Stand-Up Paddle Boarders Cross Australia's Bass Strait

Update: It has been pointed out to be that this was not a SUP crossing of the Bass Strait but instead a paddle board crossing. That is an important distinction for sure, although this was still a very impressive accomplishment.

I missed this little adventure due to my hiatus/move last week, but it is a good story and I wanted to share the achievement.

Last week, three stand-up paddle boarders completed a challenge of epic proportions. Australians Zeb Walsh and Brad Gaul, along with American Jack Bark, completed a 180 mile (290 km) crossing of the treacherous Bass Strait, a body of water that begins at southern Australia and runs to Tasmania.

Calling their expedition A Date With The Strait, the trio faced waters that are twice as turbulent as the English Channel. The region is known for its often icy conditions and sharks are not uncommon there. It is a part of the world that sailors look to avoid, due to the unpredictable weather and shallow waters. Walsh called the strait the Everest of stand-up paddle boarding, saying that no one had ever completed the challenge before, and that their success was uncertain as well.

The three men set out from Refuge Cove with a plan to island hop over successive days to reach Tasmania. Over the course of several days, they managed to make their way across the strait, stopping in places like Hogan Island, Deal Island, and Flinders Island along the way. Their final push was a 40 mile (65 km) slog that put them on Tasmania on Tuesday of this week, after five consecutive days out on the water. An impressive feat to say the least.

Congratulations to Zeb, Brad and Jack on a job well done. You can read more about their adventure on the expedition's Facebook page on the official Date With The Strait page as well.

Check out a teaser video of their adventure after the jump.

Video: The Kuzi Project: Kitesurfing and SUP-ing The East Coast Of Africa

This past summer, adventurers Seth Warren and Kirk Hollis embarked on a 500-mile, unsupported journey up the east coast of Africa. The duo traveled by stand-up paddleboards and kite surfed from Pemba, Mozambique to Zanzibar in Tanzania, hopping between more than 50 island along the way. Their six week journey is now the subject of an online film series brought to us by EpicTV.  You'll find the latest episode of that series below, which gives us a glimpse at an adventure that is long way from the big mountains or the polar regions that I often write about on this blog. What an amazing way to explore the wild coast of Africa.

Who Wants A Bear Grylls-Branded Inflatable Stand-Up Paddleboard That Converts To A Tent?

From the "now I've seen everything" category we get a new inflatable stand-up paddleboard from Coreban that also has the ability to serve as your tent while out on your SUP adventures. And if that wasn't enough of an incentive to buy, the board also comes full endorsed by none other than Bear Grylls himself.

The new system is called the Ultimate Adventure Tent and it features a specially built shelter that is designed to wrap around Coreban's existing Scout inflatable SUP board. The tent uses three poles – one on the nose and two on either side of the board at the back – to keep the structure in place. When it is full assembled there is room for one occupant with the Scout actually serving as a sleeping pad, which is actually rather ingenious. Mesh sides allow fresh air to get in while keeping insects at bay.

The system has been designed for expedition paddleboarding on rivers, lakes and other relatively calm bodies of water. It includes a waterproof bag for keeping the tent and other camping gear dry while paddling all day and the Scout has integrated cargo nets on the front and rear to ensure essential gear doesn't easily get washed away. In short, it should be just about everything you need to spend a few days or weeks exploring your favorite waterway.

There is no word yet on when the Ultimate Adventure Tent/Scout SUP board will ship. The design is still being tweaked an Coreban has been relatively tight lipped on its specifications at this point. Still, considering how popular stand-up paddleboarding has become in recent years, this has the potential to be an interesting product. There is no word on cost either.

Thanks to Gizmag for sharing.

