With fire in her eyes and quads that could withstand a jackhammer, Victoria Burgess became the first woman to cross the Florida Straits on a stand-up paddleboard. She departed Hemingway International Yacht Club of Havana in Cuba on Tuesday, and paddled 115 miles, arriving in Key West, Florida on Wednesday morning.
It took the 34-year-old fire rescue inspector and former firefighter/paramedic from Pompano Beach more than 27 hours to complete the crossing. She was accompanied by a support crew on a 44-foot catamaran who kept her hydrated, well fed and safe in the choppy waters.
According to a Facebook post, she paddled 90% of the time on her left side due to steady winds, and thankfully, she didn’t encounter any sharks.
Burgess took on the risky adventure because she likes a good challenge, but she also did it to show young girls and women what’s possible with a little drive.
“As long as you put your mind and heart into something you can do it no matter what trials get in the way,” she wrote on her website, ChicaLibre. “Being a female athlete my whole life, I have seen first hand the amazing power and grace of female athletes around the world. Although women’s sports are sill not where they should be with equality, we keep pushing the limits to even higher heights. I have a passion to get women involved and active in the community through SUP and have seen many others with the same passion in other sports with the challenge of keeping the women’s sports scene growing.”
That’s why Burgess also decided to donate the proceeds from the crossing to the Women’s Sports Foundation, an organization founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King with a goal of ensuring all girls have access to sports. Burgess set up a GoFundMe page, with a goal of $20,000 and at the time of this writing, she has raised more than $3,200.
As for her next challenge? She’s giving her swollen feet some time to recover before she decides. And, she’s soaking up every bit of this accomplishment.
