Paddle X with a purpose

This month, if conditions even allow it, Britt Spencer will attempt to become the first woman and second-ever person to paddle the Cook Strait on a prone paddle board.

If her challenge of paddling 33 kilometres from Tāhunanui to Kaiteriteri wasn’t enough last year, she’s decided to up the challenge.

It's no small feat, given the infamously ferocious winds, the potential for rough seas, swirling currents, and the threat of paddling through great white shark territory.

Ominously titled Paddle X, Britt’s attempt doubles as fundraising to support the building of a permanent facility for the Nelson Surf Life Saving Club.

“I’m pretty excited. There’s not much anxiety around it because I know what I’m doing it for,” she says.

“We’ve needed a clubhouse for the longest time, and I can’t even say how much it holds us back.”

The paddle will be a team effort, with a primary support boat with first aid on board as well as several other vessels in the water.

Britt will also have her friend and filmmaker, Aimee Jules, alongside her as the pair film a short film about the paddle.

With a window between April 14-20, she’s also got experts on board who have helped her understand how the water moves in the Strait, which she says can swirl and change on a whim.

Even training hasn’t been without its risks, with Britt saying even if it’s bad weather and choppy seas, she’s out on the water for long paddles to help simulate the possible conditions.

While she has multiple people who can track her GPS from land and a rescue beacon, she’s still traveling kilometres out to sea by herself.

It’s a thrill, she says, having not even known if the challenge was possible before it was completed for the first time last year.

“I had it locked in on my radar as one I wanted to challenge myself with even before my paddle last year, but it seemed kind of unobtainable to everyone.

“One of the main differences [to swimming it] is the wind. With me, because I’m sitting on top of the water, I’m at the mercy of the wind and the waves.”

It’s also going to be cold. With commitments to the surf life-saving season and search and rescue training, it’s the only time Britt had in the window when the tides even allow an attempt.

“The paddles 22km, which is significantly less than the one I did [before], but this is significantly more dangerous.

“It’s been the worst season in the Cook Strait for at least a decade.

“There’s a high chance mother nature doesn’t play ball, but I will do it this year. Mark my words.”

To follow along with Britt’s paddle or where to donate, she will be posting regular updates which will ramp up in the build-up, on Instagram, @brittjayspencer.