SUP
Casper Steinfath just crossed the Kattegat like it’s a casual thing to do
Casper Steinfath reaches land to become the first person ever to cross the 123-kilometre Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden on a hydrofoil board.
Who wants to take a leisurely Sunday ride on the treacherous waves of the Kattegat?
It may not be the type of weekend plan that sounds compelling to you, but nonetheless this was exactly the adventure Casper Steinfath set out to conquer last Sunday morning.
The six-time SUP world champion was determined to become the first person in the world to cross the Kattegat strait on a hydrofoil board and on Sunday night the dream became a reality.
His expedition started from the Danish town of Grenå
© Jakob Gjerluff Ager
Foiling past a wind farm
© Jakob Gjerluff Ager
Stopping to refuel
© Jakob Gjerluff Ager
When the going gets tough, the tough get paddling
© Jakob Gjerluff Ager
If I start to cramp it might be game over
But the trip wasn’t without challenges. At the halfway point, close to the island of Anholt, Steinfath told his team about his concerns: "This is so much harder than I thought. If I start to cramp it might be game over," he said.
Despite his dire predictions, Steinfath continued to push through. On the last 20km of the route he had to dig deep to find the energy to continue.
With 10km left on the route, and with the goal in sight, the unthinkable happened. The wind disappeared and so did the waves.
"The waves just disappeared, and I could no longer foil. I was simply stranded and could just lie there in the water and look over at Sweden," he said in the first interview on Swedish soil.
Steinfath, however, was not ready to give up. In a last effort to reach his goal, he showed what a six-time world champion is made of. Even though the waves could no longer help him, and his legs were completely finished, he decided he was going to reach Sweden no matter what. Steinfath lay down on his stomach and started paddling with his arms.
"Even though I could not foil, I realised I could still use my arms. It just felt right to start paddling.”
I was simply stranded and could just lie there in the water and look over at Sweden
Greeted by his coach that he hadn’t seen in over a year
Even though Steinfath was beginning to get close to the shore, it still seemed as if a miracle was needed before he would complete his goal. That miracle came in the form of a visit he received on the very last part of the route.
His longtime SUP coach, Magnus Lindstedt, had paddled out to keep Steinfath company on the last stretch of the route. It was an emotional moment for Steinfath who had not seen his coach for a year and a half.
"I got tears in my eyes when I heard on the radio that my coach Magnus was paddling out here.”
Two out of three seas are now conquered
The boost of having his coach by his side was the last push Steinfath needed to fight his way to the shore. At 7.50pm he was able to raise his tired arms over his head in triumph – 11 hours and 123km after he departed from Denmark.
The adventure across Kattegat is now part of Steinfath's Viking Crossing series, which started in 2018. Back then, Steinfath travelled 146km across the Skagerrak strait from Denmark to Norway.
The goal is to cross all of the three seas surrounding Denmark; Skagerrak, Kattegat and the North Sea. And now he can cross two of them off his list. Well done, Casper!