Three Finnish kitesurfers broke the world record for the longest simultaneous kiteboarding journey.
Juuso Tilaéus, Otso Ahvonen and Pekka Rintala sailed 316 kilometers across the Baltic Sea, from Sweden to Finland.
The previous record was set at 279,46 kilometers. The trio began their journey on August 19, at 7.08 am, in Sandhamn, Sweden.
Despite the Baltic Sea's challenging waves and extremely long execution time, the three kiteboarders touched land in Hanko, Finland, on the same day, at 8.23 pm.
"This feels amazing! I am tired and my body aches but I am so happy at the moment. We wanted to show how far it is possible to come with the power of the wind. And well, it took us quite far," said Juuso Tilaéus.
Light Breeze
The journey across the Baltic Sea did not go quite as planned.
In the beginning, there was only a light breeze, and it took a while for the kiteboarders to get into the best wind zone.
Despite the circumstances, the kitesurfers rode their kites professionally, working with them until the end.
"Initially, I was a bit nervous whether or not we could manage our way to Finland with this kind of wind. When the wind started to blow stronger, I felt excited," added Tilaéus.
"Passing some landmarks kept me going. After that, my body started to ache quite much, so I just had to focus on surviving with the waves."
All three Finnish have been kitesurfing for years. Pekka and Juuso are co-founders of Laguuni, a water sports center located in Espoo, Finland.