Bart de Zwart is a true pioneer and legend in the world of Stand Up Paddling. Originally from the Netherlands and now based in Maui, Hawaii, Bart has built a career defined by endurance, exploration, and deep passion for the sport. Known globally for his ultra-distance achievements, he has completed some of the most grueling SUP expeditions and races around the planet, including record-setting crossings and participation in iconic events like the SUP 11 City Tour, Yukon River Quest, and M2O. Beyond his personal athletic accomplishments, Bart plays a key role in shaping the future of SUP as the Dream Team manager for Starboard. In this position, he not only mentors and supports the brand’s international roster of athletes but also contributes his vast experience to product development and the promotion of sustainable practices in water sports. Bart’s unique combination of adventurer, competitor, and leader makes him one of the sport’s most respected ambassadors.
Bart competing in the 2012 APP Tour World Championships on Oahu. Back then, the APP was the Waterman League and this event was the gold standard of SUP Racing.
📸 © Mike Jucker / Stand Up Magazin
We had the chance to do an interview with him talking about the Starboard and the upcoming SUP Race Season.
Aloha Bart, nice to talk to you. The last time we saw you was at the ICF in Sarasota. You have been a big pioneer in the SUP Sport and were quite an athlete yourself. Now you are managing the Starboard SUP Race Dream Team. It’s a great moment to catch up with you as the SUP Race Season 2025 just started.
Let talk about you first real quick: How does your past experience help you manage a team of young and ambitious racers. What is your main message to a young athlete?
Yes, the whole experience of racing, traveling, and writing helps me a lot because I’ve been a team rider, too, and I’ve seen from the inside what team riders need. On the other hand, I’ve seen all sides of the sport: the traveling, the budget, the equipment, the distribution, and the organization of events.
Young riders need to work their way up in the race field. And the best way to do that is, first of all, is to train hard and train with fellow competitors. I’ve always felt that the more competition you have, the stronger you get. Back in the day, I started training with Connor Baxter. Especially in the beginning years, that worked out very well for both of us. Then start out with local race and work your way up to national and international races.
Secondly, nowadays, you need to be organized. Do the right races, and work your way up from small races to the bigger ones. And you have to sell yourself mostly through (social) media. Have a good representation online, and you have to realize that you have to be of value for a brand; what can you offer to the brand? Sponsoring goes both ways. It’s a give-and-take. You get gear, and you give results in rankings races, do quality media, and later R&D. Many new riders forget this and think that if you have won your first local race, sponsors are lining up to help out.
For some youngsters it is a live long dream to be part of Starboard. Can you tell us what you are looking for in an athlete to be considered?
I manage only the international team for Starboard, which we call the dream team. It is not set in stone, but to be considered a dream team rider, you need to have an international ranking in the top 10 in either sprints long distance or technical races. Or you can also have other exceptional skills or talents, such as writing stories about adventures in international media or or have exceptional skills in waves.
You need to build up a good following on social media by consistently posting high quality stories, photos, and movies.
Is there even an application process?
There’s no specific application process. Normally, I have a pretty good view of who is who and who is new in the standup paddle world.
Cecilia Pampinella: A dream became reality when when she made the team. | 📸 Starboard
When there is a stand-up paddler that sticks out above the national level, either I contact him or her, or they contact me through Starboard. Because the budgets in the stand-up paddle world have been shrinking, there will be more room for ambassadors with good (social) media skills to represent Starboard next to our core Dream international dream team.
When you are in the dream team. What kind of support and benefits do the athletes get?
There are all kinds of levels in the dream team. Some riders receive support with gear, and others also receive a budget to travel and attend events.
Looking at 2025 SUP Race season, we will have a very busy May and the world is anticipating some of the best SUP Racing. We may assume we will see all of your team members being part of Super SUP SUP Spring in Spain and elsewhere?
