Todd Kelly crossing Bass Strait on a jet ski

carsales Supercar driver Todd Kelly straddled the saddle and departed Port Welshpool around daybreak this Friday May 12 for his return crossing of Bass Strait by Jet Ski. Follow Todd and his crew on this Tracker.

As we reported back in the planning stages, Kelly and two mates are diving Kawasaki Jet Skis for the crossing of the treacherous stretch between Victoria and Tasmania.

Their motivation is to raise $10,000 for those afflicted by Multiple Sclerosis. Kick the tin via this link.

After a weather delay, Todd and his crew have now set-off and are enduring what should be a four-day return trip in half-decent conditions.

They are well prepared with safety gear including Musto dry suits. You can see a great video on our boatsales Facebook page. of Todd running through all his gear the day before his departure.

THE MODIFIED JET SKI
For
the Bass Strait crossing, the motorsports boss from Mildura — and
carsales.com.au racing team driver — is riding a stock Kawasaki
Ultra LX jet ski with some custom modifications to improve range and
safety.

Foremost, Todd has added a custom 60-litre fuel tank on a
rear rack to boost the standard 78-litre supply. The roto-moulded poly
fuel tank sits tight in a stainless-steel frame.

In addition to
the ski’s existing 220-litres of inbuilt storage, Todd’s added a custom
waterproof case to the rear rack for essential gear he needs to keep
dry. This includes an array of spares. He has also fitted a bilge pump
in the hull with float and dash switch.

A fully waterproof
Lowrance VHF radio with AIS (the automatic identification system used to
track ships) is mounted on a custom aluminium-billet dash panel. There
is a Lowrance Hook 4 chirp sounder and GPS plotter, which has IPX7
waterproof rating and includes Australian charts.

There is new
and upgraded nav gear including the full tracking system that can see all three jet skis no matter where they are.

Of
course, there will be EPIRBS onboard and each rider will have a
personal beacon, plus a satellite phone, and various action cameras.

As you can see in the accompanying photo, Todd has all the right riding gear and was keen to go today (Friday May 12).

TWO-WAY CROSSING
The plan on the three Kawasaki jet skis is for a 700-800km round trip
from Port Welshpool and back. In other words, two crossings of Bass
Strait!

The cold reality of riding a jet ski with no protection
in May in Bass Strait, what with 14-15C water lashing the helmet and
all, will no doubt dawn on Todd and his crew somewhere out there.

The
one-way crossing should take about 24 hours with a fuel and overnight
pit stop on Flinders Island. They hope to arrive at the Tamar River the
following day.

All going well, they will then turn around and
head back for Port Welshpool. It should be about four demanding days in
the saddle.

Todd’s riding mates are Robert O’Brien from Flexicut
and Bryan Hands from Hands-On Kawasaki in the Melbourne Suburb of
Lilydale.

BASS STRAIT
Twice
as wide and twice as rough as the English Channel, Bass Strait has a
formidable reputation for its huge swells and fierce winds across a
passage with an average water depth of just 60m. This will be no stroll
in the park.

Todd and his crew have enlisted sponsors including
Nautilus Insurance. The aim is to raise $10,000 for MS sufferers. You
can donate via this
LINK.

Read our previous exclusive Todd Kelly will ride a jet ski to Tasmania.

More on the Kawasaki Jet Skis in Australia at www.kawasaki.com.au/jet-skis.
Follow the NissanMotorsportAus facebook page for updates on Todd's excellent adventure.

And next weekend, Todd gets back behind the wheel of his Nissan V8 for the Supercar racing at Winton Motor Raceway.