Going solo

Chris Bertish is attempting to go unsupported and unassisted on a custom-made six-metre stand up paddle board/craft, for four straight months in support of charity. The SUP Crossing will surpass anything Chris has ever attempted before and will see him paddle across 7 500 km of open ocean setting off from Morocco, in mid-december 2016 and then finally landing in northern Florida, doing the equivalent of a halfmarathon a day for over 120 days straight.

His craft is based on elements of the ocean racing SUP board used by Bertish for his 24-hour all Africa record and incorporates many design elements from the ocean row craft used to cross the Atlantic.

The crossing is described as “a multilayered project that seeks to change the lives of millions in Africa and South Africa, leaving a lasting legacy”. It’s said to have taken Bertish more than five years to bring to life.

The core goal is to create a positive impact and to leave a legacy that raises money for hot meals, life-changing surgeries, and building schools for young children in need throughout South Africa via a sustainable giving initiative. Bertish has selected two charities: l The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organisation that focuses on fostering education via nutrition and providing a daily meal for orphaned and at-risk schoolchildren in townships and rural areas across South Africa. l Operation Smile South Africa (OSSA), the initiative that provides free surgeries to children and adults throughout Southern and Central Africa, as well as educational and training opportunities that promote sustainability and self-sufficiency throughout the region. Two separate crowdsourcing initiatives have been launched on Thundafund and Indiegogo.

Aside from supporting charity, the SUP Crossing will also give researchers in South Africa the opportunity to track Bertish, his environment and his experiences. Bertish is an official ambassador for Cape Town’s Two Oceans Aquarium and will collect data throughout the crossing, to be used in classes to educate, engage, and inform children.

Data uploaded by Bertish daily will be used by the Sports Science Institute to formulate a full case study that will be used for research.

Bertish’s surfing and sailing exploits have become legendary. He won the 2010 Mavericks Big Wave Invitational, held in the biggest surf ever recorded in the history of the sport, merely hours after touching down from a 36-hour flight from South Africa, on a borrowed board. He has sailed across the Atlantic, raced boats all over the world and competed in the ISA Stand Up Paddle World Championships, twice finishing in the top 10. In 2012, he completed an unsupported solo journey on an SUP of 320 km from Cape Point to Lambert’s Bay and, subsequently set three SUP world records.

Ocean Driven, a movie about his life story, was completed in 2015 and his book, Stoked!, was runner-up for 2015 book of the year in South Africa.

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