Paddlemag Website Gets A New Look, Comes To iOS And Android

One of my favorite online resources for news and information on kayaking, Paddlemag, has released its third issue, bringing a host of stellar articles and stunning images to readers. The e-mag always has excellent content available in a beautiful – not to mention free – .pdf file format that brings together all the slickness of a traditional magazine with the convenience and portability of a digital one. This time out, Paddlemag profiles Jason Beachcroft, who is attempting to circumnavigate Australia in a Kayak. Unlike Freya Hoffmeister's circumnav from a few years back however, Jason intends to include Tasmania in his expedition. The mag also takes a look at Ryan Fulton's Stand-Up Paddleboard journey along Australia's Gold Coas to Melbourne, traveling a distance of 2087 km (1296 miles) in the process.

A new issues isn't the only thing that the editors at Paddlemag have brought to the table. They've also launched a revamped website that is clean, easy to navigate and provides plenty of news and information from all aspects of paddling sports. It also provides access to the previous issues of the magazine, which are available to download as well.

Perhaps more exciting is that Paddlemag is now available in the Apple's App Store and Amazon's Kindle Store. The apps are free to download, but the individual issues are AUS $4.50 (US $4.28), which is actually a solid deal for a fully interactive digital magazine of this quality.

If you haven't checked out Paddlemag just yet, drop by the website and download an issue. I think you'll find that it is a fantastic magazine that will change your perceptions of what is being done in the digital arena.

Swim 1000 Update: Dave Is Done!!

Over the past two months we've been following Dave Cornthwaite on the latest leg of his Expedition 1000 project which he dubbed Swim 1000. That journey began in Chamberlain, South Dakota in early August where Dave plunged into the Missouri River and proceeded to swim down stream. This past Saturday he reached the finish line in the shadow of the famous Gateway Arch of St. Louis

Dave wasn't alone on his fantastic aquatic adventure and he'll be the first to tell you it wouldn't have been possible with out the help of his friends and support crew who followed along in kayaks and on stand-up paddleboards. They made the entire 1000 mile journey as well, which is certainly not to be overlooked in the amazing accomplishment of Dave's swim. Congratulations o the whole team on a job well done.

When he pulled himself out of the water in St. Louis on Saturday, Dave's official mileage total stood at 1005. That's an incredible distance to swim in such a relatively short time span and in order to keep up the pace he was consuming as much as 6000 calories per day. He also had to deal with high winds, the occasional storms and increasingly cooler temperatures.

Of course, the project wasn't just about taking a long swim in a muddy river. Dave and his team were also raising funds and awareness for Coppafeel, an organization dedicated to improving awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer. Definitely an important and worthy cause.

Dave will now take the remainder of the year for a much deserved rest while he plans his next adventures for 2013. He is also booking speaking engagements throughout the U.S. and if you're interested in having him speak in your area you can find out how to contact him here.

Well done mate! Hope you've enjoyed a few pints since finishing up!

Swim 1000 Update: 11 Days In, Still Swimming!

Dave Cornthwaite's Swim1000 expedition is proceeding – dare I say it – swimmingly. (I think I just heard a million Internet groans. Sorry folks, couldn't resist!) The team is now on their 11th day on the water and making solid progress as they proceed for 1000 miles (1609km) down the Missouri River from Chamberlain, South Dakota to St. Louis, Missouri. Dave is swimming the entire distance of course, but he's joined by a number of close friends who are paddling (stand-up or canoe) along with him.

Judging from the updates that have been posted to the Swim1000 blog, it seems that everyone is enjoying their time on the river. Not only are they getting the opportunity to experience an aquatic adventure, they're also meeting interesting and friendly people along the way. I have to imagine that the expedition team gets a few looks as they pass by on the water as well. After all, it's not often that you see a troupe of stand-up paddlers and one swimmer, go past.

As I mentioned in my previous story on Swim1000, Dave and his friends are hoping to raise funds for the CoppaFeel organization, a non-profit that is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer. A message they are spreading as they travel down river.

The video below gives you an idea of what Dave and the rest of his motley crew are up to on the Missouri. If you live along the river, keep an eye out for them. They expect to be out there for another 40 days or so.

