Inside the Ride: Antonio De La Rosa's Pacific SUP Super-craft

Men's Journal

Hours after completing standup paddling's first Pacific Ocean crossing from San Francisco to Oahu, Spanish endurance athlete Antonio De La Rosa runs through the design essentials of his custom-built 24-foot SUP super-craft dubbed Ocean Defender, which he paddled upright 2,900 miles over 77 days solo and unsupported. Video by Tony Heff.

Transcript

00:00Okay, this is the boat, it's design and construction in Spain.

00:10This is a prototype.

00:13Here is the system to connect with internet, satellite internet.

00:18I can send everyday news in Facebook and Instagram during 76 days.

00:28This is solar panels.

00:31I have three solar panels, 225 volts.

00:36These solar panels charge two batteries, 90 amperes inside, and these batteries is for

00:45charge the computer, the satellite telephone, and the water machine.

00:52I have water machine, I use one hour per day, this machine do six liters per hour.

01:05I paddle in this side, in the middle, this is the front, here is the bed, the bed I put,

01:16I relax and telephone, and on the back, I charge all equipment, the food, and I have

01:28so much equipment.

01:31One soup inflate, a small soup inflate, because if I have problems in this boat, I use this

01:39for rescuing.

01:44In the middle, there are one fin, big fin, and this fin have 30 kilograms, heavier, but

01:54it's good stability.

01:57I move the system, direction system with the hand here, and in the front, I have two GPS,

02:07one outside and one inside, two anemometers for wind, compass, and a small satellite tracking,

02:22because all the people can see my position in every moment in my web page, antoniodelarrosa.net.

02:3376 days in the middle of the ocean, from San Francisco to here.

02:38Easy, yeah?

02:39Yeah, easy.

02:40Raw wind, wind, current, Hawaii.

02:46Not easy.

02:47Okay, when I see the first island, about three days ago, I see the Molokai Island, very small,

02:58so happy, but I think, okay, this is one of the worst parts, because when you are with

03:04this big side boat, and only with this system to move it very close to the coast, it's dangerous.

03:14And I think, okay, three days no sleep, all the time checking the GPS, the direction,

03:21raw winds so much, and it's the life on the boat.

03:27All the time, every hour, checking the GPS, sleep every hour on the night.

03:34The worst part is that you sleep a little.

03:40This is the VHF radio, with channel 16, to speak with another boat when you cross for

03:50security, the other GPS.

03:53Here is the batteries, and the AES system is for sea and other boats, and Dutch boats

04:03come to see me.

04:04This is electricity.

04:05Here is the water machine, Katadyn Power Survival, satellite telephone, and bed.

04:18One comfortable bed, and the more important, for hot, is the weather.

04:32I don't know the name in English, vent, yeah, comfortable, yeah.

04:43I have five paddles, two outside, two more inside, and one extra on the back, but I use

04:54only one on the whole travel.

04:58Half lucky, no broke.

05:07The cooking system, my normal cooking here, and this is for put water, with the water

05:15machine.

05:16Put water here, and put from here to the potter's, and drinking.

05:23This is the food, Leofilice food, this is very good.

05:34I heat this 76 days.

05:39This kind, there are 20 different, that's all.

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