Now this is cool… A little more than a week ago, Shane Perrin became the first person to ever circumnavigate both St. John and St. Thomas on a paddleboard. Yes you read that right – on a paddleboard.
In just 33 hours and 57 minutes, the Connecticut native who now calls St. Louis home paddled a total of 71 miles through the territory. That’s amazing!
According to Shane, paddleboarding is his “thing.” He owns his own standup paddleboard company in St. Louis and also works for a company called Vertical Oar, a veteran owned business for those who love standup paddleboarding. And he’s got a cool little gig with the company. Shane goes on these cool little adventures and films them. Vertical Oar then broadcasts them so people can follow the expedition almost in real time.
The way Shane’s Virgin Islands adventure came about is pretty neat. One of the guys at Vertical Oar happened to go to school with Cheech from St. John Brewers, so together they came up with the idea. Up until last weekend, no one’s ever circumnavigated both islands. Lucy from Rockhoppin’ Adventures circumnavigated St. John last year, but no one’s ever linked the two. (Click here to read more about that.)
The trip began last Saturday around 7 a.m. when Shane left Cruz Bay just in front of Motu. He paddled toward Red Hook and then cruised downwind along the south shore. The north shore of St. Thomas was a bit tough, he said, as he was going upwind all the way along the North Shore. He then paddled back into Cruz Bay to rethink his original plan regarding the St. John navigation.
After leaving Cruz bay the second time, Shane paddled along the North Shore, over to Ram Head and then down around the South Shore. He returned to Cruz Bay on Sunday, June 15 just before 5 p.m.
So the obvious questions – did he sleep? Did he eat?
According to Shane, he did a little “stealth” camping as he calls it. He found a spot overnight, set up in the dark and grabbed about an hour of sleep. He packed up before the sun rose, so no one would know he was ever there. As far as eating, he stuck to liquid nutrition the entire time.
So what was the hardest part?
“The night time travel,” Shane said. “The worst was a section on St. Thomas that the local surfers and paddlers call The Gut. You have a cross chop coming at you and it hits the rock walls and ricochets back at you. It’s like being in a washing machine.
“And coming around Ram Head was really rough too,” Shane continued. “I fell off. The swell, the cross chopping and the ricocheting off the walls really just tosses you around like a washing machine.”
This past weekend was Shane’s first visit to the island and he’s pretty excited to return with his wife and their two children. He even hinted that another cool expedition might be in the works. I guess we’ll all have to stay tuned…
Congrats…Good stunt… but not wise to do without chase boat and not having local knowledge of the waters. Take it from an ‘OldSalt’ there are sharks outthere bigger than your board,friend. ps. Carry your passport, as there is an imaginary boxer line between the US and BVI. Stiff fine for trespassing in foreign waters.
Congrats to you Shane, Let us know you next trip.
Ffenchje : I have been going to St Thomas for over 11 years and never saw a shark ( except nurse sharks) is there really sharks close to the shore or way way way out???
Thanks
First of all, I would not call what he did a “stunt”. I find that an offensive remark. I find what he did and amazing athletic achievement. and he did know about the local waters. He spent a great deal of time talking to many locals. Both before and during the adventure. And sharks? really? The chance of a shark accident are so incredibly remote< it's not even worth mentioning. He is more likely to have a car accident or get shot. and he did have land support, people who worked tirelessly on both islands to keep him stocked with water and moral support. Here is a man who steps outside the box and dreams of something bigger than himself. and not focuses on all the negative things that could happen, but dreams of what will happen.
Great job Shane. Looks like you were able to tap some good local knowledge for a safe voyage. Good training for the 2015 EC too.
Thanks all for the replies.
Before going into any expedition the team always runs logistics to keep me safe. Cheech of St. John Brewers worked with locals like Colin Butler of st. Thomas and Kendall out of cinnamon bay St. John and gathered local intel. Colin even met me in Hull Bay to help with logistics. Sharks are the least of concerns for paddlers. It’s the winds, current, and swell we concern ourselves with.
With that said I took away a new found respect for the usvi and it’s paddlers. An amazingly beautiful place with amazingly friendly people!
i went paddling on monday from Maho to Trunk and back and thought of you, Shane. Paddling back to Maho against the wind was a workout for only 2 miles, But i just kept thinking about what you did, and i made it back to Maho. Thanks for the inspiration.
That was amazing..a challenge you obviously prepared for mentally ..physically ..and intelligently. Having to remain sharp for unforeseeable situations is key. Great job..!
I can’t even stand on one of those darn things for more then 15 seconds without falling off.
grats & well done!