Evanston Business Owner Will Kayak Around Crete for Alzheimer's Research

EVANSTON, IL - Kayaking isn’t something Evanston business owner Bob Danon grew up with.

It’s something he picked up later in life. But after trying it one time with The Northwest Passage in Wilmette some 20 years ago, he was hooked.

“I fell in love with it,” said Danon, owner of The Danon Gallery on Central Street. “My whole life I’ve been a competitive swimmer, so I’ve always been interested in it and comfortable in and under the water.”

Two decades later, Danon, 71, will embark on quite a kayaking journey, and one for a really good cause.
He plans a 250-300 mile kayak trek around the coast of Crete, the largest of the southern Greek islands. He’ll be doing it to raise money for Alzheimer’s research via the Alzheimer's Association.

It’s not the first time Danon has embarked on such a voyage. In 2007, Danon was loaned a kayak from The Northwest Passage to complete a similar journey to raise money for Pediatric Cancer Research at Children’s Memorial Hospital in honor of a 13-year-old girl from Wilmette who died of brain cancer a year earlier. In 2014, he covered about 260 miles for the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of a friend who suffers from the disease.

This year, he will post updates on his journey regularly on his ‘A Paddle to Remember, 2016’ blog. A link to donate to Danon’s cause will be posted on the blog once his trip begins. While the site is not ready yet, you can use this link to the donation page with the instructions to type in "A Paddle to Remember" for the event name.

How far he’ll go hasn’t been determined exactly. Danon will check wind and water conditions before each day to find out what distance is feasible.

“There are no tides, but the water does change quite a bit over there,” he said, remembering how he did get stuck at one point in the 2014 trip due to the heavy winds.

In all, Danon will be gone for 24 days. He’ll fly in the coastal village of Matala on Aug. 25 and paddle for 18-20 days, about 7-8 hours per day, with his United States return set for Sept. 17.

“My goal is to get as many miles as possible,” he said.

He will be paddling down the west coast, across the south coast, up the east coast and if the wind allows, around the Northeast corner and on to the north coast.

While he is on the sea, Danon says he won’t bring any cooking equipment, just 1-2 gallons of water and some light foods like peanuts and fruit every day. He will have limited lodging in cities on the coast and will be able to walk to a restaurant “almost anywhere” he stops.

But most of the time he will be camping. Danon is bringing a tent.

"But no sleeping bag, because the weather will be in the 80s," he said.

Choosing Alzheimer's research as a cause for the second time in three years made sense to Danon. Not satisfied with the amount he raised in 2014, he wanted to give it another go.

The cause is every bit as important as it was two years ago.

“It’s important,” Danon said. “A lot of people have this disease. Chances are you know somebody.”

Photo: “A Paddle To Remember 2014," Bob Danon, about to leave Paleohora, near the Southwest corner of Crete on Sept. 1, 2014