Internationally renowned sea kayaker and expedition paddler Freya Hoffmeister
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Photo by Peter Lintner |
Photo by Werner Würger |
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Meet Freya Hoffmeister once and you're not likely to forget her any time soon. The six-foot former Miss Germany beauty contestant paddles in head-to-toe black fuzzy rubber, gives rolling clinics all over the world and, despite no track record as a racer, recently completed the biggest surf ski race on the professional circuit, the Molokai Challenge – a 55K crossing from the island of Molokai to Oahu. Brawny, photogenic, and supremely confident, the former gymnast turned body builder turned sky diver turned hard-core expedition kayaker has several record-setting trips on her resumé and she's just getting started. In fact, she's about to embark on what many consider the most ambitious sea kayaking trip of all time.
On Jan 2, '08 she finished a solo, unsupported circumnavigation of the South Island of New Zealand. Not only was she just the third person to do the trip alone, she did it faster than the men who proceeded her, covering the 1,700 miles in "just" 70 days. This trip is recognized as one of the most beautiful yet committing and challenging paddles worldwide. Huge seas and crashing surf on the West Coast, the remote Fjordlands with no road access for more than 250 miles, and few sheltered landing spots are some of the reasons why only three men have succeeded in the past 30 years. In the Tasman Sea she broke the stern off her kayak launching through the surf. Completing the final 100 miles in one 32.5 hour push, she broke the old record by more than a week.
Paul Caffyn, the first man to paddle alone around New Zealand in 1976, said: "I believe this is the most significant solo kayak trip undertaken by a woman in the southern hemisphere."
The year before, she and her trip partner Greg Stamer completed the fastest-ever circumnavigation of Iceland (33 days). And this spring she decided against a winter solo circumnavigation around New Zealand's North Island (no woman has ever done both the North and South Island circumnavigations) in lieu of the big daddy of them all: a solo, unsupported 9,400-mile paddle around Australia. Dozens have tried; only Caffyn, the grand man of expedition kayaking, has succeeded. Why? Given the daunting distance, hundreds of miles of uninterrupted cliffs, rough surf, aggressive man-eating saltwater crocodiles, and famed storms, it's considered next to impossible.
Hoffmeister's philosophy is best summed up by the Latin phrase inscribed on the bow of her kayak: Veni - vidi - vici – I came - I saw - I conquered. This January the 44-year-old mother of a 12-year-old boy will launch her Epic 18X carbon sea kayak and head counterclockwise on a journey that she expects to take a year. While there are many so-called experts betting against her, those who know her well say she has a legitimate chance to complete this grueling journey. For updates on her trip visit Freya's website at: www.qajaqunderground.com
- Born: 1964
Weight: 73.56 kg
Hometown and Country: Husum, Germany
Residence: Anywhere in the world I am traveling!
Local paddle beach: None, paddling "on the road," mostly.
Best food: Lots of anything, from freeze-dried to 5-star cuisine.
Best drink: H20 with different ingredients.
Best band: Sound of the sea!
When did you first sit in a kayak: 1995
Paddling week: Irregular, on an expedition the daily average is about 60 km.
Night before paddling I eat: Anything I like, just lots of it
During a paddle I drink: See "best drink."
Most memorable paddle/trip: Rounding Iceland and New Zealand -SI in record time.
Paddle/trip you most want to take: Circumnavigating Australia in an Epic 18X Sport.
Why Epic Kayaks: I am used to going with the best.
