South African surfer Chris Bertish became the first person to ever paddleboard across the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, pulling into Antigua 93 days after starting from Agadir, Morocco.
The voyage was 4,050 miles long and required Bertish to paddle an average of 43 miles per day to complete it, according to The Guardian. The paddleboard was a custom-built design by Phil Morrison that cost $120,000 and took six months to build.
The 1,360-pound board had a small cabin that offered Bertish shelter from storms at sea and anchors to prevent it from capsizing (although it could right itself if it did capsize). It had emergency flares, a grab bag, and a life raft, The Guardian reported. It also had solar panels to enable Bertish to communicate with the world and run his radar and sonar equipment.
Bertish mostly paddled at night to avoid problems with too much sun exposure, and he ate protein shakes, freeze-dried meals, and beef jerky, The Guardian said. Along his journey, he also set the record for the farthest distance traveled solo, unsupported and unassisted in open ocean in a day — 71.96 miles, according to CNN.
Bertish is working with several charities to raise money to build schools, feed thousands of children, and pay for needed operations for children in South Africa. He has raised $412,000 so far, CNN reported.
“The more time I can spend in the ocean, in any shape or form, the better. I’m a waterman and the ocean is my inspiration. It’s where I truly feel alive, comfortable, content, happy and free,” Bertish wrote on Facebook during his journey. “Nothing is impossible, unless you believe it to be.”
Twitter was ecstatic about Bertish’s extraordinary feat.