Naish’s Casper Steinfath Crosses the Aegean Sea

Four days before his trip to Brazil for the Brazil Pro Grand Slam, Casper Steinfath and his Naish Javelin LE made a quick stop in Greece to join the team at Naish Greece for some SUP clinics and a surprise 22 mile crossing on the Aegean Sea from Paros Island to Mykonos.

The team, consisting of Casper, George Fragkos, Nikos Skordos, a few young and eager paddlers, a film crew and a boat captain, geared up and set sail to Paros. As they reached Naousa port at Paros, everyone grew more excited for the odyssey they were about to embark on.

The forecast called for S-SE wind but it ended up blowing SW at 5-6 bft. This made the course much harder from the beginning, especially with the initial 3-mile upwind battle. The team was expecting the SW wind to keep blowing but instead, it started blowing W, making the crossing up to Mykonos even more difficult with the wind and swell coming from the side.

Casper and George lead the group, but they kept turning back upwind, to control the members of the group, offering advice and encouragement along the way. Covering more than the ¾ of the distance, the younger paddlers became tired and the speed of the group was falling. Time was running short, as the group was to reach Mykonos before sunset. The decision was made to get the kids on board and let the stronger three to continue ahead.

About a mile from Ornos bay, Nikos bowed out of the journey due to exhaustion. Casper and George continued their way through some isles and shallow waters. The sun began to set about 4.5 miles away from the port of Mykonos and Casper and George insisted on continuing at their pace, headlamps and all.

The rest of the team kept a close eye on the last two paddlers as they pulled into the port at 19:45, finishing one of the biggest routes in the Aegean Sea. From scenic Paros Island to the luxurious island of Aegean, Mykonos…mission accomplished!

Congratulations to the whole team and to these courageous paddlers!