Man, 79, abandons English Channel water-ski record

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-34101782

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A 79-year-old daredevil was forced to abandon his bid to become the oldest person to water-ski across the English Channel.

The stunt was the last of eight challenges Robin Hanbury-Tenison had set himself ahead of his 80th birthday.

The others included skydiving from 14,000ft, running the London Marathon and cave abseiling.

He abandoned the water-ski on Saturday owing to large waves which were described as "boat breaking".

Mr Hanbury-Tenison, who is from Cornwall and turns 80 in May, said: "We thought we had a hole in the weather but it wasn't as good as everybody had hoped... There was no way that I was going to fight those waves for an hour and a half."

He set himself the eight challenges - one for each decade of his life - to raise funds for Survival International, a global movement for tribal people's rights which he co-founded in 1969.

He left Dover with 13-year-old Lauren Bird, who got just under halfway across in her bid to become the youngest person to water-ski across the Channel.

Her father Steve, from Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, said: "She was doing really well in really taxing conditions, but some of the waves were bigger than her, and she's quite small."

Mr Hanbury-Tenison has raised more than £60,000 of his £80,000 target.

Although he does not plan to repeat his attempt, he aims to prove he can complete the distance by water-skiing 20 miles on an estuary in Rock, Cornwall, close to where he lives.