Bert Terhart is an adventurer, sailor, and lifelong explorer who currently resides on a smaller island off Vancouver Island, Canada, a place with a surprisingly large population of 750,000. Originally from the prairies of Canada near Fargo, North Dakota, Bert grew up in a small, hardworking oil town, shaped by cold landscapes and a strong sense of community. His Dutch heritage, with a family background in the Merchant Marine, ignited his lifelong love of sailing.
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Bert joined the Canadian Army at 17, attending the Canadian military college, the equivalent of West Point. He served in the Canadian Special Service Force, an elite unit trained alongside the U.S. military, and participated in intense Cold War-era training exercises. His military experience led him to reflect on the harsh realities of war, but he ultimately left the Army and pursued a career in oceanography after being disqualified from the Navy due to colorblindness.
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A passion for the ocean, history, and exploration led Bert to retrace the routes of legendary explorers like Captain Cook and William Bligh, sailing over 50,000 nautical miles and navigating some of the most remote and challenging regions in the world, including the Arctic Circle and the Bering Sea. He is also known for his solo paddling expeditions across Canada and adventurous voyages in the Southern Ocean.