South African adventurer Chris Bertish has secured a title sponsor for a world-first attempt to cross the Pacific Ocean on a modified production beach catamaran, unsupported and using only wind and solar energy.
The TransCat Expedition 2026 forms part of a global Oceans Without Borders initiative supporting marine conservation, youth education outreach, sustainability programmes, and environmental restoration projects designed to inspire long-term impact beyond the crossing itself. The expedition also seeks to highlight maritime innovation.
In the latest expedition update, Bertish confirmed Abu Dhabi Ports Group as Title Sponsor.
“This partnership is about far more than an expedition,” says Bertish. “It represents what becomes possible when people, organisations and nations come together around a shared belief that adventure can be used as a force for positive change.”
Bertish’s UAE-linked conservation efforts will include support for coral reef protection and marine ecosystem restoration projects, strengthening the relationship between the expedition and environmental initiatives in the Gulf region.
Set to launch from Mission Bay in San Diego late this June, the TransCat Expedition will see Bertish spend up to three weeks completely alone at sea aboard a custom-modified 20-foot Nacra catamaran. Exposed entirely to the elements, he will navigate to Hawaii with no support vessel and no external assistance.
Bertish is an acclaimed adventurer and watersports pioneer who shot to international prominence in 2010 when he won the Mavericks Big Wave surfing invitational in California. His previous endurance milestones include the world’s first solo, unassisted stand-up paddleboard crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, during which he paddled 7,500 km in 93 days.
In a regional industry connection, Bertish’s brother, Greg Bertish—also a prominent South African big-wave waterman—is the founder of the Little Optimist Trust. The charity, which supports hospitalised and compromised children, maintains deep roots within South Africa’s boatbuilding sector through regular maritime industry fundraising and events.