“Flew across the bunk”
German extreme athlete collides heavily – and has to cancel
03.10.2025 – 12:39 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.
After only 1,000 kilometers, the end: A nightly collision forces climate activists Michael Walther to terminate his Atlantic mission.
Michael Walther ended his attempt to cross the Atlantic with a stand-up paddle prematurely. After a nightly collision, the 44-year-old reached the port of Fuerteventura-after more than 1,000 of planned 6,000 kilometers, it was over.
“I flew across the bunk, the boat laid out on the side, I opened on my shoulder.” He couldn’t say what had caught him: “No idea what was going on in the water.”
His specially built six-meter-long board with a sleeping cabin, which he wanted to drive with four million paddle strokes from South Portugal to French Guayana in northern South America, suffered serious damage. Navigation lamp and antenna were lost, and a large hole in the cabin is now being climbed. The vehicle should actually set up itself in the event of problems.
With the Atlantic crossing, Walther wanted to draw attention to his “Zero Emissions” project, which stands for marine and environmental protection. Despite the abrupt end, he stays with his message: setbacks were part of – stopping is not an option.