482km, 3 days, non stop - On a Stand up paddle board!
Thats a loooooong way
The board of choice for the journey was just a 14 foot Starboard - nothing custom built or far fetched. He didn't have a support boat, and he didn't sleep on the beach at night. Instead, by tying a few inflatable mattresses together, he was able to catch a few hours sleep a night - in between short swims when his board got flipped over. For food - he kept 7 days worth of freeze dried meals in containers, plus a phone, gps and a few other bits and pieces - that was it. Bart just strapped it to the Starboard and off he went.
By his calculations, the trip took 215,000 strokes - it's no wonder he lost 6 lbs. Apart from some nasty blisters on his feet which became pretty infected - no other injuries were sustained on the trip which is quite incredible. He said he wasn't even sore on the Monday after the paddle!
Bart's wife and daughter met him on the beach just before dark, he arrived in good shape but said: "This was by far the hardest thing I've done in my life, I'm glad I did it but I don't think I'll do it again."
Who can blame him - thats one heck of a paddle!
Check out the blog about his paddle here
Stand Up Paddle
The Kneel-Up: Stand Without the Swim
Three points of contact beat balance every time
