Frequently Asked Questions
TO ALL JOURNALIST who like to write about me:
Please study this page carefully before starting.
Thank you very much.
Q: Why are you doing these extreme paddling trips that are getting longer and longer?
A: It's like mountaineering - the mountains are getting higher and higher and more and more challenging ... I'm a (reasonably ambitious) sportswoman, not a traveler, adventurer or travel photographer, and my "mountains" are horizontal, not vertical.
Q: How far from the coast do you paddle?
A: Since the coast is not always safe, as there can be big waves, rocks, cliffs or reefs, it doesn't really matter. I paddle where the water is the calmest and the shortest distance, which usually means crossing bays. But of course paddling close to shore is more interesting.
Q: How many hours a day do you spend on the water?
A: Nine to ten hours on average. But it can be much more, or even overnight if there is no suitable place to land. Or much less if conditions such as strong winds, high waves or rip currents are uncomfortable, stressful or even dangerous.
Q: Do you have rest days?
A: Basically the weather determines the rest days. On average, about a quarter of the time I don't paddle because of bad weather, rest, supplies or repairs.
Q: What is your average cruising speed?
A: I am not a kayak racer and paddle a heavily loaded kayak. I stop frequently (on the water) to eat, drink, pee, rest, take pictures, and enjoy the scenery. My average speed is about five kilometers per hour throughout the day.
Q: How important is it to you to be "FIRST" or "FASTEST"?
A: It's a nice side effect that comes with my travels and makes it easier to market myself and my activities. I just like to do what not many people do or can do, and I like to go to places that not many people go to and have seen. I like to be exclusive and unusual in my own way. Only dead fish swim with the current.
Q: Do you stop on shore during the day?
A: If there is a quiet, nearby and inviting place to land, I sometimes stop during the day. But usually there's no way to land anywhere without a lot of effort, detour or risk. I always have to be prepared to stay on the water all day and sometimes all night.
Q: How do you take care of your sanitary needs on the water?
A: If I'm not wearing a dry suit and I'm wet anyway, I just pee in the kayak, rinse with seawater and use the sponge to get the liquid out of the boat. If I prefer to stay dry, I use a funnel-shaped piece that makes up for the lack of a "natural hose". The dry suit has an extra pee zipper in the front, so I can use it when I'm in the kayak and alone on the open ocean. The big business is a little more difficult and is usually done on shore before the launch. But if it's pressing and I'm alone on the water - use your hollow hand, it's better than messing everything up.
Q: How do you prepare for the trip?
A: Mostly office work. Logistics is the most important part of the preparation. I put together maps, tide and weather information, assemble my gear from old and new pieces, and make local contacts. Physically, I am generally in good shape and do some light workout regularly. I can get in my kayak and paddle for a whole day without any specific paddling training. The next day I still get sore and a little stiff, but that gets better as the trip goes on.
Q: Do you have a support team?
A: There is no team to drive my gear along the shore and set up a comfortable camp for me in the evening. I carry all the supplies, am independent and have to look after myself. But I have support from all over the world. My partner Peter Unold in Denmark helps me with electronics, Karel Vissel from Israel sends me weather information, and I'm grateful for the general hospitality of the locals who help me here and there and often put me up in big cities. In Colombia and parts of Central America, I was constantly escorted by the Navy on a boat for security reasons due to the high crime rate. And in Australia I was accompanied by my then boyfriend, who traveled with me for six weeks along the south coast in our campervan.
Q: Do you paddle alone?
A: Yes, I usually paddle by myself. Only in South America, from Valparaiso/Chile to the end of Peru for four months, my partner Peter Unold paddled with me. In Australia and New Zealand I paddled all by myself, and on my first circumnavigation of Iceland I paddled with my partner at the time, Greg Stamer. Ireland was by myself. A few hours before and after the big cities, a few locals would join me here and there. Now around North America, however, I have paddling partners on most sections.
Q: Is it easier to paddle with a partner?
