FIRST PERSON TO CROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON A SEA-DOO WATERCRAFT IN ATLANTIC 2002 EXPEDITION
With support from Bombardier, Marichalar began his adventure in early spring on a specially prepared Sea-Doo XP™ watercraft, and followed by a support ship with a six-person crew, and roughly 6743 of open ocean miles behind him, he will arrive in Miami on Saturday, June 22^nd at 11:00 AM.  The trips planned route had Marichalar leaving Rome, Italy and arriving in Miami, Florida of the United States, with planned stops in Spain, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Bahamas among others along the way. 

This demanding trip took a toll on both rider and equipment.  The 41-year-old Marichalar choose the Sea-Doo XP model over arguably a more distance riding oriented model such as a Sea-Doo GTX model.  The XP complements his stand up style of riding and the hull of the XP penetrates the open ocean conditions offering a smoother open ocean ride and is also equipped with the Sea-Doo exclusive Direct Action Suspension™ seat for added comfort.  Through the harsh saltwater conditions and treacherous seas the Sea‑Doo XP withstood the test and fulfilled all of the trips reliability demands by logging over 320 hours of operating time during the trip. 

Marichalar trained for two months leading up to his departure adding nearly 40 pounds of body mass to compensate for the weight he would lose during his grueling journey.  He slept in a specially constructed life raft designed to ward off any sharks and/or other predators while at sea. He prepared himself for his time in the raft by living in it for weeks last fall in the Mediterranean Sea.

Marichalar faced many challenges during his crossing.  Alone against the great ocean, he faced humbling seas and swells measuring over six meters in height. In one journal entry he wrote that his Sea-Doo watercraft, “responds remarkably well to almost all conditions and has enough power to move and turn to conquer all types of sea (conditions).” In addition to the seas, Marichalar endured intense cold during the first twelve days on the Atlantic from strong northeast winds, large squalls, and hours upon hours of harsh sun. 

On the 23^rd of May, exactly 500 years after Christopher Columbus first weighed anchor on the island of Antigua; Marichalar made his landfall.  His greatest challenge came just before his arrival in Puerto Rico when his support boat gave out and he was forced to find another boat to replace it.  This is only one of the many stories making the Atlantik 2002 expedition an epic adventure, there are many more to be heard. 

Marichalar began the Atlantik 2002 expedition to promote the sport of watercraft riding and a healthy lifestyle far away from drugs and alcohol. In the different ports he anchored, Marichalar delivered Spanish and Atlantik 2002 flags in exchange for flags from the countries that he visited. His objective was to carry them to the United States where he would like to organize a rally in the name of peace and tolerance among different nations, religions, races and cultures that are united by the ocean.

Marichalar is grateful to all those who helped him and supported him on this adventure, in particular, the many sponsors who helped him realize his dream. He is including the many countries that welcomed him into their communities as well as the many sponsors who helped him realize his dream. His voyage would not have been possible if not from the aid of many collaborators including Bombardier Recreational Products’ distributor Jets Marivent located in Barcelona, Spain who provided him with his two Sea-Doo XP watercraft.

Alvaro de Marichalar can now lay claim as to being the first and only person to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a personal watercraft, and he did it on a Sea-Doo watercraft. This feat exemplifies the heart and soul that goes into each and every Sea-Doo watercraft.  When your fun depends so heavily on one machine, let that machine be reliable and sea worthy, no, make that ocean worthy, and make that machine a Sea-Doo watercraft.   

For a full account of the Atlantik 2002 Crossing including Alvaro de Marichlar’s daily journal entries and photos, visit the official web site at www.atlantik2002.com. For more information on the Sea-Doo Watercraft used in this record setting adventure visit www.sea-doo.com or visit an authorized Sea-Doo dealer.

-Quoted from www.jetski.com