The Fehmarn Belt Crossing marks the first documented attempt to paddle 22 kilometers of open Baltic Sea, cutting across busy shipping routes between Fehmarn (Germany) and Lolland (Denmark) on a stand-up paddleboard. It’s a story of scale and contrast: a lone athlete navigating the same waters as colossal cargo ships, the David vs. Goliath associations come to mind, in full motion. And let’s be clear, the Baltic Sea is no playground.
But this is more than just an endurance test, it’s a statement: elite athletes choosing not to stay in their lane, but instead “breaking into new territory and trying to show everyone what can be done on a board with a paddle.”
Bastian Grimm, German Long Distance SUP Champion and Team Rider for SUNOVA and Black Project SUP was searching for “clean downwind runs across open sea. Similar to Maui to Oahu or Lanzarote to Fuerteventura, some ideal conditions without shoreline interference”, instead, he chose one of the most unpredictable and demanding stretches in Europe – the Baltic Sea. His attempt is now the focus of a new documentary, currently in private screenings but we’ve got the behind-the-scenes story and an exclusive preview…
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
A good friend of mine back in the day sometimes did the downwinder Lanzarote to Fuerte. With the training group they took the ferry and then paddled all the way back. When he told me about it, I thought something similar has to be able to be replicated relatively close by, and the obvious option was the Fehmarn Belt between Denmark and Germany.
At first I wanted to do it exactly like that, and just take the ferry over to Denmark and then paddle back home, but over the planning phase it became clear that that wasn’t really a good option, and I opted for the safer Version with an accompanying boat that brought me to Denmark, and then I paddled over.
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
For the route, there were basically only two options: either cross north to south or the other way around. Both needed their own kind of particular conditions to work, and both weren’t too common, unfortunately. Around here we have predominantly westerly winds, but for the crossing I needed either Southwest, or Northeasterly winds, both aren’t very common unfortunately. We then had a timeslot arranged with the skipper of the boat, which was around one week long, and in that time, we picked the day that looked like it had the most favourable conditions for the crossing.
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
Most of the planning and coordination I did by myself. During the crossing, Dieter, the skipper, did all the safety logistics, communicated with other boats and the authorities, and Friedel (Bulgenslag) took all the beautiful footage from the day and also the edit off the documentary. Without those two, the whole project wouldn’t have been possible!
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
Crossing the shipping route! The Fehmarn Belt is one of the busiest shipping routes in Europe, and the ships that pass there are just gigantic. I train mostly on the river Elbe, and there is some shipping traffic with Barges, so I am used to having ships all around, but here everything was just on another level.
These ships are so much bigger and also faster. You see them on the horizon and think you can still pass them, and in the next moment, they are in front of you.
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
I took my 14×22 SUNOVA Allwater with a Black Project Sonic fin and the Black Project Sprint X (size M) paddle. Which I think was the perfect setup for a project like this. The board can handle all conditions you throw at it, the chop the boat wakes and the wind, the fin gets the most out of every bump while still being easy manoeuvrable, and the Sprint paddle is just great to have the punch to get onto every bump!
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
I think as an athlete, there are two ways to push the sport, either through performance in races, or through breaking into new territory and trying to show everyone what can be done on a board with a paddle. And I also wanted to push into the latter and show everyone what an incredible sport SUP is and what is possible on it.
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
Both are completely different in preparation! In racing, you never really have to worry about safety or weather windows and so on. You have to handle all the logistics and safety measurements. In a race you can completely focus on the performance side of things. Of course, there are races where route planning can be advantageous, while for crossings, that is the main challenge.
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
I think the mental state you have to be in is quite similar, and the hour before the crossing, I basically prepared like it was going to be a race. However, in a crossing, the pressure to perform isn’t there like it would be in a race. Of course, you want to put up a decent time, but the first goal is to get safely across.
I have some ideas, but they require a little more planning, so I can’t share too much about them yet.
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
I am trying to get it into cinemas or festivals and other screening options, which is unfortunately quite difficult. There might still be some screenings this Summer, and all info about that will be available on my and the @fehmarnbeltcrossing Instagram page.
But if you can’t wait to see it, I made to version available to buy on Patreon, the German version and then one with English subtitles, so it is available for everyone!
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
Photo by BULGENSLAG | Frithjof Blaasch
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