Who Is Ed Gillet According to Wikipedia? Information About The Kayaker
Ed Gillet is a well-known kayaker who has had a significant impact on the kayaking community. Kayak was his life since he was a small boy.
Before there were widely recognized and financially supported adventure missions, Ed had an idea that would rock the paddling universe.
In 1987, Gillet attempted a remarkable solo, unassisted, independently funded kayak paddle from Monterey, California, to Maui, Hawaii.
We consider him to have performed the greatest paddling feat in the magazine’s 30-year history when he finished the 2,200-mile trip from his put-in.
Gillet is currently working toward his high school teaching credential in addition to working hard to maintain his fitness for potential open-ocean solos that would test his Monterey to Maui paddle.
Ed Gillet: Who Is He? Biography and Age
In his 30s, Ed Gillet made a name for himself by taking lengthy Kayak trips throughout the country. He’s in his late sixties right now.
San Diego-based company In his thirties and during the 1980s, Ed Gillet made a number of lengthy kayak expeditions. He rapidly received widespread recognition as a result from people all around the world.
Despite paddling 8,000 km around the Pacific coast of South America in a year, he felt that coastal kayaking lacked sufficient difficulty. Thus, Gillet set off on a lone kayak journey from California’s Monterey Bay to Hawaii in June 1987.
No one had ever paddled a kayak the 4,000 kilometers from the North American continent to Hawaii, therefore his trip is known for a good cause.
Two parties have tried in recent years failed after just one day. Even this year, while attempting a similar route in her massive, specifically built rowboat loaded with modern equipment, Angela Madsen perished.
Ed Gillet: Who Is He?
Ed Gillet had an inconceivable concept that would tilt the paddling universe off its axis before there were well-publicized and heavily funded adventure missions. Gillet attempted an extraordinary solo, unsupported, self-funded kayak paddle from Monterey, California, to Maui, Hawaii, in 1987. Not only did he successfully complete the 2,200-mile journey from his put-in, but he also accomplished what we consider to be the greatest paddling feat in the magazine’s 30-year history. We’ll also rank it as one of the top single sporting experiences of all time because Gillet proved that, for 64 days, Mother Nature was manageable despite her unpredictable nature. In addition to training hard to maintain his fitness for upcoming open-ocean solos that would challenge his Monterey to Maui paddle, Gillet is now pursuing his high school teaching certification. He took a break from his hectic schedule to discuss the trip, his plans for the future, and the energy problem in California. When did the idea for a paddle from California to Hawaii first occur to you? After spending a year paddling around South America’s Pacific coast, I had a hard time readjusting to everyday life. I chose to paddle to Hawaii because I wanted to take on a challenge that was even more challenging and time-consuming than coastal paddling could provide. I was actually in risk of starvation, which terrified me. And because the agony from my saltwater sores hindered me from sleeping, I experienced a negative psychological reaction to the sleeping pill (Halcyon). Halcyon is known to trigger panic attacks and sadness, something I was unaware of at the time. I experienced these symptoms, but it wasn’t until much later that I understood they were brought on by Halcyon. How were your favorite sea days? I could use my kite effectively once I located the trade winds, and I began clocking 80 miles per day. The sea was a frothy royal blue, the weather was warm, and I was cruising with a school of mahi-mahi. They hung under my boat at night and swam beside me all day, like a pack of friendly dogs. You’ve done a lot of rock and mountain climbing; what were some of the similarities between climbing and traveling solo from Monterey to Maui? Really no similarities, to use On my paddling expedition, the exposure level was constant. For the two months I was in Hawaii, I never had a chance to relax, cook a truly excellent meal, or feel at ease. It was comparable to two months spent hanging out in the rain on a Porta-ledge. Evidently, they omitted such information from the booklet. Was it more difficult than your 4,500-mile paddle up the west coast of South America in 1984, which lasted a year? The difficulties were quite various. There were numerous hairball landings on the South American trip over heavy waves and onto uncharted beaches at night. There were plenty chances for mistakes. I was kidnapped hostage once and shot twice in Peru (on the southern Colombia border). It was similar to walking a three-foot board across an abyss when I was paddling in Hawaii; all I had to do was focus, stay healthy, and keep