When Koen Darras fastens his safety belt for his flight from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean this fall, there will be no safety video, no meal service and, actually, no actual take-off. Darras will be on a surfboard while his multi-paneled kite takes to the air.
His 5000-kilometer journey, which he expects to take 30 to 40 days, is not his first extreme challenge; the 37-year old Belgian is a veteran climber who’s been to the top of Denali, Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and more.
There will be a small sailboat accompanying him for safety and to offer brief rests, but he expects to be kite-surfing about 170km a day. He’s working with researchers, and will collect data on water temperatures, salinity levels, microplastics, weather and currents.
