Records highlight dangers of the sun

Jeremy Burfoot. Photo / Supplied

While many Kiwis, especially middle-aged ones, pay lip service to the idea of being "sun smart", 52-year-old record holder Jeremy Burfoot is not one of them.

Burfoot, himself a melanoma survivor, is on something of a crusade to raise awareness about the deadly disease.

Last week, that drive took him to Cambridge's Lake Karapiro, where he spent almost the entire day astride a new Yamaha VXR1800 Wave Runner. In the process, he set two new world records - and generated yet another reason to talk about the dangers of melanoma, especially for middle-aged Kiwi men.

Burfoot is an experienced PWC (Personal Water Craft) rider who has completed a circumnavigation of New Zealand on one.

He also gained international media attention for an in-the-end unsuccessful PWC journey from London to downunder and previously set another world record, for the longest distance travelled in 24 hours on a PWC (2268km).

Last week, his aim was to break two other world records: the one for the fastest 1000km on a PWC and the one for the longest distance travelled on a PWC in six hours.

Perhaps not surprisingly for those who know the tenacious Qantas long-haul pilot, he succeeded at both.

Using all of the VXR1800's powerful 1.8-litre engine, Burfoot travelled the 1000km in just 9 hours and 48 minutes, smashing the existing record by 21 minutes and averaging more than 100km/h.

He also rode the VXR1800 to a new world record for the longest distance travelled on a PWC in six hours, covering an incredible 618km in the time and adding an astonishing 106km to the previous record.

Burfoot, who is now waiting for his two new world records to be ratified by the Guinness World Record authorities, was reportedly "pretty wasted" at the end of the long day.

He was, however, full of praise for his new VXR1800 and for the support he had received from Yamaha Motor NZ.

"Yamaha's new VXR1800 is the very best PWC package," he says. "It was magnificent to ride, with no bad traits at all."

Burfoot says the VXR1800 was not only very reliable, it was also incredibly economical.

"We used just 50 litres of fuel per hour - and that was at WOT (Wide Open Throttle) the whole time!"

Despite his exhaustion, Burfoot was also "Wide Open Throttle" in his keenness to spread the message about melanoma and its often lethal outcome.

"Around 70 per cent of the melanoma diagnosed in New Zealand is in over 50-year-olds and mostly in men," he points out. "Kiwi men think they are invincible but I can assure them they are not."

A key part of Burfoot's campaign is to encourage "the wives, partners and children" of males over 50 to keep a close eye out for any skin changes.

"And, if you see any, get them promptly checked by a skin specialist."

Burfoot says that message comes from bitter personal experience.

Both he and his stepfather have had to undergo treatment for melanomas that were initially misdiagnosed by their doctors as simple skin damage.

"It's a simple message," repeats the world record holder.

"Keep checking and, if in doubt, see that specialist."

The ride

Yamaha VXR1800 Wave Runner

LOA: 3.27m

Beam: 1.17m

Dry weight: 330kg

Engine: 4-stroke, 4-cylinder DOHC 4-valve

Displacement: 1812cc

Fuel capacity: 60 litres