Freya-Hoffmeister
Freya Hoffmeister finished the first leg
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| The "unofficial" arrival of Freya Hoffmeister at Valparaiso at the end of the first leg of her trip round South America |
Freya Hoffmeister has done it again. She has completed the first leg of her South America circumnavigation. On 3 May 2012, she landed at 18.45 clock in the port of Valparaiso - after 247 days and 7676 km. Congratulations!
The big shindig with spectators and the press was cancelled for the extreme athlete came a day earlier than expected. The reason was to high waves, which made it impossible to land at her original landing site. Spontaneously, she paddled further and reached Valparaiso. Where again there were troubles in landing. Finally the Chilean Navy helped. They heaved Freya's Kayak on a zodiac, which was then dragged over concrete steps on land. All safe in the harbor.
"Ick bün all do," said the Husum girl in the broadest Low German accent at the end of the first stage which has offered plenty of highlights so far. Like the rounding of Cape Horn under extreme wind and weather conditions on New Year's Day.
The official landing was celebrated one day later, with lots of officals and the press. In the next few days it goes back to Husum, where her son has priority. But then also the preparation for the second stage, which is going on in fall. Another 16,000 kilometers are staring Freya Hoffmeister in the face ...
Freya Hoffmeister to circumnavigate South America - alone and in a sea kayak
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| Freya Hoffmeister: "Aquapacs never abandoned me." |
In September 2011, Freya Hoffmeister, arguably world's most famous sea kayaker, started her trip to become the first person to paddle the entire coast line of the South American continent. The 47-year-old business owner from Husum, Germany started in Buenos Aires/ Argentina in the middle of the East Coast.
Paddling clockwise, she will head South on the Atlantic Ocean towards Cape Horn. Freya will round the Cape plus the southernmost big island of South America, Tierra del Fuego. Heading north again she'll be travelling through the beautiful Fjordlands of Patagonia/ Chile on the Pacific coast. Freya will end her first stage in Valparaiso, the main harbor just off Santiago de Chile, having paddled roughly 8,000 km in eight months. In between legs she plans to return to Husum for some time to spend with her 15-year-old son and attend to her two ice cream shops and a Christmas shop.
Starting again in September 2012, Freya will head north along the West Coast along the mountainous countries of Peru and Ecuador. After crossing the equator, she'll pass Colombia, paddles through the Panama Canal, along the rest of Columbia, through Venzuela and end the second stage in Georgetown, Guyana, after another 8,000 km and about eight months of paddling.
Stage three picks up again in September 2013 and takes her past the tropical countries of Suriname, Guayane, Brazil and Uruguay and back south to Buenos Aires, Argentina. She will finish the last 8,000 km stage just in time for her 50th birthday in May 2014.
In all, she'll have paddled along 12 countries, traveled as far south as the 50th latitude and as far north as the 10th, and crossed the equator twice.
The trip around the world's fourth-largest continent will be her fourth big adventure.
"South America has always been my dream," says Hoffmeister.
The challenges on the South American trip are great. "Part of the tour is in the rainy season," says Hoffmeister. "It's not perfect, but who knows: Maybe one looks forward to a tropical shower" Further south, towards Tierra del Fuego, it is expected to be noticeably cooler. Hoffmeister wants to set up a base camp - probably in Chile - from which equipment and clothing items can be sent to her.
Freya Hoffmeister in 2009 circled Australia in her kayak - 13,790 km in 332 days. Thus she was one month faster than the only man who mastered the tour 28 years earlier. On the track she once was sitting eight days in a row in the boat when she paddled nearly 600 km across the Gulf of Carpentaria. The coastline would have cost her weeks (see below).
