Yes, you read that right, Casper Steinfath paddles 1500km around Denmark!

Hey Casper, thanks for joining us again! This was clearly a huge task, was your planning meticulous or more adaptable to conditions? 

It’s funny because I feel like answering that there was a ton of planning for the project. Though in reality, it was just an idea that one day popped into my mind and a couple months later I was already paddling. Of course, I had a methodical approach in terms of choosing the right gear, training properly, and making a plan of attack. But a lot came down to adapting and playing with the given conditions once I got started. I learned a lot once I started paddling and realised that the key to completing this project was to take a flexible approach, as I could not control or plan everything. This adaptable and humble approach for Mother Nature is also what I loved!

Did you have any crew following in a car, or was it a solo adventure?

I did have a small support team following me to help resupply every now and then and create media content. But I was mostly just paddling solo and enjoying it. Of course, I was very often joined by local Danish paddlers when I came paddling through their neighborhood. It was cool, cause almost everywhere I went someone came out to say hello and guide me through their own slice of paradise.

Equipment selection is essential in something like this, which board did you use? How much camping gear did you bring? Food-wise, could you restock regularly?

Since I was bringing nearly 30 kg of camping and survival gear with me, I opted to use a wider board than I usually paddle on. I ended up choosing the Naish Maliko 14’ x 26’’ which both possessed the volume of 273 liters, yet still was lightweight enough to paddle efficiently. With me on the board, I had 2 dry bags. One held my tent, sleeping bag, mattress, gas stove, and general clothing gear. The other had my food supply, diary, and all my electronics to navigate and document the trip. Once or twice a week I would stop and restock on food either from my support team, or I would wade into the local small supermarket and raid their shelves.

Is wild camping acceptable in Denmark? Was it easy to find spots along the way?

Generally yes, but it was something I looked into before taking off. While you can’t just pitch a tent anywhere, there are many spots along the Danish coast that are pretty cool to camp at. When I set out each day, I had a couple of known options where I knew I could make camp, but I also really enjoyed the spontaneous element of just spotting a cool place and figuring out how to camp there. Sometimes I was also invited in by local Danes to sleep on a sofa and have a hot shower. That was gold especially in the first few weeks when it was cold!

You must’ve burned some serious calories! How did you fuel each day?

Before leaving, my coach and I estimated that I needed to take in around 5-6000 calories per day to keep my body functioning. I feared that if I didn’t take in enough calories, then my body would begin to degrade too fast. Anyway, that was all theory and served as motivation to continually eat all day long. I could write a novel on everything I ate, but essentially it consisted of lots of everything. Porridge, bacon, eggs, fruit, energy bars, sandwiches, dried meat, nuts, MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), and a ton of Red Bull. Also, the home-cooked meals that I randomly was invited to eat along the way were amazing.

I can’t imagine such an enormous endurance task. How did you get through the low moments?

The key for me to get through the low moments probably was that I also very much associated and linked them directly to the high moments. I know that might sound weird, but when I was hammered by a snowstorm on day 5 it was both brutal and magical at the same time. It was cold and all my gear was miserably wet from snow melting on it. After 7 hours of paddling like this, I was ready to quit. It sucked. But at the same time, I also felt incredibly alive and all my senses were heightened. I kept telling myself the misery would end, and I think what kept me going was the thought of rewarding myself with some bacon or maybe a hot shower at the end of the day. I try to be conscious of the contrast and remember how the challenge and pain makes the food and perhaps the beer taste even better at the end of the day.

That sounded seriously challenging! Did you have any injuries or niggles to cope with?

It really was my biggest fear that an injury would cut my expedition short. When paddling many hours a day, I knew that my body would eventually be pushed to its limit. Very early on it became my goal to not push too hard to avoid strain or overuse of muscles. I focused on trying to only go 80-85% and leave some juice left in the tank in case I needed it.

How many hours a day do you think you paddled for? Did you have to paddle by head torch much?

On average I think I paddled around 7-8 hours a day. Some days more, some days less depending on the conditions. When conditions were bad with either stormy seas or strong adverse winds, I decided to not push too hard. But, when conditions were golden I tried to make the most of it and logged up towards 12-14 hour days. This also made me paddle quite a bit at night to take advantage when the elements were going my way. I loved those night sessions!

What was it like navigating such a long route? Did you take a GPS? 

Generally, navigating was not too difficult. Since I was paddling clockwise around Denmark, I always had land on my right side. I also stayed close to shore whenever I could to meet people along the way and take in all the sights. It was funny discovering sides of my “backyard” that I had never seen before and meeting so many interesting people along the way. I had a GPS with me, but I only really used it during the few big open ocean stretches I had to cross between the islands. I think because I had studied so many maps before departing, I always had a good sense of where I was and where my next destination for each day was. 

Do you have much tidal range to deal with in Denmark? 

If you had asked me on day 1 of the Great Danish Paddle I would have firmly said “No”! Where I live on the northwest coast in Klitmøller we have a mere tidal swing of 12 cm every 6 hours. Between wind and swell the tide swing has never really stood out to me. But when I made it to the Wadden Sea around day 48 I had a total eyeopener!! At low tide there literally was no water left to paddle on, so it was only passable at the highest of tides. This added another uncontrollable element to deal with and really turned up the adventure another notch!

I’ve heard the final day was a huge downwind paddle. What was that like with all the gear onboard your SUP?

Yeah, it was epic! I could not have wished for a better action-packed ending to this fairytale of mine. 73 km or so stood between me and home on that final morning. The wind was strong downwind, almost to the point where it was out of control. With a deteriorating weather forecast for the foreseeable future which called for strong onshore storms, I figured this was my window. My chance to make it home. I still remember fighting my way through waves and riding huge bumps. On a few occasions, the bumps were so steep that my board nosedived, and I went flying over the handlebars. Some of my gear came loose from the board and it felt like I had just produced the ultimate yard sale. It felt like victory at sea, and man, I felt alive.

Haha, I can't imagine going downwind with that much gear! What was it like to cross that finish line? Can you give us the stats? 

I was overrun with emotions. Tears began rolling down my chin when my hometown of Klitmøller first appeared on the horizon. I couldn’t believe it. After 54 days and 1450 km my SUP expedition had come full circle and was now concluded. I had very mixed emotions because on one hand I was happy and proud to have completed this first-ever mission. But, on the other hand, I was also sad that it was now over. I felt super alive and was thriving inside the daily rhythm of adventure I had built. But now it was over, and what a finale that was!! On the beach over 300 people from town had lined up to welcome me. I remember lighting a torch as I rode a wave to shore before becoming engulfed by the crowd of family and friends.

I just have to ask, what’s next? Maybe a shot at James Casey’s world record SUP foil…? 😉

Haha, that’s always the million dollar question 😉 While writing this I realised it’s now almost been a couple of months since I finished “The Great Danish Paddle”. I think both my body and mind are quite saturated with adventure for now, and I don’t feel an immediate need to dive in so deep into a project again in the near future. But if this expedition has revealed one thing to myself, I think it is that I love adventure, pushing my limits, and meeting people. I have a grand plan of one day attempting to paddle across the North Sea between the United Kingdom and Denmark, but until then I look forward to many other adventures on the water.

By Jack Galloway

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