Boating USA — March 2018

CAPTAIN’S TEST

NEWS

5 THINGS

BOATINGMAG.COM | MARCH 2018| 19

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BOATINGMAG.COM

MARCH 2018

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5 T HI NGS

So, you tackled a Guinness World Record for SUP?

Yes, in December 2015 at Benderson Park in Sarasota,

Florida. I paddled a 5-kilometer loop 38 times, which added

up to 110.47 miles. It was the greatest distance on a stand-up

paddleboard on flat water in 24 hours by a woman. Tech-

nically, two paddlers have gone farther, but they haven’t

gotten approved by Guinness. They make it really hard.

In 2016, you also were a “Fastest in Florida” series win-

ner and earned the women’s “Fastest on Earth” title.

I found I could be successful at both speed and distance,

which is an anomaly in SUP. You don’t typically get an ath-

lete who can do both; I had to totally change my training.

Have you ever had any crazy or harrowing moments

on the water?

Those moments happened on the yachts, like getting caught

in a nor’easter in the Gulf Stream off Bermuda and dismast-

ed off Oregon. The 12.5-foot boat I captain now ... we don’t

get into too much trouble. Although, I was bumped by a

shark the other day, which was scary.

You also hold a 100-ton USCG Masters license and
worked as a professional yachtswoman?
There’s nothing quite like seeing new places from the water.
I loved the boats too. One summer, I worked aboard a wood-
PHOTO: COURTESY SEYCHELLE HATTINGH en motoryacht built in 1910.

Stand-up paddleboarding is not just about Zen-like paddling and yoga moves — this

sport has an adventurous side. Just ask Seychelle Hattingh, a Florida Keys native who

has racked up an impressive list of records, including the Guinness World Record for

the greatest distance paddled in 24 hours and the “Fastest on Earth” female SUP title.

—Heather Steinberger

Seychelle Hattingh,

Record-Setting Stand-Up Paddleboarder

To read the full
interview online,
scan this tag or
go to boatingmag
.com/sup.