Hang on!

September 9, 2009 2:55 AM

Bass Strait is the stretch of water separating Tasmania from the Australian mainland. It's a treacherous stretch of water, about 240km wide. These two guys just kite-surfed across it in 12 hours. (Pre-crossing forum discussion.)
posted by awfurby (8 comments total)

If Harold Bishop can do it, anyone can.
posted by run"monty at 3:12 AM on September 9, 2009

Far out. It's bad enough doing that overnight in a car ferry. To put this into context for non-Tasmanians, think of comparable crossings that are directly exposed to Atlantic weather, like the Hebrides, the North Sea, the Bay of Biscay... Bass Strait is open water exposed to westerlies with nothing in between there and Argentina. And they've done it at the end of winter.
posted by rory at 3:27 AM on September 9, 2009

It's good to have a hobby.
posted by vicx at 3:42 AM on September 9, 2009

"If Harold Bishop can do it, anyone can."

Heh. More to the point, he came back looking exactly the same!, although with a new-found love of the Salvos.

In a world where a simple visit to your family in Brisbane or Perth could result in you returning with a different hair colour, face, and 3" shorter, the unusual case of Harold Bishop was particularly noteworthy...
posted by Pinback at 5:50 AM on September 9, 2009

Cheats. They swam to shore.
posted by tellurian at 6:42 AM on September 9, 2009

I was listening to ABC radio as the two were just about to reach the mainland, and the very excited support person was talking via mobile phone to the reporter from the support vessel, and the conversation went something like:

Support person: Oh wow, this is amazing the guys have done it, it's incredible, ten hours straight.....

Loud person in background: Nine, it's nine...

pause and muffled noise

Support person: Yeah, simply amazing....
posted by mattoxic at 7:29 AM on September 9, 2009

It never ceases to amaze me what people will do to get away from Tasmania.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 9:13 AM on September 9, 2009 [4 favorites]

It never ceases to amaze me what people will do to get away from Tasmania.

Hmm. In my experience, people come here and can't ever seem to escape...
posted by Jimbob at 3:53 PM on September 9, 2009