Swim 1000: A Thousand Miles Down The Missouri River

British adventurer Dave Cornthwaite has launched the next leg of his Expedition 1000 project which has him undertaking 25 separate journeys of at least 1000 miles (1609km) in length without the use of motorized transportation of any kind. Past adventures have includes a 3638 mile (5854 km) crossing of Australia on a skateboard and a 2404 mile (3868 km) journey down the Mississippi River on a stand-up paddleboard. Dave's latest challenge is a 1000 mile swim down the Missouri River.

The Swim 1000, as Dave is calling his little dip in the river, got underway last Friday when he dove into the Missouri for the first time near Chamberlain, South Dakota. He'll now proceed down stream to St. Louis, Missouri at a pace of roughly 20 miles a day. That means that he expects to complete the swim in approximately 50 days or about the end of September.

Originally Dave had planned to make this journey a solo effort, pulling a raft with his gear and supplies behind him as he went. But he managed to convince several friends to join him on the expedition and now it is a complete river caravan making its way down river toward St. Louis. Dave is the only member of the group who is swimming the entire length, while others will stand-up paddleboard or use a canoe to cover the 1000 mile stretch of the Missouri. Updates are already being posted to the expedition blog, including audio dispatches, and Dave's Twitter feed has some great images for the river as well.

Being a generous sort of fellow, Dave is always trying to uses his adventures to raise funds for charity. In this case, he is hoping to generate £100,000 ($157,000) for CoppaFeel, an organization dedicated to educating women about the importance of early detection of breast cancer in an effort to stamp out that awful disease.

Good luck to Dave and the entire crew. Have fun on the water and stay safe out there.

Two New E-zines for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Two of my friends from Down Under have launched a pair of new online magazines that will likely be of interest to outdoor enthusiasts everywhere. Both e-zines cater to the Southern Hemisphere, but fans of paddling and climbing will likely find them to be a great resource no matter where you live.

The first of these magazines is called Paddlemag and it is dedicated to all kinds of waterborne adventures. Whether you paddle a long sea kayak, a nimble whitewater boat, a canoe or a stand-up board, you'll find something to love here. With great photos, fantastic profiles (they have one of Freya Hoffmeister here) and awesome trip reports the e-zine promises to be a source of inspiration to paddlers everywhere.

The other new online magazine is called Vertical Life, and as the name implies it focuses squarely on rock climbing. VL hopes to be a great source of news, reviews and insights on the climbing scene and like it's sister publication, the e-zine will feature plenty of images and stories from the field.

The first two issues of both magazines are available for free and they are packed wit great content. I've been checking them out on my new iPad and with the Retina Display the photos look fantastic. Check them both out and I don't think you'll be disappointed. The Fall Issue (remember this is the Southern Hemisphere) of Vertical Life can be found by clicking here and for Paddlemag click here.

10 Great Adventure Races For 2012 From Nat Geo Adventure

Endurance athletes and adventure racers who are still considering where they'd like to compete this year will love the latest top ten list from National Geographic Adventure. This time they give us Ten Great Races in Amazing Places for 2012.

First up on their list is the Patagonian Expedition Race, which actually gets underway next week. As the name implies, this competition takes place in the wilds of Patagonia. Over the past few years, this race has held down the first spot on the adventure racing calendar and it has earned a reputation as one of the most challenging, physically demanding, events of the year. The remote location, highly unpredictable weather, and grueling route are just a few of the hurdles for the coed teams to overcome.

Other races that earn a nod on the Nat Geo list include the Race2Adventure, to be held in Guatamala in March. This competition features daily stage runs for prizes, but also mixes in some other adventurous activities, such as rafting or cliff diving after the competitions end for the day. Colorado's Iron Horse Bicycle Classic earns its place with the other races for its unique competition. Riders in the event actually race a train into Silverton. The ride is just one part of a full weekend of activities that take place in May.

Whether you're an endurance runner, triathlete, adventure racers, or just a weekend warrior looking to have some fun, you'll find some kind of competition that will appeal to you on this list. So start planning now, get into shape, and be ready to take on any one of these great events.