Publications, 2008 *Contributor to ''The Modern Explorers'', Thames & Hudson, 2013 *Smith, Stevie, ''Pedalling to Hawaii'', Summersdale Publishers Ltd., 2005


Records

*Recognized by
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
as the first individual human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth, 2013. *Teamed with Stevie Smith, Lewis was the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean from mainland Europe to North America by human power, February 1995. *First person to cross North America on inline skates, September 1996. *First person to cross the Pacific Ocean by pedal power, August 2000.


Literary Awards

*''The Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of Earth'' and BillyFish Books awarded the Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Bill Fisher Award for best first book (non-fiction), 2013 *Winner of the 2013 Eric Hoffer (First Horizon) Award for ''The Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of Earth'' *Winner of the 2013 National Indie Excellence Award for ''The Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of Earth'' *Winner of the 2012 ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Award (Adventure & Recreation) for ''The Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of Earth'' *Grand Prize Winner of the 2012 Southern California Book Festival for ''The Expedition, True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Earth''


Other Honours

*London University Hon Fellow (RHC) *Royal Geographic Society Club Fellow (FRGS) *Explorers Club Fellow *Royal Scottish Geographical Society (FRSGS)


Film

Throughout his 13-year expedition, Lewis' friend, cinematographer Kenny Brown, collected many hundreds of hours of footage, and has compiled the work into a feature-length documentary titled, ''The Expedition''.


Webcomic

In 2012, artist Kris Stacks and writer Anthony DiMatteo created a 27-page black and white webcomic based on the writings of Lewis. The free webcomic was titled ''Expedition360''.


Personal life

In his earlier years before
Expedition 360 Expedition 360 is the name of a successful attempt by Briton Jason Lewis to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe using only human power – no motors or sails. It was begun by Lewis and Stevie Smith in 1994 and ended at 12:24 pm on 6 Oc ...
, Lewis worked as a window cleaner, and as a member of a rock n' roll cover band. Before carrying out his 13-year human-powered circumnavigation, Lewis had never crossed an ocean before. Nor had he roller bladed, kayaked, or ridden a bike for more than a few miles. He regularly delivers inspirational speeches about global sustainability, and appears for book signings and readings to promote ''The Expedition'' trilogy. He also frequently writes for magazines and travel books. Lewis is vegan and a strong animal rights supporter, known for saying he "won't eat anything that has a face." When Lewis was recuperating in Colorado during his expedition, he gave talks at schools. It was there that he met Tammie Stevens, an actress, who was taking a theatre workshop at the same school. After Lewis returned to London in 2007, he was offered a six-figure advance for a book about his experience, but he rejected the deal upon learning he'd have to work with a ghost writer, leaving him broke, homeless and unemployed. It was then that Stevens sent him an e-mail to reconnect. Upon hearing about his plight, she started her own publishing company, Billy Fish Books. They later married and settled in the Beulah mountain community in Colorado. In Beulah, they hosted a "Don't Fix It, Nix It" repair party to encourage sustainability in 2019.


Television appearances and video

*BBC News Featurette *''Around the world in 13 years Newscaster: Alphonso Van Marsh, CNN International, England, 6 October 2007; republished by Rogers Yahoo Video as ''Around the world in 13 years: Human Powered Voyage'', 8 October 2007. *''CBS This Morning'',http://www.cbs.com/thunder/swf/rcpHolderCbs.swf?partner=userembed&vert=News&autoPlayVid=false&releaseURL=http://release.theplatform.com/content.select?pid=cEZGPMBz_7jpQi_0VXHB41kBovRDDsbZ *''The Tonight Show With Jay Leno'' *''
Long Way Down ''Long Way Down'' is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South ...
''


See also

* Erden Eruç * Aleksander Doba *
Circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Mage ...
* Mixed transportation circumnavigations


References


External links

*http://jasonexplorer.com *http://www.expedition360.com/ *http://www.theexpeditionfilm.com/ *http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/dorset/6094094.stm *http://expedition360webcomic.wordpress.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Jason 1967 births Living people English explorers People from Catterick, North Yorkshire Sustainability advocates Fellows of the Explorers Club