Kiwi adventurer Jeremy Burfoot has started a 32,000km (19,883 mile) journey that will see him go from London to New Zealand, entirely on a jetski. The 51-year old airline pilot got underway yesterday outside the Parliament Building on the River Thames, and will now spend as much as 12-hours a day on the back of his machine, until the voyage is complete.
Making the journey to raise awareness of the fight against cancer, Burfoot will now travel through the waterways of Europe, passing through the Suez Canal, and around the Arabian Peninsula, then down the coast of India before heading out across the open ocean to Australia. Once he hits Oz, he'll once again hug the coast, before zipping over to his homeland, and eventually ending in Auckland. He says that he expects to face severe weather, sharks, and pirates, in addition to mechanical problems, on his journey, which he hopes to complete by November.
Burfoot is no stranger to long distance journeys by jetski. Back in 2005 he also circumnavigated New Zealand on one of the small watercraft. But this is a completely different level of adventure, and he'll be tested to the limits over the next few months as he makes what could be a record setting journey by jetski.
This past weekend, while in the Florida Keys, I had the pleasure of riding a Waverunner on two very separate and distinct rides. Both of those were a great deal of fun, and the jetskis that I rode were fast, powerful, and easy to maneuver. But the were also tiring to ride and got a little wild in the rougher waters, at times causing you to skip across waves like a flat stone on a pond. I can say that it was way too much fun to explore the Keys on one of these machines, but after two days of riding, my body was feeling it. I can't imagine what this guy will feel like after weeks of 12 hours of day riding.
That said, this still sounds like a cool way to go! :)
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