Freya Hoffmeister

Freya Hoffmeister, born 10.05.1964, also known as “Goddess of Love to the Seas“, is a highly skilled open ocean-paddler who has undertaken the three world’s greatest timed sea kayaking continental circumnavigations, plus has numerous islands records to her name. World Paddle Award ”Sportswoman of the Year” National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” “Outdoor” European Adventurer of the Year Expeditions: ​ ICELAND (2007) 1,300 km, the fastest circumnavigation ever in 33 days ( with Greg Stamer, less than 10 persons only), averaging 65 km per paddling day, unsupported paddling. NEW ZEALAND SOUTH (2007) 2700 km, 70 days, solo and unsupported, fastest solo-circumnavigation, first woman, third person in 30 years AUSTRALIA (2009) 13.790 km, 322 days, solo and unsupported, second person to complete, 28 days faster than the first paddler Paul Caffyn 27 years ago. She has included a 7-nights/ 8-days 567 km crossing of the Gulf of Carpentaria with sleeping in her kayak, three +180 km overnight paddles along inaccessible cliffs with no landings, numerous other overnight paddles, was fighting huge waves and massive surf on landings, paddled with the dangerous species of salt water crocodiles, venomous sea snakes and jellyfish, survived a shark attack with bite and uncountable shark bumps in her kayak. She dealt with the ever burning sun, loneliness and remoteness with very little food and water supplies in many areas. “She Can Do It!” was her motto for this trip – and she did it. This trip compares probably to having climbed all 8000+ mountains* in the world in one year. SOUTH AMERICA (2011 – 2015) 27,000 km and 30 months of solo paddling in six legs. She started this historical “First” in Buenos Aires (Argentina), and rounded the infamous Cape Horn with getting in 60 knots winds and having to do an emergency crash landing on a remote island. The West coast performed with 4 m high swell waves, massive surf and very few safe landing possibilities. The crossing of the Panama Canal put her in the hot Caribbean where she had to fight headwinds and counter currents until Brazil, heat rashes, mosquitoes and the endless shallows and swamps of the Amazon area. She survived an unintentional night side surf on the “Pororoca” tidal wave in the Amazon, which lasted about 8 km, 15 min and accelerated her up to 30 km/h, all in darkness. She managed numerous massive surf landings, reefs, and whatever else may be on her way until she will finish this epic journey successfully on May 3-2015. “THINK BIGGER!” is her motto for this trip. Freya is convinced no one ever will any time soon do this trip after her. IRELAND (2016) 1500 km, 43 days. Started as a training run and test paddle for her remaining motivation after the BIG TRIPS, as a test for her injured elbows and finger, and as a test of a new kayak, this exciting trip around Ireland’s stunning cliff coastline was a full success for Freya. She decided she did not have enough yet, and is fully motivated to start another BIG TRIP in 2017. NORTH AMERICA (2017 - ca.2029) This expedition around North America will be Freya’s third continent and her challenge for the next 10-12 years. It is impossible for her to judge how long it will take to complete. The distance is roughly 50,000 km/ 30,000 miles, to be paddled in blocks of 3-5 months on and off the trip. It’s another mind-boggling and insane long-distance trip – tougher and longer than Freya’s first and second continent trips combined. Freya will paddle in two half loops, starting twice in Seattle and finishing twice in New York City. She’ll paddle northwards half of the year’s trip time and southwards the other half. From Canada to Panama – through the North West Passage and the Panama Canal. Freya will paddle fully inside the big Gulf of Mexico and Bahia California and cross Hudson Bay. No one has circumnavigated this whole continent by kayak before. Will her body hold up? It will be an unsupported expedition, paddled solo or with a paddling partner. The challenges, despite her vast kayak expedition experience, are impossible to list here – it’s just another continent! Paddling with Black-, Brown-, Grizzly- and Polar bears plus a lot of ice in the north will be new to Freya…is the rest just “business as usual” after her two other continental circumnavigations? The northern sections are only ice free for a few months per year, so paddling in just one direction would extend her circumnavigation by even more years. And age is proceeding with all of us…but “Never stop starting – Never start stopping!” is her motto for her new trip! Using satellite communication, the trip will be documented with daily posts on her website and Facebook pages. An all-round paddling athlete, Freya, besides thrilling long-distance sea kayak expeditions, enjoys also surf ski racing, open water marathon and Greenland style rolling. Regarding ocean racing, she won the Arctic Sea Kayak marathon in Norway in 2004, came second in the 2006 300 km circumnavigation of the island of Fyn (Denmark) and she completed the then and now still woman’s record around the Isle of Man (UK) in 14.07 hours. Competitively, Freya also won the overall women’s category at the 2006 Greenland National Championships, taking 8 golds in Greenland-kayak rolling and racing – never had an overseas competitor been so successful. Freya’s achievements in endurance open ocean paddling and numerous other sports, below, are nothing short of super-human. ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OFF THE WATER: 10 years of competitive gymnastics 5 years of competitive Body-Building 6th in the Miss Germany beauty contest 10 years of skydiving (1500 jumps, first female tandem pilot with 500 jumps with a passenger), has skydived over North pole and in numerous record-formations 30-year business entrepreneur: seven ice cream cafés, a salad bistro, a large Christmas shop She gave birth to her son Helge in Jan 1996