About Me

My name is André Coner. I was born in the Netherlands and grew up along the seaside where I have been racing Laser dinghies, small open boats and traditional Dutch wooden sailing boats. After college I spend ten years as an engineering officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy. I got married, moved to the UK and we raised three boys of which I am immensely proud.

After the lads left the nest, I decided it was time for me to further expand my adventurous activities. I climbed munros in Scotland and mountains in the Alps; spend time in Brunei learning to survive in the jungle, visited the San bushmen for two weeks in the Namibian Kalahari and explored the big lakes on Nova Scotia in a canoe.

These adventures were tough and I figured that it would be much more enjoyable if I were a lot fitter and lost some weight. So last year (2013) I discovered ancestral health (Paleo / Primal Blueprint), lost 2 stone and started Crossfit, (a regime of high intensity, constantly varied, functional movement exercises) enjoying the great community spirit of my local box Crossfit East Rocks. In December I undertook my most challenging expedition: trekking two weeks in the jungle of central Sarawak on Borneo visting two Penan communities. For two weeks we crossed rivers, climbed mountains, cut trails through the dense jungle and slept in our hammocks in the hot and high humidity conditions of the jungle.

So far my two challenges this year have been; ten days dog sledding in the artic mountains of Norway and following the long distance walking paths of the Southern Upland Way on a mountain bike while camping along the way. We managed all the 220 miles with 8,000 meters ascent in six days.

So what challenge to do next?

It seems a couple of legs on the Clipper Round the World race 15-16 would be quite a step up!

Watch this space 🙂