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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.
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.
