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KITE surfer Anke Brandt has been in intensive training in recent days for her record-breaking attempt around Bahrain which will be launched this coming Wednesday depending on the weather.
Her preparations have taken her under the Saudi Causeway, the first windsurfer to attempt such a manoeuvre, before continuing downwind to Zallaq Beach.
Brandt, 30, said: “My most recent training has been specifically for the challenge. There are quite a few spots around the island that are very shallow depending on the tides, and other areas where there are strong currents, and, of course, there is the Saudi Causeway to contend with.
“All these obstacles make for a challenging day so these considerations are what I have been focusing on.
“With the wind whirling around the pillars of the bridge, and the strong current this was one of my greatest concerns. I had pre-planned how to go about this but it was quite daunting when I got up close to the bridge.
“I jumped off my board, and kept my kite low trying to avoid tangling up with the bridge, or flying it too low and crashing into the water. After a few tense moments I passed under the causeway bridge without incident and continued south towards Zallaq, which I reached three-and-a-half hours after leaving Amwaj.”
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the water sports enthusiast. An earlier bid last week was thwarted when she reached the Budaiya area and her craft’s 40cm long fins struck a reef.
After further studying maps and satellite images of the reefs and sand banks she was able to load a ‘route’ into her Suunto GPS watch, and this kept her on a planned track, away from obstacles, on the second attempt.
Early this week she has been researching the Sitra Channel, which is another potentially hazardous part of the challenge, and mapping out a route to avoid other reefs or rocky hazards.
Brandt, a German consumer marketing manager, who has been living in Bahrain for four years, aims to circumnavigate the island, kite surfing for approximately 250km non-stop, as reported in last week’s GulfWeekly.
Her general preparation for the world record attempt began 12 months ago by gaining more time on the water in course-racing competitions and long distance races from the UAE, China and Indonesia to Germany.
Further training and racing with top-level athletes has helped to improve her wave riding skills and fitness levels alongside visits to a physiotherapist and acupuncturist to ensure she has reached the ‘best physical shape’.
Her training regime has also involved a mix of yoga, strength training, running and kite surfing to gain the necessary strength and stamina to achieve her goal and an entry into the Guinness Book of Records.
On reaching land during one of the training sessions she was advised by her ground crew that her GPS tracker had gone offline for 40 minutes and her position was unknown for some time. Brandt said: “To avoid this in future we have brought a second GPS tracking device, which should eliminate any loss of GPS tracking for the world record attempt.
“This week we have been out in the boat checking out the Sitra Channel, which is another potentially hazardous part of the challenge. Reefs surround the area for over 10km of my proposed track which means, depending on the tide, I will have to follow the safety boats through the channel to avoid hitting rocks with my long board fins.
“I feel a lot more confident after seeing the channel in person, and hope to kite through the channel later this week to confirm our research of the best route to follow through the coral.
“Also, this week we have been working on options for refuelling the safety boat on the 10-hour journey and coming up with the best ways for the safety boat to resupply me with food and any other necessities during the challenge. All pretty straightforward stuff but we are not leaving anything to chance!”
A healthy diet will also ensure she is well fuelled for the endeavours ahead. She added: “My diet during this training period changed only a bit from normal as I have always eaten reasonably healthy and stayed active.
“It is also important to fuel your body by eating regularly. I, therefore, have three main meals a day with two snacks in between to keep my metabolism working … and at least 2.5 litres of water.
“Next week from the 23rd I am hoping for good winds. The perfect day would be February 26, plus or minus a day depending on the wind, as this is perfect for the tidal movements. The second best would be around March 6 if we are unlucky next week.
“Obviously it all depends on the wind and we can make a good prediction about five days ahead.”
You can follow the action live and get updates on the KITE Beyond Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kitebeyond
“It would be great if readers could support my mission with a donation for Wings for Life as the charity is working towards a very important goal of making spinal cord injury curable,” Brandt added. Details can be found by visiting www.justgiving.com/kitebeyond
