Sailing Bass Strait by kite-board

1:18 AM Wed 2 Sep 2009 GMT

'Ben Morrison-Jack and James Weight showing how they plan to cross Bass Strait in 10 hours' .

Sailing across Bass Strait has been done by many thousands of sailors, but long-time racing sailor Ben Morrison-Jack, who has already crossed the Strait four times in the Sydney Hobart Race, will attempt the crossing by a very different kind of sail-powered craft, a kite board, and he will be accompanied by his mate James Weight.

They plan to become the first people to sail across the temperamental 120 nautical mile stretch on kite boards.

They will be attempting to add their name to the long list of people who have rowed, run, swum or windsurfed across the Strait.

The unpredictable stretch of water claimed the life of sailor Tony Dicker and one of the men who tried to rescue him in 1986.

And author Richard Flanagan had to be rescued in 1982 when he and Jim Bucirde failed to reach their first port of call, Clarke Island, in their kayak.

Over the past five years more than 30 people have attempted to cross Bass Strait in a variety of craft.

One intrepid soul even made it across under her own steam in 1996. Tammy van Wisse became the first person to swim the strait when she arrived in Victoria just 17 hours and 46 minutes after leaving Tasmania.

In April, 10 men and four women became the first to sail across in outrigger canoes for the cause of cancer research.

In March, Adrian Beswick and Josh Phillips crossed in a small skiff to raise money to save the Tasmanian devil.

Earlier in the year, Allison Shreeve was forced to abandon her bid to became the first woman to windsurf across when she developed leg cramps.

Morrison-Jack and Weight hope to make the crossing from Stanley to Inverloch in 10 hours.

A meteorologist will advise them some time this month when conditions are right to set off, which makes the crossing a very different proposition from the Sydney Hobart race, which starts when the gun goes, no matter what the weather.

Morrison-Jack knows the challenges of the sea. He has crewed on three America's Cup challenges and completed four Sydney-Hobart races, most recently aboard Wild Thing.

He was also aboard the Leopard 3 super maxi last year when it smashed the trans-Atlantic speed record sailing from New York to Cornwall in England in just seven days, 19 hours.

Weight has come along purely for the adventure and mateship.

'I've been friends with Ben for over 15 years and have complete confidence in his sailing knowledge,' he said.

by Helen Kempton, The Mercury/Sail-World Cruising

Newsfeed supplied by

#News #Cruising #Sailing

Sailing Bass Strait by kite-board

Sports/News

Weather Forecasts & Live Reports

Buy & Sell/Classifieds