Man plans to circle P.E.I. in 4 days by inflatable boat

Terry Jantzi has set air speed records in Canadian skies, but nowhe's turning his attention to the ocean.

Originally from Ontario, the 65-year-old moved to the Island in January after retiring from a career in software development.

Before moving to the province, Jantziwent out on many adventures. He's doneultramarathons and long-distance cycling, andalso set aviation records including the fastest flight between Toronto and Quebec City.

He even built a plane in his basement.

Now, he plans to circumnavigate P.E.I. in four days inside a 4.3-metre inflatable boat.

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"I get to see the Island around it, rather than left, right, north, south in my car," Jantzi said.

While Jantzi is quite new to boating he's only got16 hours on the engine he said much of the planning and navigation is very similar to flying.

He's got a marine navigation app, GPS, electronic gauges, and a friend with more experience tagging along to help him out.

'We'll just have a ball'

Jantzi and his friend set off early Tuesday morning from West River. They plan to do the trip in small bites.

"If we get uncomfortable, we have a backup plan to have the boat retrieved," Jantzi said.

"We can beach it anywhere we want."

The inflatable boat is what's commonly knownas a Zodiac. Jantzi said it has a 20 horsepower engine and is "extremely stable" on water.

For safety purposes, Jantzisaid he willkeep about 25 litres of fuel on board at any time, allowing for a six-hour contingency in case anything goes wrong. He's also not travelling more than about 5 kilometres offshore.

While the trip will take days, Jantzi said boredom won't be a problem.

"There's cell service almost everywhere, soI can do what I need to do, chat with my partner in crime," he said.

"We'll just have a ball all the way around the Island."

As of 11 a.m. AT on Tuesday, Jantzi said he and his friend had gottenfurther along than expected for their first day. The two were already past Souris.

They hopedto get to North Rustico by the end of the day, if all was smooth sailing.