kiteboatproject

K2 Test – Jul 11

7/11/12

We took the boat out for a long test today with Herbert Dercksen, a boat designer and world-class sailor, to get his thoughts on the design. We used the 40 sqm kite and were able to foil easily with four people. We noticed a lot of deformation in the kite, but it did not seem to affect performance. The sea state was very choppy, and the boat tended to jump through the larger waves, instead of cutting them, as it usually does. During the later half of the test, we sailed close to the Berkeley Marina, where the sea was much calmer, and practiced maneuvering. We were able to sail through a small gap in the abandoned pier, and, for […more]

K2 Test – Jul 10

7/10/12

We took K2 out today to test a new front line system that hides the tackle under the chair, one line to each side, instead of putting it all out in front of the chair. We also weighed the boat pre-test and post-test: dry weight was 1130 lbs and wet weight was 1155. Both numbers include kite and drysuits.

Kai View Data:
20120710-k2.kai.bz2

K2 Test – July 2

7/2/12

A nice test today with the 40 sqm kite and some weird wind. The wind was starting and stopping a lot, but we had some help from an ebb tide and were able to get the boat foiling at top speed of 27 knots with four people on board. The larger kite worked well, but the loads pulled it into a pretty pronounced U-shape. We were joined on this test by Jos Cocquyt.

K2 Test – Jun 28

6/28/12

We took K2 out again today to test chair adjustments and observe kite deformation during turns.

K2 Test – Jun 27

6/27/12

Great test today with the new chair. We repaired the damage from yesterday and took the boat out this afternoon in steady serviceable wind. We had a nice 25-knot run toward the 3rd Ave bridge, and were able to cut back upwind at 20 knots. The weather and lighting conditions were great. Video clip shows the fastest run.

Don and Kiteboat Project on CNN’s Mainsail

6/14/12

Don and the Kiteboat Project were featured on the sailing program “Mainsail” on CNN International that aired today. Host Shirley Robertson and crew visited San Francisco for a week in May, and they joined us for two kiteboat tests. They also filmed Don kitesurfing with Johnny Heineken, who is featured in this episode as well. The episode appears in three parts on the Mainsail site: “Kiteboarding: Birth of a New Sport,” “Kiteboarding’s Healthy Rivalry,” and “Fastest Man on the Water.” We’re primarily in the third segment.

K2 Test – Jun 1

6/1/12

Test today with the winch and chair modifications. Sailed through the gap successfully.