going. Were you shot at and imprisoned? What took place there? In Peru, a number of people shot at me to grab my attention. That performed admirably. Then there was the time a naval ship began shelling the hills behind the beach when I was accidentally camping on a firing range someplace in Peru. Even though the shots were hitting a few miles away, the situation was unsettling. Naturally, the artillery fire didn’t send shivers up and down my spine as much as the morning in Ecuador when several guys hurled sticks of dynamite into the peaceful estuary I was camping next to. I sprinted out of my tent believing I was being attacked by a mad army, but they were laughing. At the Colombian border, some inebriated drug traffickers held me at gunpoint and towed me to their foul stilt town on the edge of a mangrove swamp. They kept me in custody for a half-day as 20 obscene people rifled through my belongings in search of weapons or cash. They appeared to believe that I was paddling a DEA surveillance vessel and that I would be carrying lethal secret agent weaponry. It turned out that they took nothing. They had no interest in my shoddy camping equipment. What steps did you have to take every night to get the kayak ready for bed? For example, it took around 10 minutes to put up the pontoons. In order to keep the kayak moving into the wind and surf, I also dropped sea anchors. I pictured leaving on pontoon floats as if I were ocean-side bivouacking. Every campsite had a different vibe, and I noted this in my journal. At times, I tried to memorize each location’s appearance so I could quickly identify it if I ever needed to. I realize that every location on the earth has its own spirit, which may sound weird. The marks are more discrete yet still present in the ocean. I can understand that it was unsettling to sleep under the tarp for the first time. Have you ever experienced anxiety or claustrophobia? The tarp was actually a last-minute attempt to keep the water out, and it didn’t work all that well. For the lid to go over the cockpit, I had created one. The lid was claustrophobic and unusable at sea; it was frightening. Although it sounds absurd, I neglected to try it out on the water before I went. The answer would have been to construct a dodger, the sailboat equivalent of a tent. This is a strange topic, but how did you deal with some bodily discharges? Just hanging over the side of the boat, if you will. What is the issue? No issues at all, People who spend their time outside always have to find novel ways—and perhaps novel locations—to relieve themselves. This was undoubtedly different in both setting and manner. Simply put, balancing the boat must have been a pain in the ass.
Ed Gillet’s Spouse
Ed Gillet and Katie Kampe had a happy marriage. While kayaking in Sausalito in October 1985, Gillet had a love-at-first-sight moment with her.
He first saw a 20-foot yellow tandem Tofino sea kayak made by Mike Neckar, a craftsman of Czech ancestry, when he met professional rower and future wife Katie Kampe from the Bay Area.
In 1986, Kampe relocated to San Diego to live with Gillet. She had a tiny rowing operation close to Shelter Island, while he went on group kayaking outings to pay for the Tofino and other gear for his expedition.
A few months before to his adventure, they got married at Torrey Pines State Park. They also founded a new Southwest Kayaks business.
Gillet asserted that his wife, an experienced sailor and adventurer whose father had the rank of colonel in the Army with a silver star, provided him the drive and encouragement he required to be successful.
Ed Gillet’s Career
Ed Gillet has pursued his love, despite the fact that his income from kayaking may not be very high. This is his favorite activity.
When Gillet felt intimidated by the sheer number of miles ahead, he allegedly would stop and eat. By focusing on each bite of his meal, he was able to think and be in the present.
When his food supplies ran out, he was fortunate to periodically catch mahi-mahi from a school that followed his kayak for hundreds of kilometers. He eventually cut his caloric intake to 500 per day, began chowing down on toothpaste, and ran out of food after 60 days.
Even though he was 19 days late, Gillet expected to find his family waiting on shore. He was unaware that the beacon had malfunctioned and they had no idea where he was or even if he was still alive.
He then landed the kayak, called his family from a nearby hotel lobby, bought $22 worth of ice cream and snacks, and then found a spot beneath a tree to savour the moment.
Gillet, a lifetime teacher at a nearby high school, asserted that he remained silent for more than 25 years after growing weary of the misconceptions and media circus that surrounded his voyage.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Ed Gillet |
| Profession | Kayaker |
| Age | around 70 years old |
| Wife | Katie Kampe |