Duxbury 10-year-old Briggs Kossman sails solo from Falmouth to Martha's Vineyard
DUXBURY - A young boy from Duxbury just sailed the Atlantic Ocean by himself.
Ten-year-old sailing sensation Briggs Kossman is back home after a miles long voyage across a portion of the Atlantic Ocean.
"I wasn't that scared," said Briggs.
The Duxbury resident took on the challenge of a lifetime sailing an opti, a small boat not even wide enough for Briggs to lay down in, from Falmouth on Cape Cod all the way to Martha's Vineyard and back. His goal – to do it before he turned 11.
"I did it for fun and it was really fun when I did it," said Briggs.
The 7-mile journey in both directions challenged the 10-year-old, kind of.
"There were waves like 3 and 4 feet high and I was going through that," said Briggs.
But that didn't stop him reaching Martha's Vineyard's Black Dog dock in record time. where he was greeted by the iconic brand's founder.
"It was really cool to meet him, he's 94 years old and he's been running Black Dog for countless decades," said Briggs.
Briggs then sailed back to the Falmouth Yacht Club to celebrate with his parents and big brother Eli.
"We are very proud of him, it was a big accomplishment," said Mom, Sarah Kossman.
Safety was top of mind for the family escorting Briggs the entire way.
"We're out there clearly monitoring. Briggs has all his safety gear on, he sails with his helmet, he has his life jacket, he has his whistle," said Kossman.
And despite a brush with much bigger ships, the 10-year-old made it home unscathed.
"Steamships came and crossed where he was going, Briggs went right through the middle, he rode the wakes right through," said Kossman.
"He handled it like a master.," said Dad, Kurt Kossman.
"Never back down, keep going at your dream, keep pushing. If someone says no, try to find a way around that. Keep pushing, keep going," said Briggs, who plans to sail again from Duxbury to Provincetown, a total of 50 miles.