'Life-threatening': Brussels kitesurfers chastised for English Channel stunt

Belgium’s federal mobility ministry chastised three Brussels residents who kitesurfed over the English Channel, saying their action was "life-threatening".

Three Brussels residents crossed the English Channel on kitesurfboards for charity last weekend, which the mobility ministry called a well-intentioned initiative, but one that carries risks.

“It’s important to always apply for a permit for group activities at sea and to comply with it,” the ministry said.

Alexander Tanghe, Sebastiaan Haven and Ward Verstappen crossed the English Channel while kitesurfing in less than five hours, reaching Ramsgate in the UK from Zeebrugge and raising €12,500 for a humanitarian project in Madagascar.

But the competent authorities – the health ministry, the shipping police, the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre and the mobility ministry itself – had not granted permission for the crossing, which made the action particularly risky.

“The Channel is the busiest shipping route in the world. Several ships were therefore surprised, as was the coastguard, by three kitesurfers who suddenly appeared on the shipping route with an escort boat,” the mobility authorities said.

“This was a dangerous situation, as large cargo ships cannot react quickly. If they have to change course, this can lead to collisions with other ships or infrastructure, such as wind farms.”

Moreover, the escort boat accompanying the three kitesurfers did not have an identification system that allows ships to see each other in order to avoid collisions.

The ministry emphasised that it appreciates the charitable action, calling it "a noble and admirable goal" but said the activity endangered the kitesurfers, passengers on ferries and the crew of cargo ships.

The authority reminds people that anyone wishing to engage in watersports more than two nautical miles from the coast must apply for a permit.

“Only in this way can measures be agreed upon that limit the risks and allow for a quick response in emergency situations,” the mobility ministry said in a statement.