Cyril Derreumaux: the conversation

Mornings in the Lab · Interview transcript

There's a version of your life you imagined and a version you're actually living. Most men know the gap. You wake up. You go through the motions and somewhere inside you know there's more. Our next guest felt that gap at 32. He picked up a paddle and decided to cross an ocean. Sirill was a wine business guy. French born based in California. He'd never seriously kayaked in his life. In 2021, he launched his first solo attempt to kayak the Pacific. After 6 days at sea, the Coast Guard pulled him out. The next year, he got back in that kayak and paddled straight into the Pacific. 91 days alone. No motor, no sail, just a paddle and open water. Every 2 hours, every night, for 3 months straight, he woke up to check his boat. He burned 8,000 calories a day at sea, but could only eat 6,000. He arrived 25 lbs lighter. In 2025, he kayaked the Atlantic, 71 days alone. Nobody in history had ever done both. His kayak is named Valentine after his sister. 800 lb on the open ocean and she was with him every mile. Three Guinness World Records. The only person in history to solo kayak both the Pacific and the Atlantic.