Kiteboarder Francisco Lufinha sails for 874 kilometers in the Atlantic Ocean

July 7, 2015 | Kiteboarding
Francisco Lufinha: sailing alongside the Portuguese caravela

It's an unbelievable mark. Francisco Lufinha has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest non-stop kitesurfing journey. Take note: 47 hours and 37 minute riding a kite.

The Portuguese kiteboarder could not complete the 1000-kilometer (539 nautical miles) kite cross between Lisbon and the Madeira Island, in Portugal, but he sailed 874 kilometers (472 nautical miles) and improved his own record by 305 kilometers (164 nautical miles).

Francisco Lufinha kicked off the challenge on July 5th, at 4 pm, and suspended his adventure due to extreme fatigue, on July 7th, at 3 pm. The two-day non-stop adventure was not easy at all.

During the first night out in the Atlantic Ocean, Lufinha fell, lost his board, and had to launch a very light so that his support boat could locate him.

Meanwhile, on the social networks, thousands of fans from all over the world showed their support to the sailing attempt, by encouraging Francisco to reach Madeira with the Portuguese flag.

On the second day, the rough seas began to hit Francisco's legs. He started feeling pain on his knees. But after 27 hours of sailing, the Guinness World Record holder beat his own mark previously set at 569 kilometers (307.5 nautical miles).

"This is quite hard. I feel like I have two knives stuck on my knees. I hope to have a better night, tonight. If everything goes well, I will arrive at Madeira tomorrow, but I still don't know at what time," the extreme kitesurfer revealed after breaking his record.

The last hours were clearly challenging. Francisco fell in the salted water, one of the kite lines broke, and he had to change the kite bar to proceed with his adventure. Moments later, his kite also tore and he had to replace it by a new one.

But the tenacious kiteboarder kept extending the Guinness World Record. Nearly 48 hours after leaving mainland Portugal, Lufinha felt it was time to stop. It was worth it, but he will surely return to complete the kite cross between Lisbon and Madeira.

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