Atlantic Kite Crossing: Wind, waves and willpower

January 2027: When the trade winds are right, the Belgian Koen Darras sets off on an expedition like no other - 3,000 nautical miles with kite and board across the Atlantic, two months on the open sea. The route follows the classic sailing routes: from the Canary Islands via the Cape Verde Islands to the Caribbean.

Whilst thousands of sailors annually Atlantic as part of the ARC or other regattas, Koen Darras is planning something that even experienced blue water sailors might consider madness: The entire route standing on a board, pulled by a kite, over waves that are sometimes metres high and changing winds in the trade wind zone.

The 45-year-old 7-Summit conqueror will be accompanied by the expedition ketch "Windfall" with skipper Thomas van Thiel - as a safety platform, sleeping island and maritime protection. But Darras has to make the crossing himself under his own steam. The Atlantic Kite Crossing expedition is the next chapter in his "7 Summits & 7 Seas" project, which combines mountain expeditions with ocean adventures.

We spoke to Koen Darras about preparing for the impossible, his typical day on the water, the biggest risks - and why he chose the Atlantic of all places.

Tell me, Mr Darras, how do you actually sleep on a kiteboard?

Of course not at all! I'll be kitesurfing during the day - for between nine and 12 hours, depending on the wind and the day's conditions. At night, I'll sleep on my support boat, the 50-year-old expedition ketch "Windfall", which will follow me across the Atlantic with skipper Thomas van Thiel and crew.

How do you stay in place to continue kiting in the same position the next day?

At night, when I'm asleep, "Windfall" sails on - but a few hours before sunrise, the crew returns to the exact GPS position where I stopped the night before. Only then do I get back on the water. I want to do this honestly, with GPS data, fully transparent. Mentally, it will be tough: Every night we lose the distance we've already sailed. But it's the only honest way to cross the Atlantic with a kite.

How did you come up with the idea of conquering the Atlantic with a kite?

That was actually my wife's idea. I originally wanted to cross the English Channel - no Belgian had ever done that at the time. We had been preparing everything for months, the website was up and running, and two weeks before the start, three young guys kitesurfed across the English Channel in front of us. At family dinner, my wife said: "If you've always wanted to cross an ocean, why not the Atlantic?" I couldn't sleep for three days. I searched the whole internet, consulted ChatGPT, put together a dossier. And then I said: let's go. It's been my dream since childhood.

What does the route actually look like?

We start at the beginning of January from the Canary Islands, probably Tenerife. From there, we'll first travel 1000 kilometres to the Cape Verde Islands - that's the dress rehearsal, so to speak, which will take about a week or ten days. There we can check the equipment again, fix problems and stock up on provisions. Then comes the big crossing to the Caribbean, to Martinique, St Lucia or wherever the wind takes us. In total, we expect to spend around 60 days on the Atlantic.

It takes twice as long as with a sailing boat.

That's true, but my support boat skipper and I have decided that I will only kitesurf during the day. And that we will always maintain eye contact for safety reasons.

You will be travelling much faster with the kite than the 30 tonne displacing "Windfall". How is that supposed to work?

I'll kite ahead until I can just see the boat and then jibe and surf back again. This is also good for my posture as I'm not only travelling in one direction and not always putting more weight on one leg than the other. However, this means I will cover considerably more nautical miles than the sailing boat. Around 4500 nautical miles instead of 3000.

You've already covered 107 nautical miles, or 200 kilometres, in one go during training. How was that?

That was an important experience for me. I was on the water for 8 hours and 25 minutes, in pretty choppy water and choppy waves. I felt surprisingly good afterwards. But the crucial thing is not the distance, but the time: can I last that long? I've now completed fifteen 100-kilometre sessions. I have a very good sports coach who prepares me. But of course, there's still a long way to go before January. I'm not ready yet.

The north-east trade wind dominates the route you have planned. A curse or a blessing?

This is actually one of the biggest challenges. On the one hand, the trade wind blows very reliably, on the other hand, the wind comes very astern - difficult for kitesurfers. Most of the time I'll have to ride on rough courses and cross a lot, there's no other way. Incidentally, Thomas and his "Windfall" set the direction of our route, I stay within sight.

What is your biggest fear?

That I disappear into the ocean. That after a month we all become a bit inattentive, my kite falls into the water and can no longer be launched, while the sailing boat crew is distracted during a manoeuvre in big waves and lots of wind and doesn't pay attention to me.

Are there safety precautions for such a situation?

I will be wearing at least two, maybe even three GPS trackers on my body. Thomas, the captain, shares my fear. It's the worst thing for him: he's in a MOB situation for 60 days, nine to twelve hours a day.

What material do you fly and drive?

I fly North Kiteboarding equipment and have all kite sizes between 6 and 15 square metres with me, graded in one-square-metre intervals. Three of each size in case one breaks. Plus numerous bars and new steering lines, the wear and tear will be considerable.

Will you be foiling or using normal kiteboards?

I will use both. The strain on the body and joints is significantly greater when the legs have to cushion and compensate for the moving sea surface directly with normal boards. With the foil board, you float over the choppy water and I'm also much faster. However, I still need to practise kitefoiling a bit before 3 January, our currently planned start date.

What comes after arriving in the Caribbean?

First of all, I hope we arrive at all! But then Thomas sails with the "Windfall" further into the Arctic. He wants to freeze the boat in the ice and spend the winter there - a completely crazy adventure. I'm looking forward to seeing my family and then I'll continue with my "Seven Summits, Seven Seas" project: I want to conquer the world's highest mountains and largest oceans.