A: It depends a lot on your partner's ability, attitude, expectations for speed, purpose of the trip, documentation requirements, and if we are getting along. If everything fits, it can be easier. If not, it's hell, because the paddling partner can't always get off so easily. Also, two people - two problems. Many people - many problems.
Q: How difficult is it to do such a trip as a woman? Don't you get harassed when you camp alone?
A: Most machos are very impressed (or scared?) by a strong woman and respect her. It depends on your charisma and presence - and a bit of luck. In Latin America, men are usually caballeros (gentlemen) and can't judge me because local women are not as independent. One of the first questions I am asked when I make new contacts is: "Are you married?" - And the next: "And where is your husband?"
Q: Do you do any kind of mental training before a trip?
A: No, I am naturally mentally strong and had a long sports career. Confidence grows with the years.
Q: Do you use sail or motor power, or do you occasionally "hitchhike"?
A: None of the above. I am an athlete and a paddler, not a sailor or just a traveler. Using a sail on a kayak feels like riding an e-bike and is cheating. And I would only hitchhike on a boat in an emergency and then return to the starting point.
Q: What do you think about all the time when you're paddling alone?
A: Well, what do you think about when you're on a long drive or a long flight? But yes, at some point you run out of thoughts and your brain goes to sleep while your body is still working. And the brain also gets "rusty" for the complicated, interconnected thoughts in everyday's life in our fast-paced world.
Q: Do you ever get bored?
A: Yes. Not all coastlines, waters and conditions are interesting or even exciting, but I still have to keep going and continue on my path and embrace what nature has to offer. But in general, I'm excited to see what's around the next corner and what's waiting for you in the next short or long period of time.
Q: How do you motivate yourself?
A: I divide my big trip into sections - to the next headland, across the bay, to the next overnight stop, to the next town for shopping, or to the next ride home. In the first few days, I already imagine how I will arrive back at my starting point to complete the circle.
Q: Have you ever thought about quitting?
A: I don't know this expression, could you please explain it to me?
Q: Have your travels changed you as a person in any way?
A: If you're asking about self-awareness, spiritual enlightenment or some psycho stuff like that, no. I'm still the same person, but likely stronger in any way.
Q: Do you listen to music when you paddle?
A: I didn't used to, but after two years on my North American trip, I now have a long, very personal and hand-picked playlist on my phone and occasionally like to paddle to music. But not all day and not every day. But it gives you a great energy boost when the shores and waters are boring, you're tired and the day is getting long. I've also started listening to audiobooks on the water when I'm alone. In camp, my electronic book is the best invention. It keeps me entertained on long rainy days in the bush without taking up much space or battery power. I don't want to be without it. I've also tried reading it while paddling boring sections, but it makes me nauseous.
Q: Where do you sleep?
A: Usually in my tent on a secluded beach where I can rest and relax after a long day of paddling. It's quite stressful for me to constantly chat with random passersby about the "same old questions", sorry. In towns I am sometimes taken in by friendly locals to stock up on supplies and then I enjoy the company for dinner. I don't sleep in my kayak, except when I crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria in Australia, where I spent seven nights on the water.
Q: Do you paddle at night?
A: It's usually more comfortable when I can see. But sometimes I have to paddle at night if there is no reasonable place to land or camp within a reasonable distance. Or if the tides require a certain time to launch or land. It's certainly more dangerous in the dark, but it can also be very beautiful when the sky is clear, you have stars and moonlight, calm water and maybe even bioluminescence.
Q: What do you eat?
A: I just go to the supermarket every two or three weeks and buy what I like, what's available, what has a long shelf life, what's (more or less) healthy and has a lot of carbohydrates. Freshly grounded grains or oatmeal with powdered milk in the morning. Pasta, bulgur, mixed grains or rice with powdered sauce in the evening, maybe with some salami or cheese. All cooked on a small gas stove in my tent. During the day I eat fresh or dried fruit, salty nuts, cereal and chocolate bars, cheese, crackers, and jerky. Most of the food gets boring quickly, especially the snacks, but I need the energy boost. I can carry three to four weeks of food and six to ten days of water. I use about four liters of fresh water a day for drinking, cooking, and hygiene. I avoid the expensive ready-made freeze-dried meals, even if I had a sponsor for them, because it would be difficult to get the right amount to the right place at the right time.
