Looking for a new kitesurf spot with some adventure?
Albert Einstein wrote ‘If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it’.
For most sailors, the concept of holding a sailing regatta at high altitude in one of the most remote and land-locked locations in the world might seem totally crazy. But this is what the team that conceived of the ‘Roof of the World’ Regatta set out to achieve in September 2014 – a regatta like no other…
Lake Karakul (‘Black Lake’) lies at an altitude of just under 4000m in the Tajik Pamirs and, being approximately 380 km2 it offers serious sailing opportunities. Furthermore, being formed from a meteorite impact 25 million years ago it lies in a wide depression surrounded by magnificent snow-covered peaks rising to Peak Lenin at 7136m altitude. The lake is served solely by water from local glaciers and for 7 months of the year is completely frozen. However, from June to October it turns from ice-white to turquoise-blue.
Intrepid sailors from all parts of the world were invited to travel to the lake and participate in what would be the highest altitude sailing event in the world, ever. Perhaps surprisingly, expectations of the event organisers were high – they knew that there are always some people willing to take on such a challenge. Sailors, such as Columbus, Shackleton and, more recently, Tristan Jones, have braved the elements to reach previously improbable destinations. By July 2014, 26 participants from 12 different countries had registered to join the regatta, including kite-surfers, wind-surfers, dinghies and even a catamaran.................
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