Christopher Camilleri and his paddle partner Matthew Schembri will take to their surf-ski kayak on Wednesday to cross the Malta-to-Sicily channel in record time. 

The duo and long-time friends are expected to set off from Spinola Bay at 6am with the hope of arriving in Marina Di Modica, Pozzallo by the afternoon. 

It is a challenge long-sought in the Camilleri family. On June 21, 2008, Camilleri's wife, Maltese canoeist Nicki Borg Costanzi became the first Maltese female to paddle from Malta to Sicily in a solo kayak trip. She achieved the feat in 15 hours and 57 minutes. 

The current record for kayaking the 92km distance is in the hands of Joseph Schembri who managed the crossing in 14 hours and 30 minutes. The duo are aiming to slash an hour off that.

“We are very excited and happy to take on this challenge, with our main aim to not just promote kayaking, but also to raise more awareness on protecting our sea, which is ultimately our countryside,” Camilleri told Times of Malta. 

Together, Camilleri and Schembri have over 30 years of competitive kayaking experience between them, and both have represented Malta in international competitions throughout the years. 

They are also part of the group 'the Surfski Shack', a training club which provides coaching and teaching for paddles of all levels. 

“Surf ski is a discipline in kayaking which is great for not just racing, but also for fitness, adventure and last year the school became the only accredited “Mocke Paddling School” in the European continent,” he said.

The duo, Schembri and Camilleri have been paddling partners for over 16 years.

Speaking about the challenge, Camilleri recalled how he was among the crew on board the support boat which followed Nicki throughout her journey. 

“In 2008 I was on the support boat, and tomorrow, Nicki will be on the boat supporting us throughout the whole way,” he said. 

Throughout the eight months of intensive training, Camilleri and Schembri juggled six hours of training daily. And that came with hurdles - Camilleri first tested positive for COVID-19 in January, followed by Schembri in March. Yet, they still managed to complete 90% of their training regime.

“I am very happy with the preparation, and we are super excited just to get out there," he said.

“Matthew and I have been paddling partners for the past 13 years, he is like family and this is going to be very fun for us. I can just imagine the sort of conversations we will have.”

The duo have reached out to different athletes in the kayaking community, including Albert Gambina and Dorian Vassallo.

Last summer, Gambina and Vassallo raised more than €20,000, after they completed a 1,000 km journey around Sicily.

"While both Matthew and myself have experience in kayaking, we are more adapted to racing, not such long-distance paddling," he said.

"The main advice we have been given so far is that when you hit the 20km mark, you think you will be really close to Sicily, but this is not the case, you are only two-thirds of the way and it's more of a mind game."

You can follow updates on their challenge on https://www.facebook.com/SurfskiMalta/ and https://maps.findmespot.com/s/JZN6?fbclid=IwAR0lQ9IRooEiKo6dsdDwZ7ZtoJmtADSPXynDCtcEpfqP9MiPZgiJaCeB_C8#history/assets