A 320-Mile, Weeklong Stand-Up Paddleboard Attempt? No Problem (Again) for Will Schmidt

We often suspected, but now we know for sure: Laguna Niguel's Will Schmidt is a stand-up paddleboard stud.

Schmidt, you'll recall, is the guy who in April became one of just a handful of people who have stand-up-paddleboarded from Catalina Island all the way to Dana Point Harbor. (We'd show you the video we shot of Schmidt's arrival into the harbor, but it can't be linked to right now due to, um, technical difficulties. Read this preview piece we wrote instead.)

Now Schmidt's moved on to an even greater -- perhaps foolhardy? -- challenge. On Sept. 13, he'll take his SUP out of dry dock and attempt to be the first person ever to paddle solo from Oxnard, through all the Channel Islands, and end up in Dana Point. 

That's 320 nautical miles, and I'm so exhausted thinking about it that I can barely finish typing this sentence ....

The plan is to leave Oxnard, touch all eight islands -- in order, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, San Clemente and Catalina -- and paddle in to Dana Point Harbor sometime around Sept. 20. Schmidt will be accompanied by a crew of six aboard a support boat, as well as a whole bunch of sunblock.

Like the Catalina-Dana Point paddle, Schmidt will once again attempt to use his new adventure as a way to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps to rehabilitate armed forces members who are struggling with issues of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, conditions that Schmidt, a former Marine, has personally grappled with. He's set up a crowdfunding site through GoFundMe, which you can donate to right here.

Schmidt also wants to use his paddleboarding prowess to inspire others, which is why he's also set up the site AreYouInspiredYet.com. Click it up here, and read his story about how Schmidt credits stand-up paddleboarding saving his life.

Best of luck, Will, and watch out for sharks ...