15,000 kilometres, 332 days,
thousands of fans.
Photo: © newsPix / Justin sanson
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IN 1982, Paul Caffyn claimed one of the lon- she was throwing caution to the wind on an “I think the biggest thing about her is that she final arrival already,” she said in an interview
gest-standing sea kayaking titles of all time, isolated, cliffbound and surf-washed coastline maintains her confidence and her focus in spite with Sea Kayaker magazine, just 300 kilome-
becoming the first to circumnavigate Austra- that’s home to more sharks, snakes and croco- of what others are saying,” says Stamer. “Freya tres into the trip. “I’m challenging myself by
lia’s 15,000-kilometre coastline. It would’ve diles than people. likes to do what people say can’t be done. Once pushing myself to the limit, no doubt about it,
been impossible for Caffyn to know that 27 “There’s no way she’ll make it,” said Aus- she gets something in her head, she’ll do it.” and I’m out on some days when other people
years later, his 360-day journey would become tralian surf ski paddler Dean Gardiner in an On Australia’s north shore, Hoffmeister would have gone in already because I just enjoy IN
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a competition. online preview of Hoffmeister’s trip. To com- faced the choice of paddling over 1,500 kilome- it… my body won’t have any problem keeping
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Armed with a spreadsheet of Caffyn’s daily pound the challenge, Hoffmeister’s expedition tres of crocodile-ridden shoreline or making a up. A challenge is always a good time for me.”
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paddling distances, the sassy and audacious would be self-supported; Caffyn, by compari- risky 560-kilometre crossing of the Gulf of Car- The critics were few and far between when
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German uber-paddler Freya Hoffmeister set son, had a shore-based crew to help him land pentaria—a feat completed in a sea kayak only Hoffmeister landed at Queenscliff in Decem-
off from a Melbourne beach on January 18, in towering surf, cook his meals and take care once before, by the late Aussie Andrew McAu- ber. Her cheery acceptance of hardship won
2009, to chase the record in her Race Around of his accommodations. Said another paddler ley. She chose the crossing and spent eight days her thousands of supporters from around the
Australia. on an online Australian discussion forum, “to offshore, jury-rigging paddle-float outriggers world on her website. “It is something that
On December 15, the 45-year-old Hoff- try this without an escort boat is simply crazy.” when she became too tired to paddle. won’t be done again for a very long time, per-
meister completed the circle, shattering Caf- But Hoffmeister, who in previous careers “Overall I may have underestimated a bit haps not even ever again,” said Hoffmeister,
fyn’s mark by 28 days. was a successful gymnast, bodybuilder and the conditions out there in the middle of the forecasting her success in an earlier interview
Hoffmeister, who holds speed records for skydiver, thrives on words of doubt. Besides Gulf,” Hoffmeister wrote in her blog, “…but at with a British online magazine.
circumnavigating Iceland (33 days, with Flori- the amazing stamina Hoffmeister showed in the end it was nothing I couldn’t handle.” “Also, people write things on the website
da paddler Greg Stamer) and the South Island paddling an average of 55 kilometres per day In her media interviews and near-daily blog like, ‘You are a legend,’ ‘You are a star,’ and it is
of New Zealand (70 days, solo), dismissed the for the better part of a year, Stamer says her postings while on the journey, Hoffmeister a nice feeling. Somebody has to be the guide
concerns of Australian sea kayakers who said greatest skill is perseverance. was unremittingly upbeat. “I’m visualizing my figure; someone has to be at the front.”
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