Standup Paddleboard Expedition Complete for Great Lakes Conservation
Three Michigan men have completed an eight-year quest to cross all the Great Lakes on a standup paddleboard. Jeff Guy, Joe Lorenz and Kwin Morris finished the final leg by crossing Lake Ontario, paddling from Toronto to Fort Niagara in a 13-hr., 35-mi. journey. The trio battled 1- to 3-ft. waves, with some rollers at 5 ft., winds gusting to 16 kt., rain and lingering smoke from wildfires.
Previously, the trio successfully paddled Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Superior and Lake Erie.
The paddlers were accompanied by two safety boats from Orange Force Marine Ltd. (www.orangeforcemarine.com), a Canadian commercial marine services company based in Port Stanley, Ontario.
Guy, Lorenz and Morris founded a nonprofit called Stand Up for Great Lakes whose mission is to preserve and protect all Great Lakes by inspiration, education, awareness and action. They have now raised more than $105,000. The Lake Ontario expedition goal was to raise $25,000, an amount that has been surpassed.
The nonprofit is working with the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), a nonprofit housed in the University of Michigan that works on algal bloom research and efforts to safeguard the Great Lakes ecosystem.
For more information or to make a donation, visit StandUpForGreatLakes.com and follow the team on Facebook.com/
Watch the award-winning documentary about their Lake Superior crossing here and Lake Erie crossing here.