Alex Luther and the Chasing Canguro team are celebrating the completion of their Mediterranean marathon, which finished recently in Cervia, Italy. Alex fulfilled his objective of waterskiing from Tangier, Morocco – tracking the Spanish, French, Monaco and Italian coasts – to Pula, Croatia in the same number of days as it took his grandfather Harry Luther in 1970.
‘It feels surreal – I feel like I have been in a dream that started over seven years ago,’ said an elated Alex Luther.
Thanks to advances in marine technology, Alex was able to offset the rough sea conditions and adverse weather that slowed him down and threatened to ruin the attempt by making last-minute decisions to go more offshore and make a number of point-to-point leaps around the Mediterranean coast, which is something Harry would never have been able to do back in 1970. Increased fuel capacity, hull performance, engine compatibility and the use of radar meant that the team could be on the water for longer and operate more safely through fog. And there was always plenty of fog. Heavy fog could be really problematic, but Alex was visible on radar at all times, even when the team could not see him!
In the end, he skied a total of 3,571.8 kilometres from Tangier to Pula in 10 days, equalling his grandfather’s record, then added an additional 127.5km on Saturday 7th July by making a final trip from Pula across the Adriatic Sea to Cervia, commemorating the race that first brought Harry to Italy in 1969. As he arrived in Cervia he was met with a fully deserved hero’s welcome, and he now finally has a chance to pause and reflect on his achievement. The marathon’s full 3,699.3km included a staggering 11-hour stint, covering 558km in just one leg through rough conditions on day 4, from Barcelona to Monaco.
Jan-Erik Viitala from Axopar said: ‘Axopar would like to congratulate Alex and the devoted Chasing Canguro team on their amazing achievement. We would like to commend Alex on his strength and determination throughout the challenge, which is all the more impressive since he only began waterskiing five years ago specifically to undertake this quest. We are extremely happy that we were able to support the team by providing a boat as strong as Alex himself is, which we were fully confident would keep him and his crew safe in all conditions, remaining reliable and problem-free throughout the long journey. We wish Alex every success for the future and hope that we have an opportunity to join him again in his future adventures.’
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