Jetski safari from London to Auckland
02 Aug 2010
An adventurous Kiwi airline pilot is about to embark on the ride of a lifetime - from London to Auckland on a jetski.
The 32,000km journey is expected to take about four months, and Jeremy Burfoot will be joined by four other riders during his lengthy expedition.
The team was due to leave London on Sunday morning UK time (1.08.2010).
Burfoot says they are hoping to break the current world record for the longest jetski journey - set at 18,400km.
The father-of-three, who lives in Auckland, became the first person to circumnavigate New Zealand on a jetski in 2006. The 5000km journey took him 23 days to complete.
Epic journey
Burfoot told news agency AAP that the idea for a global journey on jetskis originally came from his flight first officer.
"I said: ‘You’re an idiot. What kind of fool would do that? He grabbed his atlas out and we were looking at it, and it looked pretty interesting," says Burfoot.
The Kiwi Qantas pilot’s sense of adventure eventually took over.
"There’s also the aspect of this challenge that is an epic adventure, and that appeals to me and my team. We'll be out to enjoy it as well as minimise risks, which will include giant canal and river barges, along with storms, huge waves, sharks and whales, but hopefully not pirates!"
The Ultimate Ride
Burfoot and his team will wind their way through some of the world’s most treacherous waterways.
Their route will begin from the River Thames outside London’s Houses of Parliament, and travel through Turkey, Egypt via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Singapore.
The Singapore stop is one of the most important because it breaks the previous jetski record of 18,400km.
From Singapore, the team will go around Indonesia, before moving to Australia and finally finishing in Auckland, New Zealand.
One of the main challenges along the way will be refueling the standard-size jetskis, which have been packed with technical equipment, safety gear, high-energy food and camping accessories.
Burfoot says the team is expecting to complete their journey in late November.
Cancer awareness
One of the main goals of The Ultimate Ride campaign is to raise awareness for cancer prevention. Burfoot is a cancer survivor - having recovered from melanoma.
"The world will be watching the progress of my team so it’s a tremendous opportunity to get the message out about the early prevention of cancer, and the need for regular health checks, to a whole new audience around the world. My own melanoma was totally preventable and many cancers respond well to early detection," says Burfoot.
Burfoot’s first jetski trip - in which he circumnavigated New Zealand’s North and South islands - was to raise funds for cancer research.
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