wet neoprene

Who in their right mind wants to spend 90 days
in the saddle of a Personal Water Craft (PWC) riding from the frozen wasteland of Alaska to the sunny climes of Florida? With a Guinness World Record at stake, Marinus du Plessis and Adriaan Marais plan to do just that, starting from Anchorage on the Alaskan coast on 15 June 2006.

The current record holders are a team from Australia who circumnavigated their continent in 2000, a distance of 16 400km in 106 days with a full back up team.

The challenge is to tour the Americas, some 13 500 miles (21 600km) in just 90 days on a pair of jet skis - without a support crew.

The route will take the intrepid pair from Anchorage (Alaska) down the West Coast of continental USA, heading past Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and smaller Central American countries. Nipping through the Panama Canal to the East Coast to avoid the treacherous seas off the southern tip of South America, the trip continues to Miami.

Immediate problems to overcome include the complete lack of a support crew. This means that everything needed will have to be carried by the skiers themselves. The list includes food, water, clothing, spare parts and camping gear.

Other weather-related issues to consider are the extreme cold climate at the start of the journey, and the extreme heat around central and South America. And cyclones.

Fuel is another major issue, the duo requiring 300 litres per day.

Border crossings, even out at sea and customs clearance, the possibility of encountering drug smugglers and daily camping sites all require careful planning.

On top of this, they will have to gather witness statements and photographic evidence of the trip to submit to the Guinness Foundation to verify their record-breaking status.

Preparation for this marathon includes a strenuous gym programme as well as marathon activities, such as swimming, cycling and mountain climbing every second weekend.

wet neoprene

This is insane, I would love to do something like this but I think I would only last a day or two.
These guys have done a 7k trip as well. see below

In 2003, the pair spent 57 days on personal water crafts, travelling from the Kenyan border with Somalia to Cape Town, a distance of 7000km.

They survived on a diet of fish (Adriaan is an accomplished spear fisherman) and water from coconuts. Camping sites were mainly deserted island beaches. Fuel often had to be bought on the black market at inflated prices.

Once, the crew had to divert 140km inland to secure fuel, traversing crocodile-infested streams and the mighty Zambezi River, towing rubber ducks to carry the precious cargo. They often crossed to Islands, some 70km off-shore, in search of fuel.

The land crew could not reach the shoreline due to heavy rains at the time, and with the communication items damaged, the watercraft pilots had to continue unsupported until they reached the Southern parts of Mozambique.



I will probably follow this little excursion of theres, hopefully someone keeps there site updated.
For more info go to: (super slow site)
http://www.13000miles.com

me 262

That sounds like a blast. I'd do it if I wasn't strapped to my job.

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NoRestraint

These are perhaps the two coolest people I have ever heard of.

administrator

But to succeed would make it worth it i bet.
I cant imagine the adventure these people are going to encounter.

Mager4eva1

I take it these guys are doing it on a sit down?