The sea is an unforgiving place for the largest of modern vessels, so one can only imagine the peril a custom-built paddleboard would be in. However, for one South African that fear isn’t there at all.
Instead, Chris Bertish will attempt to navigate the entire length of the Atlantic Ocean on his custom-built paddle board just because.
No seriously, the guy is proving something to himself and taking a big risk while raising money for three charities. People can visit Bertish’s website and donate to Operation Smile, The Lunchbox Fund and Signature of Hope. All three charities focusing on improving the lives of children in South Africa and in other impoverished areas in the world.
“I’ve been hearing that I’m nuts all my life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Bertish said in a phone interview with the New York Times. “I’ve been proving people wrong all of my life. But I’ve always wanted to push the boundaries because that’s where the magic happens.”
He’ll have a 4,600-mile journey in front of him after taking off from Morocco after waiting it out for the perfect weather conditions to make his voyage as smooth as possible.
According to Bertish, 90 percent of the battle to get across the ocean will be in the first five days of his journey. In that time he will battle winds and current that will try to take him back to land. Once beyond the first set of big currents, it’ll be more mental than physical for the adventurous one.
His journey also means some custom features to the paddle board than you and I are used to seeing these days. Bertish has plenty of navigational equipment on board and also has plenty of food storage too. That includes a diet of water, protein shakes and salty beef jerky to help him keep up the electrolytes used up in paddling.
Just how crazy is Bertish to attempt this journey on a paddle board? He isn’t the first, and that time didn’t end so well according to the New York Times:
The last attempt to cross the Atlantic on a stand-up paddleboard, or SUP, did not end well. This year, the Frenchman Nicolas Jarossay tried to make the crossing; one night a week into the trip, a rescue crew pulled him from the water. The crew found him clinging to his paddleboard, which had capsized.
Bertish’s journey will take him to the Canary Islands, off to the British Virgin Islands from there and finally on to Florida to finish up the trip. It is expected to take him 120 days, a.k.a. four months, and most of his paddling will be done at night to avoid over-exposure to the sun.
As for the inevitable storm or two Bertish will run in to on the trip? He has really thought about it all:
When storms hit, Bertish can take cover inside a cabin on his customized paddleboard and stabilize the vessel using anchors and drogues. The craft is also capable of righting itself after capsizing and submerging.
This journey is made possible thanks to a vessel that is part long-journey boat and part paddle board. All it cost was $120,000 to build though.
Chump change really.
Just think, for $120,000 you could make this journey too…or alternatively enjoy the comforts of home and knowing your life won’t end at any moment out to sea by yourself. But, we wish Bertish luck on proving the world wrong once again.
[New York Times/Photo: @ChrisBertish Facebook page]
