The Journey Across the Baltic
Rutkowski started the bold undertaking - called Mission Baltic - from the Swedish coast and made landfall in Władysławowo, a small seaside town in northern Poland. He travelled a straight-line distance of 217 kilometres on a foiled windsurfing board in just over eight hours, accompanied by a live stream on YouTube. He confronted sudden, varied weather conditions, fatigue, and countless tumbles into the ocean, but managed to recover quickly and found himself back on track each time.

Overcoming Challenges at Sea
The record attempt began with a challenge since light winds slowed him to five km/hr. In fact, as Rutkowski explained later, he had to "pump up," to keep the sail going and make progress. Later in the attempt, he had winds strong enough to be going 50 km/hr. Issues with navigation arose when the GPS signal dropped, so Rutkowski proceeded with his compass, "like the old school sailors." In spite of these challenges, Rutkowski kept going and successfully landed the crossing.

A Cause Beyond the Record
In addition to establishing another world record, Rutkowski linked the event to raising 70,000 zł (over €16,400) for Malwinka. Malwinka is the daughter of Polish Formula 1 Powerboat racer Bartosz Marszałek, and the funds will help support medical treatments. Rutkowski insists the achievement was important as both a sporting endeavour and a meaningful way to help someone who needs it.