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Many times, humanity discovers absolute novelties thanks to those who were considered crazy in their time, but at least crazy. For example, if we asked our colleague, friend, family member who is sitting next to us today if he would cross the Atlantic with a SUP, our interlocutor would undoubtedly suggest a thorough medical examination and bed rest. We wish Gábor Rakonczay the best of luck. For he will try, for the second time in a year, that if we cross the ocean, this will be his seventh transatlantic voyage. Last year, water entered the capital weight compartment of his SUP, forcing him to back off, but he redesigned and repaired the structure.
I am going to Gran Canaria on December 17th where I am preparing for SUP in 10-12 days and sometime between the two holidays, but if the weather has to delay the departure I will head to the Atlantic in the first week of January.
The extreme athlete started the Index. The planned start will be the small town of Pasito Blanco near Maspalomas. 99 percent of those who cross the ocean leave from Gran Canaria. Our interviewee has already traveled several times from Europe to the Canary Islands, but with SUP, the traffic would be risky at this stage due to the wildest weather conditions and heavy boat traffic.
Better to avoid hurricane season
Time is important, the Atlantic crossings, yes, there are extreme athletes who try it every year, they can be tried between December and March. The hurricane season in the Caribbean does not threaten entrepreneurs. Storms can also be in this weather window: Rakonczay was also caught at a crossing in 2012, when it crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in 60 days (from the Canary Islands to Antigua). With a traditional rowboat, the solo rowing record is 46 days a day. (Fedor Konyukhov, La Gomera – Barbados, 2002)
Gábor Rakonczay will travel 1000-1500 kilometers southwest of the Canary Islands with the northeast equatorial current, which promises a fast and safe advance, and from there he will take the “corridor” that leads to Antigua. For the former English colony of 20 kilometers in diameter, it also wants to reach English Harbor in its southern half in about 60 days, but it is not the goal to break the previous record with SUP. If you are driving around the ideal curve, you will have to travel a distance of 5,200 kilometers.
The weather will be even harsher in the first half, with smaller hill-sized waves, but calmer conditions and summer heat of 35-40 degrees with a water temperature of 28 degrees are expected for the last 1000 kilometers.
The “extended surfboard”
Let’s look at the tool. The “extended surfboard” is 5 meters long, 1.5 meters wide and almost 30 centimeters thick. It weighs almost 80 pounds. Inside the outer shell there are several transverse and longitudinal ribs that divide the interior of the SUP into several storage compartments. They also serve as a weight compensator and as a storage space. The structure has a small wet surface, which makes it travel faster on water than a canoe. Therefore, its drift speed is higher, but its propulsion speed is lower due to the shorter waterline.
The SUP was equipped with a radar, which is also standard on cargo ships, a radar reflector and a GPS tracker. There will be a total of three tracking beacons on the SUP, one of which will transmit a position signal every 4 hours and the other every 24 hours, the latter also touring Antarctica when Rakonczay was the first Hungarian to walk from the edge of the continent. to the South Pole. According to the signal, anyone on the map can follow the SUP route, even on a smartphone.
There will be two satellite phones on the “ship”, one is a special converter that will set up a Wi-Fi network with satellites for the passenger,
whom, he said, by consultation, we could even call from Index’s editorial office for a short interview while we paddled out on the ocean.
With this, Rakonczay will also want to write short journal entries and will be able to send photos. The appliances will be charged by a solar cell.
Gábor Rakonczay obtains his water from the ocean with a manual water purifier. You will have plenty of specialty foods, energy slices, chocolate, food supplements, ready meals, the point is that they are light, durable and give a lot of energy. Plan to eat every two hours between a richer breakfast and dinner.
Rowing standing up, sitting down to sleep
In SUP, I will also be able to secure my legs in two different positions while paddling in order to stand steady. The tests went well. I design the unit while standing, so it is more efficient, of course I will sit many times to eat, relax and sleep. By my calculations there will be twice as strong four days where I will not control the structure, but only the current and waves will carry it, and I will just hold onto the board.
– so Rakonczay, who we also asked about sleeping on a SUP.
This will be the most absurd part of the road. During my January rehearsal, I couldn’t sleep on the SUP for two and a half days. There is a small indentation in the deck, I can squat there, only the water is constantly coming in, so I just sat there, clinging to the sleeping position. It would be important that at least four hours of sleep get together every day, with which you can go out without hallucinations until the end of the journey.
If he arrives safely in Antigua, the athlete will rest for a few days and it is expected that more journalists will want to speak with him. After almost two months of being in the water, he says, in those moments you just wobble on land, “we have to learn to walk a little bit again.” You will return to Hungary by plane and the SUP will be transported home by cargo ship.
No one in the world has done so much yet
– sums up one of his incentives, Gábor Rakonczay, who designed the SUP himself, so he didn’t spend a lot on it. The technology on board and the future cost of communications are more, it is a multi-million dollar item. If someone starts a solo cross country race in the Atlantic, the entry fee, the boat, the tour and other costs start at 20-25 million guilders, the current tour will be cheaper.
(Cover image: Gábor Rakonczay / Facebook)
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