Teaneck Man Begins Six-Month Kayak Trip Across Mediterranean

A cruise through the Mediterranean. Sounds relaxing, right? How about if, rather than traveling on a cruise ship, you were in a one-man kayak? That's exactly how Teaneck native Dov Neimand plans to spend the next six months.

In August, Neimand said he was planning to make the 3,500-mile trip in an Epic 18 – an 18-foot kayak that is slightly wider than his hips - over the course of six months. The 5'8", 170-pound graduate of Torah Academy of Bergen County will visit start in Spain, visit France, Italy, Albania, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, and end in Israel.

Kayaking is nothing new to Neimand, 27.

"My parents were taking me in boats or canoes before I could walk," he says, "it's always been a part of my life."

Knowing his adventurous spirit, the trip did not completely surprise his parents – but it certainly caught them off guard.

"Dov has always taken on big challenges.  Long backpacking adventures, long bike rides, math major at Hebrew University, combat medic in the Israeli military. So when I look at that history, this shouldn't surprise me. But this is bigger and scarier, so it did," his mother, Jane Neimand, said in an e-mail.

He has completed several weeklong trips, including a trip from Albany to Manhattan and adventures in Vancouver's Desolation Sound and Florida's Everglades.

"I figure it'll be just like a weeklong trip, just 26 consecutive ones," he said. 

Born in Miami, Neimand lived "all over the East Coast" before moving to Teaneck as a teen to attend TABC. Upon graduating in 2001 he moved to Israel. His parents remain in Teaneck and he often comes back to visit, as he did this past summer.

Neimand started training for his solo trip in early June, kayaking for four to eight hours a day on the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers, in Hammond State Park and at Sandy Hook. He also spent a week on Lake Champlain.

Despite his training, he knows he has an arduous task ahead of him.  Finding a place to sleep will be among the greatest challenges in the trip's early stages.

"Everyday I'm going to be challenged to find a place to set up camp at night. Most of the coast is going to be private property. There is probably no camping allowed. I might have trouble finding a place to take off in the water because of piers and rocks."

In busy ports, he will have to stay out of the way of massive shipping vessels.

"The shipping lanes can be a very scary challenge because it's not good to get run over. The freighters are humongous," he says. Neimand recently installed a radar reflector on his kayak  with which, he explains, "I look like a motorboat instead of a kayak."

"I have to be on my toes. The most serious sections are the crossings, the largest of which is 160 miles from Cyprus to Haifa in Northern Israel," said Neimand. "The currents there are slightly north, so if I get a bad wind I could get pushed towards Lebanon which would be really bad, and that's also probably going to take me 35-40hrs without sleep. Endurance will be an issue at the very end."

Once through that crossing, Neimand expects smooth sailing. "Once I reach Haifa, it's only two or three days to Tel Aviv. It's a short distance and there's nothing to worry about."

The only aspect of the trip Neimand is not looking forward to is going it alone. He has all but begged his friends to join him – he even invited a Patch reporter along – because six months is a fairly long stretch to go without a companion. Unfortunately for him, his friends could not commit to the trip.

"My friends are excited like I am going, but they won't come with me, which is no fair" he says. "But they're excited. They think it's cool."

He has already overcome several challenges just in setting up the trip, including securing visas to visit each country.

"Turkey, Albania, and the Israeli transportation authority have been very difficult," he says. Neimand blogs about all of the details about  the trip on Facebook (Dov's Kayaking Adventure) and WordPress. He plans to continue posting updates throughout.

Neimand planned to leave Aug. 15, but his journey was pushed back due to shipping delays with the kayak. He instead left for Bacelona Sept. 16.

"I'm a little excited and a little nervous," he said in an interview three days before leaving. "This is not the sort of trip where one can plan every detail, so there's a lot left to the unknown. I'm certain that I'll have a fantastic experience."

Although he couldn't be immediately reached for an update, a blog post dated Sept. 18 said his gear had been stolen.  The blog promised a more detailed update was coming. 

Asked if she is at all concerned with his plans, Jane Neimand was frank. "Of course.  I'm his mother. My biggest concern is the fact that he will be doing this alone."

She has a potential solution: "Perhaps one of your readers would like to join him?" mom asked. 

Update: This version updates the length of the trip to 3,500-miles.