As on her tour around Australia she will write down her experiences again. You will read it again at this point. Or click: www.qajaqunderground.com
Update I: Freya Hoffmeister 'round Cape Hoorn - on new years day 2012
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| Curious seals: Who is there? |
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| Landing point on Isla Decait: 120 km/h and Freya managed it to land. |
Freya Hoffmeister has achieved a very important milestone in her circumnavigation of South America: Cape Horn. On New Year's Day 2012, the 47-year-old landed her kayak on the island of Isla Hornos, the southernmost island of the Chilean mainland. Two days later, the Husum girl, which is sponsored by Aquapac Germany since years with waterproof bags, put in on the Isla Wollaston at the local navy station. She completed the circumnavigation of Cape Horn, which is known as one of the most dangerous seas in the world due to constant storms, strong currents, fog, rain and wind speeds in hurricane strength.
Experiences that Freya Hoffmeister made firsthand. With up to 150 kilometers per hour wind speed as she only became aware after she paddled with her nut shell over the open water, with great difficulty reached a rocky beach on Isla Deceit: "Somehow and unharmed," as she writes in her blog. There in a storm she waited in a small tent for better weather, to get back on the water. What was at first impossible. The constant noise of the up to 5 foot rolling in waves mentally exhausted her. Sleep and food were unthinkable. The next day the wind finally decreased a bit. One of the four options checked seemed "80 percent" sure enough to come back on the water.
What finally succeeded. Another eleven kilometers to paddle, then she reached the landing site on the Isla Horno, the most southern island of the cape, where cruise tourists go ashore. Finally a New Year's Day meal with all the bells and whistles, no noise and dry clothes. And a hot shower! And a safe way to cast off for the next island. Now it's back to Puerto Williams, the administrative center of Tierra del Fuego. And then further counterclockwise up the Chilean coast to Valparaiso, the destination of her first stage.
Update II, 1 April 2012, 215th Day of the circumnavigation of South America:
Freya Hoffmeister meanwhile has the 215th Day of her South America circumnavigation on the clock. She has reached the Canal Chacao and thus fought up the Chilean coast very high. And again saw a lot and met nice people: be it Germans, who were glad to be able to supply her, icebergs from calving glaciers, huge waterfalls, secluded beaches, where she stayed over night or carcasses of dead whales that drifted in the flood. And of course: wind, water, waves ...
The world accompanies her on her tour. Almost 5000 followers on Facebook speak a language of its own. In a magazine she has been described as "groundbreaking globetrotter" and has been filed in the category "10 strong women who travel and change the world".
More at: www.qajaqunderground.com
Freya Hoffmeister 2009: Race around Australia is done!!!
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Congratulations Freya!!!! Freya Hoffmeister has done it: Today (15th of december 2009) the German sea kajaker finished her race around Australia. 14000 kilometers of paddling around the fifth continent. At noon she landed at Queenscliff close to Melbourne where she has started on the 18th of January. In one of her first interviews she said: " I am happy. And I am tired. I am happy not to be paddling any more, but it was worth the risk."
Freya is supported by Aquapac-Aquman Germany with waterproof cases for the safety of all her electronic equipment for years now.
If you wanna have a look on a video of her arrival, please click
Race around Australia: Freya Hoffmeister will land on tuesday, 15th of december
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German seakayaker Freya Hoffmeisters race around Australia in a year is finished nearly. On tuesday 15th she will land at Queenscliff at the Victorian Seakayak-Clubs close to Melbourne where she started here race around the fifth continent on january 18th 2009. 332 days she has been on her way, 245 days of paddling. And she will be the first woman who ever made this circumnavigation. And - after Paul Caffyn New Zealand (361days/257 paddling days) - the second human who has ever done it. Freya is supported by Aquapac Germany with waterproof cases for the safety of all her electronic equipment for years now.
14000 kilometers of paddling are in the arms of Freya, a former "Miss Germany": attacked by a shark or close to the "salties"; being on sea for eight days without landing; paddling along cliffs for days withou any chance to land or surrounding Cape Leeuwin at the west coast of Australia where waves of eight meters clashed against the rocks. Unbelievable what she has done. She has reached borders.
Nearly every australian knows her name right now. And her name is on the most important landmarks to remember who passed it. And there are not to many names on the plates!
