Just over a year ago, four friends with no previous experience of paddle-boarding set themselves the challenge to circumnavigate one of the remotest islands in the world by sup. A year in the planning and with limited experience on their sup’s, business executives Neil, Meriel and Mark tackled punishing surf, rolling swells and fickle wind changes as they paddled around Easter Island on their Red Voyager paddle boards.
The Idea
“Why don’t we paddle board around Easter Island?”
Like all good ideas it started over a drink. I was sitting in a popular Brighton seaside wine bar with some business friends. It was a dark mid winter’s night and out of nowhere someone said “Let’s do a challenge, at sea and for charity!” I did a quick online search…”remotest islands in the world”.
Easter Island or Isla de Pascua in the South Pacific Ocean stood out as officially the remotest inhabited island in the world, some 3,500km from the coast of Chile. The island has a ragged 60km coastline of volcanic rock, precipitous cliffs and is continuously smashed by South Pacific waves and the odd Tsunami.
“Why don’t we paddle-board around Easter Island!” some bright spark blurted out. “But none of us knows how to paddle-board!” exclaimed another. “Well, we can all learn” I said as confidently as I could muster. “How difficult could it be? Anyone for another drink?!”
The challenge was set in stone, well in Chardonnay, actually, and the team was decided: Mark Newman, MD of a local cleaning firm and quite a sporty fellow. Meriel Davis, a practicing chiropractor and kitesurfer. Myself, Neil Laughton, a business advisor and part-time adventurer. Finally, Rob Pelling; aeen photographer and all-round good guy who pitched in to be our ‘safety man’
Time to start planning and preparing. November was the chosen month as historically it is the least windy time of year on Easter Island.
Bu hikaye SUP International dergisinin ISSUE 22 - WINTER 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye SUP International dergisinin ISSUE 22 - WINTER 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
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SHADENFREUDE
TEST REPORTS
Desire Lines
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Magical. Mystical. Epic.
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