Portuguese Man Crosses Atlantic Ocean Using Kites
2022-01-02
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1A Portuguese man has crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat powered only by the sun and wind.
2He used kites to move the boat and solar power to use lights and equipment on the boat.
3Francisco Lufinha arrived on the island of Martinique on December 20.
4He hopes his trip will earn him a Guinness World record for Fastest Solo Atlantic Crossing by Kite Boat.
5He also hopes his trip will help people understand the need to protect the oceans.
6The kite-powered boat reached top speeds of over 30 kilometers per hour.
7Lufinha traveled 6,400 kilometers in 25 days.
8The 38-year-old set out from Cascais, near Lisbon, Portugal on November 3 and arrived on the Caribbean island of Martinique on December 20.
9Lufinha was not at sea for all that time, however.
10He made a planned stop at the Canary Islands on November 8.
11He had to stay longer than planned because of strong winds.
12He remained there until November 30.
13Lufinha made the crossing completely alone in a 7.2-meter-long and 5.6-meter-wide trimaran.
14This kind of boat has three long, thin parts, with a small room for sleeping and shelter.
15Lufinha used a hand pump to produce water for drinking and cooking.
16He said, "To produce water, I need to use this water maker. I have two of these, which I can pump and every hour I can make around four liters of water."
17The water pump has a special filter to remove salt from the sea water.
18Lufinha used the water to add to dried food he carried with him on the boat.
19He called his trip "a big learning experience."
20"It was a big test of my resilience. I learned a lot. I learned most of all to look at my problems relatively. I had so many problems all of the time, kites getting torn, kites exploding. And the only way to not suffer was to think, 'it could be worse.'"
21Supporters followed Lufinha's trip on his Facebook page.
22The main sponsor that supported him during his trip was the energy company EDP.
23He said his way of thinking during the difficult crossing helped him, "to get through it hour by hour, day by day, week by week until I got here to the Caribbean and finished this EDP Atlantic Mission."
24I'm Jill Robbins.
1A Portuguese man has crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat powered only by the sun and wind. He used kites to move the boat and solar power to use lights and equipment on the boat. 2Francisco Lufinha arrived on the island of Martinique on December 20. He hopes his trip will earn him a Guinness World record for Fastest Solo Atlantic Crossing by Kite Boat. He also hopes his trip will help people understand the need to protect the oceans. 3The kite-powered boat reached top speeds of over 30 kilometers per hour. Lufinha traveled 6,400 kilometers in 25 days. The 38-year-old set out from Cascais, near Lisbon, Portugal on November 3 and arrived on the Caribbean island of Martinique on December 20. 4Lufinha was not at sea for all that time, however. He made a planned stop at the Canary Islands on November 8. He had to stay longer than planned because of strong winds. He remained there until November 30. 5Lufinha made the crossing completely alone in a 7.2-meter-long and 5.6-meter-wide trimaran. This kind of boat has three long, thin parts, with a small room for sleeping and shelter. 6Making fresh water 7Lufinha used a hand pump to produce water for drinking and cooking. 8He said, "To produce water, I need to use this water maker. I have two of these, which I can pump and every hour I can make around four liters of water." 9The water pump has a special filter to remove salt from the sea water. Lufinha used the water to add to dried food he carried with him on the boat. 10A 'learning experience' 11He called his trip "a big learning experience." 12"It was a big test of my resilience. I learned a lot. I learned most of all to look at my problems relatively. I had so many problems all of the time, kites getting torn, kites exploding. And the only way to not suffer was to think, 'it could be worse.'" 13Supporters followed Lufinha's trip on his Facebook page. The main sponsor that supported him during his trip was the energy company EDP. 14He said his way of thinking during the difficult crossing helped him, "to get through it hour by hour, day by day, week by week until I got here to the Caribbean and finished this EDP Atlantic Mission." 15I'm Jill Robbins. 16Kurt Michael Hall produced this story for Reuters. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 17_________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19kite - n. a device that is made of a light frame covered with cloth, paper, or plastic and that is flown in the air at the end of a long string 20trimaran - n. a yacht with three hulls in parallel. 21filter - n. a device that is used to remove something unwanted from a liquid or gas that passes through it 22resilience - adj. the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens 23sponsor - n. an organization that gives money to an athlete for training, clothes, equipment, and the like in return for the right to use the athlete for advertising 24mission - n. a task or job that someone is given to do 25What do you think of Francisco Lufinha's trip across the ocean? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.