The last days there were blowing heavy tailwinds. She paddled around 80 kilometers a day. For her arrival there is arranged a big party already. The media is waiting for her. And also a huge crowd of Australians who want to see the woman who surrounded their continent.
That`s what she wrote in her blog on saturday 12th of december:
"It looks like I'm having three days of padling left. My arrival day at Caffyn's Cove in Queenscliff, Melbourne will probably be Tuesday, 15th, before slack tide around noon. Everybody is very much welcome to join me to paddle to Caffyn's Cove the last few km from Point Lonsdale.
The VSKC is so kind to organize plenty of media on the spot. They organize a Q&A talk with the final Melbourne party on Wednesday, 15th.
Please check on the VSKC website for details. I'll be giving another talk in Sydney on Saturday, 19th.
Organized by Mark Sundin, Expedition Kayaks. Details on his website.
I'll be flying home on Sunday, 20th, 4.35pm from Sydney via Singapore. I'll arrive in Germany, Hamburg airport on Monday, 21st, 10.30 from London, BA 0964"
Posted under Australia, Stage 15: Victor Harbour - Queenscliff
Which Aquapac cases are on board of Freya Hoffmeisters kayak:
All of the electronical equipment of Freya Hoffmeister like VHF, GPS, Cellphone, camera or maps are packed in the waterproof cases of Aquapac Germany. The cases made its job very well, as Freya Hoffmeister wrote in a mail. During her trip we send her some new ones, while some get damaged during very rough landings. Here a message of Freya to pur company:
"Hallo Petra,
Aquapacs allover my luggage, vielen Dank! Und jeder bewundert, (oder bedauert?) die vielen electronics, die ich so mitführen muss, aber sie werden täglich ziemlich hard benutzt! Der large whanganui case ist meine Kartentasche, die täglich auf meinem Deck ist. Die leckt inzwischen irgendwie, ich kann nicht herausfinden, wo und wie. Ich könnte eine oder zwei neue gebrauchen! Und die large VHF classic hält mein Motorola-Satelliten Telefon, das wird auch ordentlich täglich strapaziert und hat schon mehrere reparierte Lecks. Ein oder zwei neue wäre fein!
Vielen Dank!!!
Freya
If you wanna have a look what kind of Aquapacs Freya got on board and used for which reasons, please have a Look.
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Race around Australia: Freya Hoffmeister on the final stage!!
One week left and german kajaker Freya Hoffmeister finished her race around Australia. She will be the first woman who ever surrounded the fifth continent in a kajak and the second human being ever. She ist on her final stage right now, on the 10th of december (day 326) she reached Brown Bay, just a week away from where she startet on the 18th of january 2009: Queenscliff close to Melbourne. The Australians nearly could not believe what is happening right now. The blog of freya who is supported by Aquapac Germany with dust- und waterproof cases for years, is full of comments.
Good luck on the last miles
The whole Aquapac-Team
Who wants to know what is going on: www.qajaqunderground.com
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Freya Hoffmeister is a german sea-kajaker (www.qajaqunderground.com) who made some really astonishing trips the last few years. She paddled around Iceland in June and July 2007: 1620 km in 33 days, 25 days on sea. An average of 65 km a day. That’s a new record. Three months later the extrem-kajakerin was on the other side of the world. In 47 stages and 2386 km she finished: She was the first women ever surrounding New Zealand. The third paddler how ever made this trip and only the fifth who tried it. |
| But not enough: Right now (november 2009) she is on her way to surround Australia. Christmas she started in Melbourne, one year later she will land in Melbourne again. If she makes it she will be the first woman who ever done this trip. And the second human being who ever done it. If you want to know how it is going just have a look on her page. She updates it whenever it is possible. Good luck!! Aquapac is sponsoring her different trips with different cases for gps, phone, vhf-radio or waterproof cases for her personal belongings. Her comment: “It works fine. No problems!!” |
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