Captain, athlete, business owner, public speaker, President of a non-profit, and outdoorsman, Karl has spent his life on the water.His father began his education as a paddler when he was 3 years old. He taught himself to windsurf at age 12, and began teaching sailing when he was 17. Karl now holds a United States Coast Guard 100 Ton Master’s License with Sail and Tow endorsements. For over 20 years, he has cruised extensively in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, the Canadian Coast, and Alaska.​In the 2017 Race to Alaska (R2AK), Karl became the first, and only, person to paddle the full 750 mile race course on a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP), completing the race in 14 days and 6 hours.In August of 2023, Karl completed his second leg of Paddling the Northwest Passage, a total of 877 miles thus far through the Arctic Ocean. What began as a single-season bid to SUP the Northwest Passage has evolved into a multi-year expedition to go deeper into what the Arctic offers. Karl holds a B.S. in Environmental Science/ Toxicology and an A.A.S. in Ecology and Environmental Technology. He also holds current certifications for CPR and Outdoor Emergency Care.