www.womanthismonth.com February 2016 29 the UAE and participated in one of my first competitions there, achieving my first podiums, so I do feel a connection to the UAE next to Bahrain. Is it a dangerous thing to undertake and what is the distance? It is a mission you have to prepare for. It has risk factors, which can be managed well in advance with appropriate risk management. The wind and weather, for example, can be a challenge and always remain a factor of uncertainty. Even if the weather and wind look steady and good to go, you can pass through areas where the unexpected can happen. Last time the wind picked up without any warning and within minutes I got pulled downwind towards Qatar. The team must react fast in these situations. Also, possible night kiting is a big challenge as it will be very hard to see where you are going and to read the wind and the waves. If the water is smooth and the waves are more or less regular, it should be OK, but you never know. The distance is expected to be around 600km and a lot can happen on the way. Will it be another world record? Yes, we are aiming to break the current record we set in 2014 by circumnavigating Bahrain. How are you training and preparing for the journey? I have been training since January. This is a mix of weight training in the gym, yoga to keep me flexible and, of course, kitesurfing. I have been in South Africa lately to kick off particularly the kite training and kick off an intensive six-days-a-week training plan until the day of the departure. How long do you expect it to take? We expect the journey to take 14 to 18 hours from start to finish, depending on the wind and routing we have to take. How will you be supported on the journey? We are currently searching for the right support boat to follow me all the way. This is the biggest obstacle to overcome right now as we need a boat that can keep up with the speed in the open water and can carry enough fuel to go all the way. In addition it must be able to approach the land at any given time in case of emergency and, best case, have an additional small safety boat. On the boat will be a camera team, a doctor and a team that can support with the kite and board if needed. If you manage to complete this journey, what’s next? I’m not sure what will be next. I am sure this will not be my last kite mission as it is a lot of fun. But it takes preparation and is also very costly and it is always a challenge to find the funds to pay the bills for all the safety and preparation necessary. As soon as there is something set in stone, your readers will be the first to know! Anything else you would like to add? We are doing this mission for Wings for Life spinal cord injury charity and are collecting donations from now onward. All the collected money will go to Wings for Life and people can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/ kitesurfarabia/ We are also happy to hear from any company interested in sponsoring the mission and connecting their brand to a world record! Mail us at [email protected]
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