May 2012 Archive

K2 Tow Test – May 30

5/30/12

We took K2 out today to tow around the protected area off Alameda Point, using the new T-foil. We are in the process of constructing a mold to make a new T-foil from scratch, and we modified an old foil to test out some ideas and help us refine the design. This modified foil is much narrower overall–it is not tapered like our current T-foil, and it has a different airfoil shape. It is intended to optimize lift at lower speeds, but it will have more drag at higher speeds.
After the tow test, we replaced the foil with our standby foil and went out for a kite test of the repaired chair and new winch setup.

Kitesurfing CNN shoot – May 9

5/9/12

Today we towed K2 to the St. Francis Yacht Club in case the wind was favorable for a boat test with the CNN crew. The eventual wind proved to be very gusty, and we left the boat at the dock, but Don kitesurfed with Johnny and Erika Heineken and Chip Wasson, and some of Johnny’s other friends. The CNN crew filmed from a RIB off Crissy Field. (Don has a red kite with a pink stripe; Johnny and Erika have yellow kites; Chip has a blue kite.)

K2 Test – May 8

5/8/12

Yesterday three journalists from the CNN International program  Mainsail arrived to film us and others in the Bay Area for their segment on kite power. Don and Dudu and Johnny Heineken met up with them last night, and this afternoon they arrived in the shop to interview Don. We took them out on the water with K2, so Shirley Robertson, the show presenter and a two-time Olympic gold-medalist in sailing, could helm the kiteboat. The wind was unusually strong and very gusty by Treasure Island, so after a few attempts there with smaller kites, we packed up and moved to the center of the bay, between Hunters Point and Alameda. The wind there was much more manageable, but not quite […more]

K2 Test – May 6

5/6/12

A cold, short Sunday test of the new kite control system. Wind was low, but we did get one good foiling run in before heading home.

K2 Test – May 5

5/5/12

A Saturday test to test the new kite control system. Wind was low, but we got a few non-foiling turns in and practiced kite launch and retrieval.

K2 Test – May 2

5/2/12

Another test of the new steering system today. We had a lot of success controlling the kite, including sailing through the sea-wall gap and making an impressive kite recovery at the end of the test. We were able to get on the foils a few times, but no sustained foiling. The sea state was really choppy–at one point a fish landed on the Protector–but the wind was only slightly stronger than yesterday.