To be the first person to sail a production beach cat, with no fixed cabin & solo unsupported, across Southern California to Oahu in Hawaii.
Watch this 3 minute video to learn more!
In 2025, we built a 20-foot full-carbon semi-foiling beach cat. A production catamaran designed for one goal, that has never been achieved before.
To sail a production beach cat, no fixed cabin, no fixed shelter, completely solo and unsupported across the Pacific. California to Hawaii, 2,600 nautical miles.
2025 and all its learnings taught us everything, so we evolved, we innovated, we created solutions where none existed.
We trained and tested, day and night, multi-day missions, overnight runs, and discover just how brutal 24-7 exposure to sun, cold, and relentless wet conditions could be.
And in June of last year Chris sailed out 200NM and came back 3 days, with great insight and learnings from what could get improved, changed and upgraded for 2026, when the weather window opens for him to go again..but this year, we have experience, lessons, feedback for the neccessary upgrades and changes needed, many already implemented as we have evolved and adapted many of the systems, the gear, the safety factors and backups needed, so now in 2026, we enter the final phase of testing, training, preparing for the launch of the TransCat Expedition this June and July 2026.
Once we start, we always finish. Welcome to the TransCat Expedition 2026.
A journey powered by nature, for nature.
This journey is more than a crossing. Our mission is to build a circular economy school in northern Kenya. Plant multiple forests worldwide. Support coral restoration in Hanauma Bay, Hawaii. Focused on education, conservation, sustainability.
In June & July 2026 Chris Bertish will be completing another World first, by Sailing an open 20ft BeachCat, Solo, non stop, Fully Exposed to the Elements for Weeks, with No fixed Cabin, from California to Hawaii, 2600 NM.
An Expedition completely Powered by Nature, for Nature and Pushing the Limits of Human Endurance & what’s Possible!
Let me introduce you to The TransCat Expedition 2025!
Chris Bertish is an ocean pioneer, best-selling author, filmmaker, keynote speaker, big wave surfer, Guinness World Record-breaking adventurer, environmental advocate, and philanthropist. He’s a Mavericks Big Wave Surfing Champion and the first and only person to stand-up paddle across the Atlantic—unsupported and solo—covering 7,560 km in 93 days. He also became the first person to wing foil across the Pacific, traveling solo and unsupported from California to Hawaii, covering 4,048 km in 49 days. All Chris’s adventures are used to raise money for ocean conservation, education, people, and the planet. Chris has written multiple best-selling books, including Stoked! and All In! Co-directed two award-winning films about his journey, Ocean Driven – The Chris Bertish Story and Last Known Coordinates.
When exploring the next world-first expedition, what does this adventure athlete decide to do next? Raise the bar even further, and even change sports, to become the first person to sail an open beach cat, with no fixed cabin, solo and completely unsupported across the wild Pacific Ocean! All Chris’s expeditions support education, conservation, and sustainability, while completing another world-first adventure, pushing the limits of what most of us believe is possible!
KEY EXPEDITION FOCUS:
World First Expedition, to sail an open beach cat solo and unsupported from California to Hawaii.
Education, Ocean Conservation & Sustainability at its core.
This entire Expedition is exclusively driven by Wind and Solar, representing complete sustainability. Powered by nature, for nature!
THE MISSION:
Sailing an open Beach Cat, 2,850 nautical miles, solo and unsupported across the Pacific from Dana Point and finishing in Oahu, Hawaii, at the end of June through early July 2026. A solo journey on an open beach cat, never done before!
TRACKING & SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT:
Chris will be tracked live, via a GPS Tracker & Starlink Sat Communications, allowing him to be tracked and do live ocean video updates daily.
This allows the Expedition to be highly engaging and interactive for the public and audience to follow, and feel part of, from start to finish.
THE REACH, ENGAGEMENT & KPI’s:
Chris’s Expeditions offer significant reach, with exposure to hundreds of thousands of views and enormous media (dollar) value reach, across Social, Print, digital, and all native News Media outlets, with successive months’ exposure.
WHY:
All of Chris’s Expeditions are inspiring and uplifting and are rooted in giving back to Education, Conservation, and Sustainability. This expedition leverages the positive media exposure from the Expedition & sponsorship to give back by:
- Paying for Ocean Education initiatives through the 2 Oceans Education Foundation in South Africa – Dec 2025 – Completed
- Paying for Mobile Ocean Aquarium & Educational Sessions for the Nine Miles Project, Waves for Change & the Sentinel Alliance, in Dec 2025 – Completed
- Building a circular economy classroom for a school in Kenya. July -November 2026
- Planting more than 1000 trees in North America (July 2025 )through the Sea Trees initiative and 3000 Trees in Africa, through the Word Forest initiative: Oct -November 2026
- Paying towards the Coral Restoration Project in Hanauma Bay in Hawaii, also through the Sea Trees initiative – Aug 2026
Please note that most of the fundraising often happens during the journey and after Chris has concluded the expedition with 2 x fund raising events, one in USA and one in the UK, these will happen between August and October 2026.
BUILD PHASE:
- Craft building & shipping: July 2024 – Feb 2025 (Europe).Completed
- Upgrading: April 2025 – March 2025 (San Francisco ).Completed
- Testing & Upgrading: April – July 2025 (San Diego). Completed
- Testing & Training for departure April – July 2026
WHEN:
Expedition window: June / July 2026 (23-28 days estimated duration).
THE PLAN/ ROUTE:
Sailing 2,600 miles from Mission Bay to Oahu. Expected duration: 23-28 days & nights alone.
The route skirts the southern part of the North Pacific high-pressure system, utilising the predominant wind and current to his advantage, to be able to traverse the Pacific, from California to Hawaii in the shortest time possible.
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Product & Support
Meet the TransCat Expedition 2026 Oceans Without Borders Team:
It takes a dedicated team to turn a vision into reality, and the TransCat Expedition 2026 is a testament to the incredible individuals who make it all possible. Their hard work, passion, and commitment fuel this journey, and we are immensely grateful for each and every one of them. Thank you for being the wonderful humans you are, and for bringing this expedition to life!
- Chris Bertish – Expedition Lead
- Heather Reed– EA & Partnerships Coordinator
- Jason Rade – Sponsorship Liaison, UK
- Evelyn O’Doherty – Media Liaison
- Ashley Eckenweiler from ACE PR Agency USA
- Kelly Burke from Flux Com PR Agency SA
- Andrew Watts from Urchin Web Design
- Leven Brown from Northwest Passage – Routing & Navigation Project Lead
- Mark Sponsler from Stormsurf – Weather Forecaster
- Maryke Musson from SAAMBRE – Conservation & Education Consultant
- Dale Staples from Staples Productions – Video Editor
- Hardy Peters from East Cast Sail Boats – Nacra Distributor
- Cree Partridge from Berkeley Marine Centre