Q: Are you taking a water desalinator or water filter?
A: I can carry a lot of water in my big kayak if I need to, but it's a bit of a "submarine" at the beginning of the section. I usually find enough villages with people where there is always clean water. Or in the "wilderness" the streams are so remote that you can drink them without a filter. A decent sized desalinator is heavy and not very useful for my small kayak household. Occasionally I take a water filter.
Q: Do you lose a lot of weight on a trip?
A: Yes, you can lose a few pounds if you don't take care of yourself.
Q: Do you go fishing when you travel?
A: No, never. Pulling a fishing line behind you attracts sharks and for fishing with a rod, I am not patient enough. I like to eat fish, but I don't like to kill and cook it myself.
Q: How heavy is your kayak?
A: It weighs about twenty-five kilos empty. Fully loaded it's a hundred kilos. It's like driving a heavy but very stable and smooth-going truck.
Q: What safety equipment do you carry?
A: Everything modern electronics have to offer: satellite phone, GPS, VHF radio, cell phone, tracker.
Q: Why do you usually paddle without a life jacket? That's a bad example!
A: That's true. But when I paddle that long, a life jacket would rub against my skin and clothes and I would sweat too much. I wear it in heavy seas, when it's cold, and use it as a padding when I land or take off. On the other hand, I find it much more important to ALWAYS be attached to my kayak with my bow line. My kayak is my best flotation device. It saved my ass once in South America enduring the Pororoca tidal wave in the Amazon Delta.
Q: What kind of new challenges do you expect on this new mammoth project around North America which you have not encountered yet on your trips before ?
A: I have no experience with bears…neither with black nor brown nor white ones. Just with Teddy bears. Especially the polar bear area will be a dangerous section. But people have paddled also there before. The whole huge distance of roughly 50.000 km will be the next challenge. I do not know how my body will hold up. I am over 50 now, and will be around 65 years old when I’m finished.
Q: How long will the trip be?
A: It is roughly about 50.000 km around the “North Island”, through the North-West-Passage and the Panama Canal. I will cross Hudson Bay, but may paddle inside the Golf of Mexico and Bahia California. As for the final trip time - roughly around ten to twelve years. I can’t plan so much ahead.
Q: Where will you start?
A: I will start my first section in March 2017. Both half-loops with two kayaks will begin in Seattle on the West Coast, and I will meet myself in New York under the Statue of Liberty the East Coast.
Q: Why did you decide to do two half circles rather than paddling in one direction only like on a normal circumnavigation?
A: The ice-free time in the northern area allows only weather window of a few month of open sea. The rest of the year I do not like to sit around only and getting older and older.
Q: Why do you paddle in blocks of 3-5 months with home breaks in between?
A: I already did this around South America. I do have some business, a house and a family to go back to. I am not only living on the trip like many people do. They need to sell their house and have nothing to get back to. And I do like the changes during the year. In this way it is also more entertaining to do the North (cold) – Home (cozy) – South (warm) – Home (cozy) rhythm.
Q: Will you do talks in the cities on your way along the coast?
A: Whoever likes to engage me for some speaking event is very much welcome. But there is the challenge of planning ahead though, as I never really know when exactly I will arrive where.
Q: Which kayak will you use?
A: I will use again (like on the last 2/3 of my South American trip) my special “Freya 18” kayak, a perfect fit for such trips, with a special retractable rudder/ skeg combination. But it is unfortunately no loner produced anymore and is only available second-hand. But I have a stock of eight to the start of North America, this will do. So I afford the luxury not to work with a kayak sponsor on this project.
Q: Why do you use a wing paddle?
A: A wing blade is the most efficient paddle blade on the world, also used by any competition racer. And they would use something else if there would be something more efficient. A rudder helps also to be efficient. No need to steer with complicated paddle strokes taking the speed out of my heavy kayak.