Chris Bertish Crosses Atlantic on SUP, Solo, in 93 Days
Whatever you do, don’t bet against Chris Bertish, a 42-year-old South African with a will-power that just won’t quit. After all, what are the odds that anyone, even someone with several world records, will paddle a 20-foot-long SUP across the Atlantic Ocean, from Morocco to Antigua, all by himself and without any assistance.
But that’s what Bertish just did, covering 4,050 miles in 93 days, starting in Agadir, Morocco, and ending up in English Harbour, Antigua. Along the way, Bertish figured he took 2,008,800 strokes (but who’s counting). “It took every fiber in my being to get through each and every day and every never-ending night,” Bertish said, after friends and his brothers escorted him into English Harbour.
The first person to paddle across the Atlantic on a SUP, Bertish set distance, solo and unassisted records. He already holds other SUP distance records, once crossing the English Channel in 5 hours and 26 minutes. On this trip, he averaged 43 miles a day, but at one point set another record by covering 71.96 miles in 24-hours.
We originally wrote about Bertish when he left Morocco. At that point he thought he would stop in the Canaries, but the weather was right so he skirted them and headed for the Caribbean, paddling at night, to avoid the sun, and eating protein shakes, freeze-dried meals and salty jerky. He could stretch out to sleep in a tiny cabin in the bow of the board, which also held a Sat Phone, several VHFs and GPSs, a ditch bag and a raft.
In addition to setting new world records, Bertish’s goal was to raise money for several charities serving children in South Africa. So far his trans-Atlantic trip has raised $412,000. You can read more at: http://www.thesupcrossing.com
