Jed’s jetski adventure begins

The Ultimate Ride – an attempt to ride from London to Auckland by personal watercraft (HM May 19), began on August 1 when the team, including Jed Martin of Manly, set off down the River Thames.

The 31,000km epic journey aims to set a world record for personal watercraft while raising funds for cancer research.

According to team leader Jeremy Burfoot the launch day in London was “magic”, with around 100 supporters on jetskis escorting the team down the Thames.

Jet skiing on modified Seadoo GTXs from there to Rotterdam took around nine hours, a lot more than expected due to choppy seas in the English Channel.

Since then the team have powered their way through the rivers and canals of the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, and through Hungary and Croatia to Serbia. From there they will head to Turkey before continuing over the Black Sea to Istanbul.

As Hibiscus Matters goes to print, they are located just south of Belgrade.

Jed, aged 22, is riding the first leg, to Turkey, after which he will return to the Coast where he works as an engineer. He will rejoin the team for the ride into Auckland, expected to be in November. Info: www.london-sydney.com