TGerman entrepreneur Roger Klüh wants to break the speedboat record between the USA and Cuba. With his "Apache Star" he plans to cover the 160-kilometer route between Cayo Hueso in Florida and the Cuban capital Havana in less than two hours, as the son of multi-million dollar Düsseldorf multi-service provider Josef Klüh said in Cuba on Thursday. The previous record is six hours and 23 minutes and dates back to 1958.
Klüh's 15 meter long racing boat has 2700 hp and can reach speeds of up to 90 knots (167 kilometers per hour). In 1993 and 1994 the Apache Star won the World Championships in Key West. Recently, the boat was extensively modernized. “For me it is an art object. There is nothing comparable in the USA or in the rest of the world,” said Klüh.
The German sees his record attempt on August 1 not only as a sporting showdown, but also as a contribution to international understanding: "I hope to be able to build a bridge for the future with the trip, so that water sports fans from the USA and Cuba can have similar ones in the future events.”
Kluh has been planning the record run for three years
As a sign of the rapprochement between the warring states, athletes have overcome the distance between the USA and Cuba in different ways in recent years. In 2013, American Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Havana to Florida without a protective cage. Her compatriot Benjamin Friberg paddled through the straits on a surfboard.
Klüh has been planning the speedboat trip through the Caribbean for three years. In the course of the détente between the USA and Cuba, both countries have now given their approval, according to him. "A window has opened to make my dreams come true," said the former hockey pro.
Source: World
