Oxford Sailing Club racer Dan Simpson has become the first junior to windsurf across
the English Channel to France and back again. Cruising at speeds of up to 26 knots
across the busiest shipping area in the World, Dan felt comfortable enough to stop in
Calais for just five minutes and a drink of fruit juice. Then, abandoning his plans to
return home by boat, he windsurfed straight back to Dover again. His mission raised
over two thousand pounds for a local children hospital campaign. Dan sailed a Tiga
Hyper X board and Neil Pryde RS5 sail, a combination that brought him victory in the
2005 Weymouth Speed Week and the 2005 United Kingdom Windsurfing Association
Junior Slalom Championship Crown. The next step is the European Formula
Championships in Portugal followed by the Worlds in Belgium in July.
