Marek Rajtar

BIOGRAPHY
My journeys span both ends of the Earth and constitute the most precious part of my life, of course, next to my wife and four children. I’ve explored the southernmost regions, including the infamous Cape Horn, travelled through Greenland, and recently fell in love with Svalbard, where I plan to spend the next few years.
He mostly resides in Krakow. A land surveyor by profession, a sailor and photographer by passion. He’s sailed on numerous yachts, covering a substantial part of the world, seas, and oceans. A yachtmaster, a member of Cape Horners Association, and a circumnavigator of Spitsbergen. He is the originator and organizer of travel and sailing projects, rarely able to sit still. He writes, publishes, and inspires others with his passions, training and educating young enthusiasts along the way.
As a result of his extensive travels to polar regions, he’s become an observer of stunning natural phenomena, frequently encountering wild animals in their natural habitats. He captures all of this through the lens of his camera and his drone.
The creator of Men of Sea. He received an honorary mention from the Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation in the 2017 VOYAGE OF THE YEAR competition for his circumnavigation of Spitsbergen.
In 2020, as a co-organizer and captain, he led the Expedition to the North of Svalbard, marking the third time in Polish sailing history that the archipelago of Svalbard was circumnavigated. This expedition also set a new Polish record in northern navigation: 84°17’N.
For his achievements, he was honoured with a statuette in the 2022 Kolosy Travel Awards.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATES

• Yachtmaster
• Sailing Instructor
• BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operator
• Firearms Permit
• PADI OWD, PADI Dry Suit Diver
• Enriched Air Diver

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MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
September 2023: Expedition to the North of Svalbard
September 2022: Circumnavigation of North-East Land and Svalbard
February 2022: Kolosy Travel Awards 2021 – Distinction in the Sailing category
February 2022: Pantaenius Yacht Photo Competition 2021 – Main Prize
September 2021: Reaching the ice limit in northern navigation – 82°23’N
August/September 2021: Double circumnavigation of Spitsbergen and exploration of the northernmost part of Svalbard
March 2021: Pantaenius Yacht Photo Competition 2020 – Audience Award
September 2020: Circumnavigation of Svalbard
September 2020: Establishing the Polish record in northern navigation – 84°17’31″N
2017: Voyage of the Year 2017 – Distinction from the Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation
2017: Circumnavigation of Spitsbergen
2016: Foundation of Men of Sea
2014: Exploration of the Magellan Strait
2014: Circumnavigation of Cape Horn
2014: Exploration of the eastern coast of Greenland
1999: Distinction for the M.Sc. Thesis from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration

PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA
2022-07-03 – Interview for TOK FM, “Glaciers on Spitsbergen Talk”
2022-06-10 – Interview for Radiospacja led by Tamara Czernik
2020-12 – Interview and photo report for Morze quarterly, entitled “We Felt Like Explorers”
2020-12-27 – Południk Zero: A lecture entitled “The North Pole Is Round the Corner…”
2020-10-18 – Dzień Dobry TVN: Interview about the Expedition to the North of Svalbard
2020-09-22 – ZOZŻ: Guinness World Record
2020-09-11 – Tawerna Skipperów: “Polish Team Breaks the Polish Record”
2020-09-09 – Turyści.pl: “Poles Set an International Record”
2020-09-08 – Onet.pl: “Poles Establish a Polish Record”
2020-09-08 – Discovery Travel Channel: Poles Set a New Record
2020-09-08 – Gospodarka Morska: World Sailing Record Broken by Poles
2019-09 – Discovery Travel Channel: Exploration of Human Possibilities in the Arctic World
2018-12 – CKM No. 12: Photo report “The Pole of Europe”
2018-02 – Żagle Monthly: Article “1000 Miles in One Long Day”
2017-04-17 – Radio Katowice: Broadcast entitled “About the Expedition to the Far Arctic”
2017-03-03 – Local Television Tarnobrzeg in the program Tacy jak My
2017-02-22 – Tygodnik Nadwiślański: Sailing Through Life
2017-02-16 – Author’s meeting as part of the series “Travelling Near and Far” entitled “Twelve on the Beaufort Scale”
2016-09-22 – Jachting 08/09/2016: Article entitled “Following isappearing Glaciers”
2016-05-13 – Żagle Monthly: Article “Sailing on 7 Yachts”