A Polish kayaker who rowed from Portugal to Florida — with an unexpected stop in Bermuda along the way — is planning another Atlantic crossing.

Aleksander “Doba” Olek, a retired engineer, made headlines locally in 2014 when his effort to kayak across the Atlantic suffered a snag in the form of a broken rudder after more than four months at sea.

He was able to paddle to the island unassisted and around a week later, after repairs and a few hot meals, continued his trek, arriving at New Smyrna Beach a few weeks later.

Since then, Mr Olek returned to the open ocean again, kayaking from South America to North America, but next month he intends to “close the loop” by kayaking from the United States to Portugal.

Longtime friend Piotr Chmielinski said that this trip will likely be more difficult than his previous efforts, noting both the weather conditions and Mr Doba’s age — he is expected to celebrate his 70th birthday during the journey — but said the kayaker is confident that his experiences at sea will help him through.

“He would like to prove that with strong determination, consistent action and persistence it is possible to overcome time and human weaknesses,” Mr Chmielinski said. “Indomitable spirit and youthful imagination, pushing for the realisation of dreams and plans, despite the passage of years, remain unchanged for Olek.”