Smooth water and fog surrounded Spencer Wadsworth (26) and Stuart Jeremias as they surveyed the English Channel before them. It was the morning of Monday, April 21st when the two started their prone paddle across ready to break a record.
“Once we actually got out there it was perfect conditions for us,” Wadsworth said. “We got really lucky.”
Prone paddleboarding, which is paddling on a board while either lying down fully on your stomach or kneeling on the board. The sport has been around for decades but has recently enjoyed a renaissance among younger crowds who are using it as an alternative to stand-up paddleboarding. The two official positions on the board make it a more flexible option for paddlers looking to go longer distances.
Wadsworth, who has been near and in the water since childhood, picked up prone paddleboarding after surfing for years because the movements felt more like an extension of surfing. As someone who enjoys taking on new challenges, prone paddleboarding also came with opportunities to participate in longer-form competitions.
When he initially started planning to cross the English Channel, completing the crossing with a prone paddleboard was an obvious choice.
After a year of planning, Wadsworth and Jeremias were still at the mercy of the weather. A crew was required to attend the length of the journey to act as a safety measure and life support. And while weather conditions were certainly important to the success of the journey for both prone paddle boarders, it was also instrumental to the crew’s success.
“We were out there for five days waiting for the right conditions to head out,” Wadsworth said. “When we set out it was still a little foggy and sketchy, but thankfully, we hit our marks on everything.”
Wadsworth and Jeremias launched from Dover Beach and prone paddle boarded the 18 nautical miles to Calais, France in the record time of 03:27:04 — breaking the previous record of 03:54:00.
“We really wanted to go over and do something no one else had done, It’s a huge accomplishment, definitely one of my bigger accomplishments.”
The time and energy put into the actual crossing was only one aspect of the journey. Planning and preparation for the journey was constant from training with long paddles from Catalina to Newport all the way up to finding the right boat captains to act as support for both their personal crews and the film crew who traveled with them.
“We really wanted to go over and do something no one else had done, It’s a huge accomplishment, definitely one of my bigger accomplishments.”
Wadsworth explained that it was important to them both to document their journey. The film will include details on everything from the training and planning preparation as well as footage from the actual crossing. They plan to show it late this year at the local Lido Theater in Newport Beach, California. Wadsworth is a native to the area and is looking forward to sharing more of their journey on screen as well as his own internal motivation to seek out physical challenges.
“It’s pretty fun to see how far you can push yourself,” Wadsworth said, who is already in the midst of planning his next prone paddle boarding excursion with the same film crew.
His next race will likely be in San Clemente. After that he will take on the Molokai 2 Oahu race in Hawaii in July 2025. Competitors race 32 hard miles from the island of Molokai to Oahu through the Ka’iwi Channel.
“Being at PLNU right on the beach with the ocean there I can really do my thing and it’s so helpful being around friends who all have surfing backgrounds,” Wadsworth said. “A lot of them are from the North Shore of Oahu and I’ve gotten some great advice on the upcoming race from them.”
The connections Wadsworth has made and is making at PLNU have come in handy not only for his race preparation but also for the unique undergraduate program he is pursuing. Wadsworth is currently pursuing his bachelor of arts degree in Strategic Communication online while he continues to train.
“I was nervous about a fully online program, especially after going through COVID-19 as a student, But it has ended up being great. I have a great connection with my teachers who have everything dialed. I was able to build a website and learn all the things I would have learned in the classroom.”
“I was nervous about a fully online program, especially after going through COVID-19 as a student, But it has ended up being great. I have a great connection with my teachers who have everything dialed. I was able to build a website and learn all the things I would have learned in the classroom.”
For Wadsworth’s current goals around prone paddle boarding, continuing his education online was a great way to finish the degree without putting his other goals on hold.
“I’m still living in the San Diego area as well,” Wadsworth said. “So I still get that community aspect from friends who are still going to Point Loma.”
And while his goals around prone paddle boarding are very clear, Wadsworth is still working through the career he wants to pursue.
“I’m still up in the air with what I want to commit to with my whole life,” Wadsworth said. “I like marketing and branding but I could also see myself going into real estate or even architecture. I’m still figuring it out and testing out the things I’m interested in.”
