Seven-Day Standup Paddle Ocean Endurance Ride Saturday

Laguna Niguel's Will Schmidt plans to touch all eight Channel Islands in a 320-nautical mile, roughly seven-day standup paddle trek starting Saturday.

Weather reports anticipate breezy west-northwest winds around 20 knots, Schmidt said, which could mean whitecaps and six-foot waves.

Once Schmidt leaves the Oxnard coast sometime between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. Saturday, he will begin broadcasting his location online at this website.


Then he plans to touch all eight Channel Islands, in this order: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, San Clemente and Catalina. He will arrive home at Baby Beach in Dana Point, and told supporters Thursday that he can't predict when he'll return. Previously he estimated a week-long trip.

Next week military training will partly close off San Clemente Island—his second-to-last island stop—he said. He added that he has emergency backup plans, just in case.

Schmidt will be shadowed by the Campbell Sloop, captained by Susan Campbell. The two are using the trek to crowdfund two charities. Campbell chose to support Casa Hogar, which benefits orphaned children in Mexico. Schmidt, a former Marine, is choosing to support the Wounded Warrior project, which helps rehabilitate veterans struggling with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Over $2,500 of a $30,000 goal have been raised as of Thursday night on GoFundMe.com.

You can learn more about Schmidt's life and his own battle against PTSD at AreYouInspiredYet.com.