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Tuesday, 13 November 2007 04:53 |
Two adventurers left Australia in a two-man kayak Tuesday in a bid to paddle 1,400 miles to New Zealand.
Nine
months after fellow Australian Andrew McAuley vanished on a similar
voyage, James Castrission, 25, and Justin Jones, 24, hope to become the
first kayakers to cross the Tasman Sea.
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Two adventurers left Australia in a two-man
kayak Tuesday in a bid to paddle 1,400 miles to New Zealand.
Nine
months after fellow Australian Andrew McAuley vanished on a similar
voyage, James Castrission, 25, and Justin Jones, 24, hope to become the
first kayakers to cross the Tasman Sea.
"I believe anyone is
capable of doing anything in their life if they truly believe it,"
Jones said shortly before the pair departed Australia's east coast at
Forster, 175 miles north of Sydney.
The friends hope their attempt will end a succession of failed bids by other kayakers.
McAuley,
39, vanished from his kayak on Feb. 9, while he was within 40 miles of
Milford Sound on New Zealand's South Island. His body was never found.
The
pair believe that traveling together in a custom designed double kayak
for the crossing to Auckland will give them more safety than McAuley
had enjoyed.
Jones said he and Castrission expected to be hit by severe storms during the anticipated 40- to 50-day voyage.
"The
kayak is designed to take 10- to 12-meter (33- to 40-foot) breaking
waves, and we've got all the safety features we need so we'll be able
to ride out the storm," Jones said.
The pair will keep in touch
by satellite phone twice a day and a tracking beacon on board will
transmit a signal to base every six minutes.
Article Source: Associated Press
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