Jelle Veyt will shortly continue his mega-project to climb the Seven Summits by cycling, hiking and rowing to all of them from his home in Belgium. After quarantining earlier this year, Veyt and two friends, Koen De Gezelle and Gijs Vanden Bogaerde, constructed a nine-metre carbon boat, which they will row 7,200km across the Atlantic from Portimao, Portugal to Miami.
In April, COVID-19 forced him to abort his plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. He was already in the Congo and had covered 13,600km on this leg, but had to postpone those hopes and return to Belgium. Here, he began building one of the world’s lightest boats.
Veyt at Puncak Jaya. Photo by Jelle Veyt/Facebook
The project took six months. The boat is self-righting and contains two cabins for equipment and food to last three months.
He will start off by cycling from Belgium to Portugal, where he will meet his friends and row to Miami. From Miami, he will cycle 16,000km to Alaska and climb Denali, North America ‘s highest peak.
Veyt will leave Belgium on January 4, and the three friends will begin their row at the end of January. So far, Veyt has climbed Mount Elbrus, Mount Everest and Carstensz Pyramid.
