NATIONAL NEWS - A South African water sport star has just become the first person to cross the Atlantic solo, unassisted and unsupported, on a stand-up paddle board.
Chris Bertish, a big-wave surfer and Guinness World Record holder, paddled 4 500 nautical miles across the ferocious Atlantic, which has been the nemesis of many a sailor.
He arrived in Antigua yesterday (9 March 2017) after setting off from Morocco on December 6.
Chris’s 6 metre long, stand-up paddle board (SUP) was custom made for him, sporting a small cabin and solar panels as well as a variety of technical support items such as satellite phones and a MacBook.
Along the way he set the record for the furthest distance traveled solo, unsupported and unassisted over open sea in one day – 116 km.
As a big-wave surfer, Chris has surfed some of the biggest waves ever recorded. He won the Maverick Big Wave Invitational in California in 2010; set the world record for open ocean 12-hour nonstop SUP in South Africa in 2013; and set the fastest time crossing the English Channel on a SUP in 2013 (5 hours, 26 minutes).
