At midnight on Sunday, June 25th 2023, 180 incredibly brave paddle boarders embarked on a truly wild adventure: an 80-mile paddle from Bimini, Bahamas to Lake Worth, FL, known as The Crossing For Cystic Fibrosis. The event began in 2013 to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis and the healing benefits the ocean can offer to those living with the disease, and has become a truly magical gathering of people to support the cause. Paddling across the open ocean in the middle of the night isn’t a feat for the faint of heart, but truly a test of your abilities, both physical and mental.

Our local paddle board scene in Jupiter, FL hinges on one shop, Blueline Surf & Paddle, and the amazing community they’ve built. This year the manager of the shop, Jeramie Vaine, put together an all-star team to take on the challenge consisting of Todd Bourgeois, Adham Rashwan, and Shelby Hunzinger, and with the generous support of Costa Del Mar (thank you Rachel Chesnes) invited me along to capture the entire trip. We made the trek over by boat with our captain, Dave, on Wednesday and spent the days leading up to the race soaking in those Bahamian blue waters by fishing, diving, and sipping on some ice cold beverages. Needless to say we had the ultimate Bahamas experience in quick time.

As the paddle race launch quickly approached in the wee hours of Sunday morning, the team shifted their focus to the reason we were all there. Jeramie pushed off at 1:20am and into the dark of night we went. Battling wind and cross-current conditions for the first few hours, the team muscled through to keep us on course as we slowly but surely pushed towards the front of the entire pack of paddlers and boats. We had a couple close calls with massive freighter ships which surely woke anyone up who may have been dozing off, and before we knew it the sun peaked it’s gorgeous self over the horizon. “A thousand miles from nowhere” is the song that came to mind as day break hit. Not another boat in sight, slicked off calm water, and a magical sky painted with orange, pink, and purple. One of those moments you’ll truly never forget, and a true testament to those healing powers the water surely provides. The team charged on; switching turns every 15-20 minutes, taking a dip in the ice bath in-between, cranking up the tunes they knew would lift their spirits high, and doing whatever it took to keep their heads in the game. As we raced towards Lake Worth Pier, mother nature greeted us with a nasty storm full of rain and wind, of course making those last couple miles a true testament to the team’s strength and perseverance. One final switch, Shelby hopped on the board and put the paddle to the metal. She hit land just before 12:30, giving us an official second place finish overall. A victory that was truly earned by everyone involved, and memories to last a lifetime. To the entire team, congratulations on it all, and thank you for the opportunity to be there with you for it. These are a few of my favorite moments from the trip.

Learn more about supporting or participating in the event here: The Crossing For Cystic Fibrosis

Thank you to all of our sponsors for making it happen: Zala, Flying Fish Board Co, Costa Tequila, YETI, Noxx and Dunn Rum