Yes, most of our riders will be participating in the spring and early summer races in Europe, and of course, all of them will go to the ICF world championships in Abu Dhabi. And we have riders going to the Gorge, 11-city, M2O and APP races.
What are the most important races for a Starboard Racer to be on podium or win?
For us, the most important race of the year is the ICF world championships because that shows who is the best in stand-up paddling. Then the EURO TOUR also has very important events for us with some big race events. Unfortunately, there are not too many wave events in the world anymore. And then there are always a few specialty events like the 11th City Tour the Gorge challenge, Gla Gla RACE, and the Carolina cup.
It is quite remarkable that Starboard consistently has the best athletes on their roster. Say Esperanza Barreras for example, she has been winning and making podiums for years. How much can Starboard learn from her in terms of product development and fine tuning of paddles and boards?
Our star athletes are critical in the research and development of our boards. Our team in Bangkok creates new shapes and many prototypes, and our best athletes test them to see which boards are the fastest. Sometimes, it takes up to 12 prototypes to find a better and faster shape, so it takes a lot of time, money and effort to develop. Riders like Espe, Connor, Michael and Benoit (Waves SUP) have a lot of influence on the direction of the development of our boards.
Speaking of race boards, the ALL Star seems to be an “All-Ways” successful board. What makes this board so successful? Is there any Espe in it?
Yes, back in the day when we created the All-Star, we wanted to create a board that would work in many conditions so we wouldn’t need many boards to take on a plane to events all over the world. Through the years, we kept developing the All Star and adapting it to be even more versatile. I would say that Espe had a big influence on our smaller size All Stars, and Connor and Michael had an influence on the two smallest sizes. But our team riders also test the bigger sizes to make sure they are competitive too.
Many of your team members are multi sport athletes. Say Alba Frey for example, one of the worlds top paddlers and also a very talented Downwind Foiler. Do you see more and more of your team crossing over between sports? What are the incentives?
Yes, we have a lot of water men and women in our team, Alba, Zane, Connor, Benoit, Clement to name a few. It’s only natural that there is an interest in other Watersports when you do Stand Up. We do encourage our team to develop in different directions, but mostly it is the riders themselves who are interested in crossing over to other watersports. Probably the biggest incentive is the curiosity to try out other watersports. Athletes are athletes because they are driven, so naturally, they also become very good in other water sports.
We all know Starboard is a very versatile company and you guys successfully launched the ACE Foil Board. The ACE is a legacy shape from the early SUP Race days now translated into foiling. What do you think about the future of the foil withing the SUP Sport?
Yes, that’s an important question, we’ve seen in many places that downwind paddling has been replaced by downwind, foiling or wing foiling. Foiling is a very interesting concept because it feels like you’re flying, and it feels effortless to use the waves to go downwind. But Stand-Up Paddling is a better all-around workout. There are many ways to foil; downwind, it’s only one of them. I definitely think that there’s a huge future for foiling. We do have to see how much it will influence SUP.
Lets circle one last time to the people on your team, it is great to see that Connor Baxter is still on there amongst some other legacy names. We all know that Connor has started a full time job. Can you tell us how you guys keep Connor involved? Do you think we will see him racing some time again or maybe coaching on behalf of Starboard?
Yes, Connor is one of the all-time grade greatest in the sports and has been there for a long time. To keep him involved is very simple, it is Connor himself who likes to be involved and continue in this sport. Because he just started his full-time job, we have to see how he can combine and manage his time between work, training, racing, and family life. If Connor trainers, he is still one of the biggest threats in any race, and the last time I talked to him, he said he wants to keep doing this for the next few years. In the future, Connor will do only a few events in the year and combine them with some coaching in places like the USA, China, and Europe.
Thank you very much Bart for your time and this great interview.
You are welcome, I have been in the Stand Up world for 17 years of which 16 with Starboard. It is still fascinating to be part of this world and great to see new generations coming through with high-level performances. I looking forward to the next years.