Message in a Bottle Marks Halfway Point for World Record Paddleboard Effort

Paddling across the Atlantic at night.

Imagine this: Midnight in the North Atlantic ocean. Blackish blue night radiates out from you endlessly in all directions; darkness so deep and boundless you almost can’t tell which way is up. Starlight twinkles faintly on the waves sloshing around you. The milky way fluoresces in the unthinkable black canopy above you. The water is frigid, the waves relentless. You are on a paddleboard 50 centimeters wide, over a thousand miles from land, attempting to set a world record by crossing the entire pitiless ocean using nothing but the power of your arms and this paddleboard.

Almost a month ago, you started paddling off the coast of Canada, pointed toward France. With two teammates, you trade off paddling for two hours at a time, and you never get more than one or two hours of sleep between shifts. After nearly four weeks of nonstop paddling, you are only halfway there… Continue reading →