Duotone DRIVEN Magazine No.04

OLIVIA JENKINS WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO CROSS THE LINE? On August 15th, 2022, kitesurfer Olivia Jenkins crossed the international date line between American Samoa and Samoa, leaping from today into tomorrow. ​ A feat that no one had done before. The international date line, established in 1884, is an internationally accepted demarcation line, running from the North to the South Pole and serving as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. So crossing this line means you become a time traveler of sorts. But as often with big propositions, not everything was going according to plan, turning a feasible challenge into a really difficult experience, bringing Olivia to her limits. “On the day before the crossing, we took a tiny little airplane from Faleolo Airport in Samoa to Pago Pago Airport in American Samoa. I was told that the crossing should take approximately 3 – 4 hours. I had never done a downwinder this long, but I have had many sessions on the water kitesurfing this long, so I was not concerned about the length. Additionally, there was immense preparation for crossing the date line behind the scenes. The team of Leaps by Bayer, who initialized the project, organized boats, jet skis, safety protocols, etc. Signature Studios with Camila Péndola was the mission producer. There even was a navigation team, lead by weather scientist Alicia Ageno, who is part of the TriM team and who studied Samoa’s weather patterns months in advance. This indicated that the dry season, from May through October typically has the strongest and most predictable winds, with August having the highest probability for winds in the 18 – 21 knot wind range. We wanted to start the crossing from the east of the island, which was about an hour’s boat ride down the coast. A Marine Police Boat served as the safety boat for the crossing. Two safety jet skis would follow along. That’s when the first problems arose. The day was predicted to have winds of 20–25 knots, but it rarely got above 15 knots and averaged about 8– 10 knots. And it got worse. In the morning, I started to feel a bit ill. I thought it might be nerves. However, once I arrived at the dock to help load the boat, I began to feel nauseous and quickly recognized that I had food poisoning from something I had eaten the night prior. When we finally made it to the starting point at the east end of the island, I could no longer hide from the whole crew that I was sick. However, I was determined to do the crossing. With the unexpected light wind, it was really difficult to launch the kite. Once it was up, I had to loop my kite constantly to even keep it up in the sky, going at an extremely slow pace. Every 20 minutes or so, I would have to stop, breathe deeply, and convince myself to keep going. I would try and drink water from my camelback, but my body rejected it. Food was still not an option. However, despite feeling sick, I had this goal, and I would not stop until I met it. In the end, it took me 6 hours to cross the international date line. Once I crossed it, everyone on the safety boats and skis were yelling and screaming around me with excitement. The only sensation I felt in that moment was relief. My hands were shredded apart from looping the 12m for so long, and my body was empty of energy. I have since had time to reflect on this experience. Although it was really difficult for me due to the light wind and food poisoning, I have learned a lot about myself and my limits from it, and for this I am grateful. Now, whenever I think I am suffering and I can’t go on any longer in any aspect of my life, I tap into the self determination that I found in myself during this experience and remember my full potential.” Photos  Woody Gooch / Iconoclast, Johannes Olszewski / Signature Studios Copy  Olivia Jenkins T H E T E A M 1 08 D R I V E N D R I V E N 1 09