DONE - 2700 MILES ACROSS AN OCEAN BY KITE!!!

[ricki]

A machine translation of the account of the 2700 mile crossing follows:

"OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF May 17, 06

Manu Bertin arrived: “An extraordinary adventure”

Party last on April 26 of the Archipelago of the Canaries for a crossing of the Atlantic in kite surfing, after three weeks of sea, Manu Bertin arrived this morning at Pointe at Clown to Guadeloupe. An extraordinary adventure which it wishes to share collectively.


The voice is weak, hardly audible, Manu Bertin and its team are moored in the marina of Point with Clown in Guadeloupe with more than 2.700 miles of its starting point located on the island of Gomera at the Canaries. “I am super content, I lived a formidable adventure. With the five members of crew of the catamaran of assistance “Bays of the World” on the human level also they was fabulous. All this crossing is hyper positive, I learned on the material, the strategy, and humanly with the crew. Between the sail and the surfing, these are two combined crops, but which do not know each other completely. One learned from/to each other. I am rinsed and them too. They gave much because it should be thought that they permanently supervise me, that I should be nourished, to pass to me to the sea the various machines, to launch me the wings. They were extraordinary. ”

Return on the attempt
At 42 years, Douarneniste has been a high level athlete for more than 20 years. Father founder of the kite surfing 11 years ago, it forever ceased making evolve/move his discipline by taking the oceanic ways: first to wrinkle in kite “Jaws” the vague giants of Hawaii, to sail in the icebergs in Greenland, to cross the English Channel in 2004, to carry out a crossing continent-Corsican in 2005. Add three titles of vice champion of the World speed in windsurf, the acquired maritime experiment is sufficiently eloquent to be able to consider an adventure in kite surfing on the Atlantic.

To assemble such a project can seem easy nowadays. Per hour of the crossings to the oar or in board with veil on livable boats, certain adventures appear of a banal simplicity. Far is necessary oneself some… Under consideration in 2002, the crossing of the Atlantic east since this date the great project of Manu Bertin. The experience accumulated at the time of its last oceanic crossings was going to sit the bases to consider a first attempt. In addition to colossal physical resistance, it is necessary to apprehend the manner and the means to carry it out: how, with which, with or without assistance, on which supports and especially how? To cross while letting itself carry and undergo the elements or cross in a sporting way, in the spirit of the surfing. On this point, there no was discussion. To let itself carry in a boat with all comfort necessary is not in the culture of Manu Bertin. It was necessary to go quickly, to be light thus to innovate.

The innovation in the middle of the adventure.
Insatiable discoverer, Manu Bertin spent four years to develop the kite surfing in Hawaii. Advised observer of all that touches with the kite and surfing, it accumulates since years given, information and inventions related to the discipline.

For this attempt, Manu Bertin had a leitmotiv: to remain in the spirit slips: lightness and speed. That required to be tractor drawn permanently. The kite surfing which cannot be practised 24 h/24, it was necessary to find other means of being driven that a board of surfing.

, Sitting, slept upright, while being tractor drawn by a wing of kite seemed the good compromise for Bertin. Three machines were going to answer its wishes: the kite surfing, the Kit Cat and the dinghy. If each one of them existed in the facts, only the kite surfing answered the criteria necessary to cross an ocean. It was thus necessary to consult with the four corners of the world and to make come the material, for then testing it and adapting it in-depth. The Kit Cat is a perfect example of the innovating spirit of this adventure. Developed 20 years ago by the New Zealander Peter Lynn, the machine proved to be perfect under conditions of sea punt. But not in the swell. It was necessary for Manu and its friend Paolo Rista to adapt boards of surfing to the place of the two hulls, to pass in the swell. A sufficiently light machine to be tractor drawn with very weak winds. There still to innovate and find a wing which allows it were necessary. It is a model of the engineer of NASA Francis Rogallo which was going to bring in situ great moments of joy to Manu Bertin. “With 10 nodes of wind, with the Rogallo wings, I was to 7-8 nodes of speed. It should be known that a traditional wing of kite does not fly to 10 nodes, it remains in water. That also it is one of the innovations of which I am very content bus to cross it is necessary to be able to move under all the conditions weather, thing that the kite always does not allow in the current state. The Kit Cat is the machine with a future, it is easy, handy, amusing. But the list of the innovations, the materials and the methods tested is long. One tested combinations of wings, materials, the throws of wings since the cata, without speaking about food, the rest, the systems against the sharks, safety, the transmissions, Wavefinder, one can fill out three pages. For my part, I wrote 90 pages in my notebook during the course. ”

A fabulous experiment.
“I always said that we had to accumulate experience to arrive at our ends. It is from now on made thing. One left in the unknown, not knowing if all that were going to function. It is a complex machine to set up with factors material, human, natural and weather. In short, much of elements which one does not control inevitably. The weather played us of the turns and obliged me to go up several times on board cata of assistance because we did not have the means of waiting three months at sea that the wind returns here or there. Apart from finances, we knew and said that this Atlantic would be a preparatory stage with a future objective of performance within the framework of one second attempt. What we learned here does not have of price. I left with full with question marks, full with concepts. They are from now on realities. There is not large thing which can stop me smiling today. I had fear on several occasions, with very hot moments but I learned much on me, the others, the kite and the sail. To such a degree that I am from now on ready to consider a sailing ship with kite which functions.”

The head embrumée per so many strong moments, Manu Bertin has evil to choose one of them. “They are too numerous, It is just necessary to only think on your board or your boat in the vastness of the Atlantic. Not a noise, only wind, feet in water and an immense virgin space. They are moments of absolute serenity. But if there were to remain only one about it, it would be a pure moment of grace which people who make of slips will include/understand easily. A regular breeze, upright on my length board in perfect balance, the joined feet. All was right, impeccable, of slips sublimates, only in the middle of the Atlantic with the flying fish which accompany you. It was well the first time that they saw passing a board of surfing to this place…”

Between insane wheels, one includes oneself/understands. Bertin hat.

Notes:

The kitesurf account from now on nearly 20.000 practise in France, more than 200.000 in the world.

Manu Bertin is the author of all the great first in kite:

- navigation in the vague giants of Jaws to Hawaii (1998 - 2000),

- navigation enters the icebergs to Greenland (2000),

- crossing of the English Channel (great width) between France and England (2003 - 2004) - 95 miles in 5h20,

- méditerranéenne crossing enters the Cape Camarat (VAr) and Calvi (Corsica) in 2005 - 100 miles in 6h30.




The photographs of the crossing will be available in a few days"

From: http://www.rivacom.fr/?page=event&ev...a9eb3f02b09e45







Images from:
http://www.rivacom.fr/

[kiwiar2000]

I praise you

Screw Delta....Ima go to Spain in a totally different way......
-Danny