Team Offshore, the group of Flemish youngsters, who crossed the Strait of Dover on kitesurf boards to raise money for charity two weekends ago, say they are aware of the risks involved in their undertaking. The Belgian mobility ministry last week reprimanded the group, calling the crossing without a permit ‘life-threatening’.
Last Saturday week, three youngsters in their twenties successfully crossed the English Channel on kitesurf boards. Their aim was to raise money for a water purification project in Madagascar. The journey, which took them from Zeebrugge (Bruges – West Flanders) to Ramsgate (Kent - United Kingdom), lasted 4 hours and 45 minutes.
Officials at the Belgian mobility were stunned to hear the news. None of the competent authorities, in this case the federal health ministry, maritime police, the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre and the mobility ministry had granted a permit for the crossing. This made the action particularly risky.
In a press release Team Offshore says that it understands the concerns. The group emphasises that the action was not intended to encourage others to do the same. ‘Do not try this at home,’ they say.
‘The police were informed in advance and came by before we left,’ say the kitesurfers. ‘During the trip, no shipping lanes were directly crossed and no incidents were recorded.’
‘Our goal was to raise money for drinking water projects in Madagascar, while respecting the regulations and all other users of the North Sea,’ they said. ‘We hope that our efforts to approach this responsibly will also be recognised, and we are always open to dialogue.’