The Echo of Impact
As he prepares to reclaim a world record, Robert Youens continues to leave a lasting wake across the boating community.
By: Kristen Ordonez
To have ambition is to be motivated and to have a desire for success. We often attribute ambition to individuals with big dreams or high expectations, whether it's getting a higher paying job or meeting a short or long term goal. Robert Youens is certainly an ambitious figure. Through trials and tribulations, he has enjoyed nearly every second of whatever adventure he’s taken in order to fulfill his dreams, or satisfy his need to see/do something. I say nearly because every journey has its wrinkles; in 2022 Youens attempted to cross the Northwest Passage, got about 1,000 miles of the Arctic before cracking his Jon Boat, the famous and faithful Ageless Wanderer, and had to stop short for repairs before continuing. Then there was the 2023 journey through the Inside Passage through the Pacific Northwest that went a lot smoother with beautiful glacial vistas and many whale sightings according to Youens.
“I was then planning to just go drink margaritas and hang out in the Bahamas. That was the plan for last year,” Youens says, thinking back to 2025 “and I was getting ready for that, and dang it if I didn’t stumble on this guy named Red Flowers that had set a record for the Great Loop.” Flowers, who drove a 28-foot center console around the Great Loop, completed the challenge in 19 days, 19 hours and 50 minutes, winning himself the fastest time in 2022. “I looked at his time and said ‘I think I can do that in my Jon Boat.’ So heck, let’s crank up that competitive spirit that I’ve had all my life and just go for it.” Youens switched his focus to this new trip goal and started researching, wanting to do things the safe way.
Youens met and spoke with many groups and individuals to get the best sense of what he was getting into, from previous Loopers to professionals who he would eventually call on to be part of his crew team to help him with the journey. Not to mention the throngs of people who learned about Youens’ trip through social media and who came to support the journey — a journey that not only set a new time record in 2025 but also broke records for Boating in a Single Engine boat and for a Solo Occupation.
But just as quickly as new records came in with Youens’ trip, another boater by the name of Peter Hages aboard the Lady Lor, beat THAT record in 12 days, 18 hours, and 10 minutes. And so once again, Youens has decided to go forth and try to conquer these new records this upcoming 2026 summer with co-captain Steve Hernden. They’ll be going in the Jon Boat once more and have assembled what feels like a Formula 1-style racing crew. Jack Dunn, a 100-Ton Coast Guard captain, will be leading things on the ground. Shay Gibson is a meteorologist helping with the trip to navigate through storms. Quinton Clark will be running strategies and helping with navigation as well. Hernden is a record breaker himself and managed to find time to do the trip once more with Youens. With the crew on the ground, an expert-developed map/route designed with the help of Argo navigation, and Youens’ overall experience it should be an exciting trip and attempt at victory once again. A trip that, as crazy as it may sound, that the boating world will probably be watching.
Those who embark on the Great Loop challenge (known as Loopers), are supported by the great boating community. There is an undoubtedly sizable audience who read our magazine that are Loopers themselves or know someone who has done it. Those who are or do know the challenges and risks involved, as well as the great times to be had. That quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that goes “Life is a journey, not a destination,” can be said about many things, and this is probably one of them. Journeys like Youens’ are not only memorable for one person; they make an impact on everyone around you, and with a close-knit community like the Loopers, and boaters in general, word travels fast. But impact not only touches lives, it changes them.
Impact is what resonates with others to take an interest. Youens equated the experience of gaining a social media following on his last journey to several quintessential movie moments from the classic movie Forrest Gump; from catching fame after a fierce storm, to having to keep running while the world watched and cheered from the sidelines, or took part in themselves. “I was out in that storm and I was thinking about Lieutenant Dan, thinking ‘Man, I’m just like Lieutenant Dan out here in this storm,’ and I was freaking having a blast. Bring it on buddy! And all my good fortune started after that storm and that wreck — I was blessed from that point on.”
Though unlike movie magic, Youens and others on his team have done and continue to do the work. He’s not an inexperienced boater going in with a half-cocked plan and hoping to figure things out along the way. He has the ambition and drive to do it the right way, all with an underlying goal of bringing people (and himself) joy. “What I found out last year is how much joy was spread around the world with people getting away from television and the internet … People would be in their boats or fishing on the banks, waiting for me to come by and it was really encouraging to me to see people following along. It was all about people getting out there and having fun and focusing on the joy of being on the water,” Youens says.
Youens’ charisma and love for these trips is a connection that is undeniable. It's why people watch; why his followers exceed over 171K on Facebook, and why everyone tries to lend a hand whenever possible, either in person or virtually. It’s why sponsors have come forward to help make a difference in the experience for him and his crew, and why they’re helping this summer trip as well. Sponsors like Tohatsu America, Seaspension, WeldBilt, Sherwin Williams, Mustang Survival, Fuel1, John Yachtee Fabrication, Black Oak LED, Black Dog Welding, Mighty White Marine, Vance Manufacturing, Zhik, Top Deck Gear, and Argo, not to mention the help of Youens’ ground crew and family who will be supporting him and Steve from near and far.
As of writing this Youens and Hernden are working toward completing a sea trial from Galveston to Mexico and back, with the Great Loop trip planned sometime in mid to late July 2026, starting in Mobile, Alabama. The crew is hoping to hit calm waters, particularly in the Great Lakes region, by this timeframe. To keep up with the Ageless Wanderer’s journey this summer and beyond, be sure to be following along on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Instagram: @agelesswandererrobert
YouTube: youtube.com/@AgelessWandererNow