Windsurfer Alain Gabet prepares to cross the Bering Strait

April 16, 2012 | Windsurfing
Alain Gabet: young windsurfing challenger

Alain Gabet will try to complete a windsurf crossing of the Bering Strait and beat the 8-hour record set, in August 1979, by Arnaud de Rosnay.

The 65-year-old passionate windsurfer who loves adventure and discovery wants to link Wales (Alaska, USA) to Siberia (Russia) with his equipment and experience.

Gabet will have to sail 135 kilometers, in extreme weather conditions. The Bering Strait is one of the most hostile and challenging regions in the world. There are strong winds, unexpected currents and harsh seas.

"To date we have managed to collect some of the money needed for the success of the adventure. But we are still missing from 7500 euros safely", says Alain Gabet. That is why he is asking everyone to help funding his adventure at beringaventure.com.

The French windsurfer will be joined by Michel Ouallet, 53, in a support boat. Arnaud de Rosnay was the only windsurfer ever to cross the Bering Strait.

"The Bering Strait is a bottleneck that accelerates the Arctic wind. I started getting scared, because I would have to go through this", Rosnay once told.

In the last months, Alain Gabet has been training hard and testing the right wetsuits for the Bering Strait cross in a windsurf board.

The French adventurer started windsurfing in 1977. Since then, Gabet has crossed Nice-Calvi, Morocco-Canary Islands, Italy-Corsica, France-Algeria and participated in many world sailing challenges.