Father and Son Use Electric Fliteboards to Cross English Channel

The duo crossed the water in 1 hour and 44 minutes, arriving with just 4 percent of power remaining and entering the Guinness Book of World Record

By Pim Van Hemmen

August 20, 2021

Rob Wylie, 51, and his son Morgan, 19, of Great Britain, set a Guinness Book of World Record for an electric-powered hydrofoil Fliteboards crossing of the English Channel in 1 hour and 44 minutes.

Powered by an electric motor, Fliteboards can go about 20 miles per hour, ride about three feet above the water, have virtually no wake and are virtually silent.

The two men started in Cap Gris-Nez, France and rode for 23 miles to Folkstone, England. They fell several times when their boards struck seaweed and fishing crates.

Rob reported that at one point the batteries were getting low and that the conditions were very choppy. He had only 4 percent of his battery power left when he stepped on land in England.

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Pim Van Hemmen

Pim Van Hemmen is the Deputy Editor of Soundings magazine and SoundingsOnline.com. In a previous life he worked as a newspaper photographer, editor and nautical photographer. When he's not writing about boats, he explores Maine's waters on his Zodiac RIB.