Kite boat sailors Jeremy Waitt and Chris Burk are preparing to re-launch their Atlantic Kite Boat Challenge tomorrow with an attempt at sailing anti-clockwise round the Isle of Wight. Waitt and Burk, who are raising funds for the Ellen MacArthur Trust, orginally planned to set sail in March in their 16ft kite-powered craft but gale force winds forced the postponement see news story here. 

The craft has been built and designed by the team, who have pieced together a conventional Dart 16 catamaran hull and a kitesurfing water re-launchable kite as a step towards their ultimate aim of kite sailing across the Atlantic.

If the wind is light tomorrow the pair will use a 25m kite with a wing span of a light aircraft but in stronger winds, which is more likely, the kite size and length of the lines will be shortened to make the craft more seaworthy.

Chatting about tomorrow’s challenge and the predicted conditions Waitt said: “The current forecast shows a Force 5-6 south-westerly which should make things exciting particularly as we don’t really know what to expect. Although we don’t have any idea how long the journey will take, I would personally be happy if we completed the rounding in six hours. Four hours and I’d be ecstatic. The best speed we’ve got from her so far is 16-20kts.”

Depending on the weather, the Kite Challenge boys are preparing for a 1230 start from Yaverland Beach, near Sandown. A support boat will be in attendance.