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The Ocean Cycling World of Yvon Le Caer Overview of his marvellous achievements submitted by: Yvon Le Caer
Yvon Le Caer,
Julv 9, 1981: Crossing of the Florida Straits between Cat Cay in the Bahamas and Dania Beach on the southeastern Florida coast. This first ocean journey across the Gulf Stream covered 60 miles (96 kms) in 10h 50m. On July 9, 1981, Yvon Le Caer became the first athlete in recorded history to pedal sixty miles across the sea from the Bahamas to Florida. His uniquely designed/engineered AQUACYCLE, the product of several years of thoughts and endless experiment and the 11-hour journey across the Gulf Stream, were stepping stones to the fulfilment of his goals. This remarkable athletic achievement, a world premiere, and AQUACYCLE, quite an innovation as well, received worldwide media coverage and drew the recognition and enthusiastic support of the international cycling and boating communities.
September 9/10. 1985: Crossing of the 75-mile wide (120 kms) Western
English Channel between Cherbourg on the Cotentin Peninsula of
France and Poole on the South British coast.
Finally, on September 9, 1985, despite conditions still hostile, Yvon left Cherbourg at dusk, with his escort vessel, support personnel and a French TV crew onboard. He "pedalled" all night, across shipping lanes and through a sharp broadside chop. Currents and drift also had to be mastered. Indeed, the route followed was far from being a straight trajectory, as Yvon navigated -- due to constant shift of high velocity tidal currents/flows and required course corrections -- a rather long 92-mile (148 kms) "meandering" path. After a moonless and cold night (48 degrees Fahrenheit), dawn and morning, near the British coast, were engulfed in dense fog, thus hampering navigation during the final hours. Still, like clockwork, Yvon never let down and despite "losing" considerable time to adverse tidal currents when approaching the "Solent", he reached Poole harbour entrance by late morning, September 10th, 16 hours 42 minutes after leaving Cherbourg. In resolutely confronting the elements, he had, by all odds, gained the last word.
"But, it required a great deal of effort, coordination and planning, " says Yvon; " in such adverse conditions, it is essential to have a good escort vessel and crew and, in this regard, my wife Andrea and all onboard navigators and technicians as well, did a marvellous job; so did the French Marine Nationale (Cross-Jobourg) and the British Coast Guard who kept a vigilant watch all along, alerting continuously all passing ships of our position and movement at sea." 1985 English Channel Crossing Characteristics:
Read the letter addressed by Yvon Le Caer to Mr. Theo
Schmidt, Editor of "Human Power" [International Human Powered Vehicle
Association (IHPVA)]:
Wish to contact Yvon Le Caer?
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World of Waterbiking
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