kitesurfing

Profile of Don in the Kiteboarder Magazine

4/12/17

Check out Brendan Richards’s profile of Don, including info on the Kiteboat Project and the Jetfoiler. Online for subscribers here.

K2 Test – September 15

9/15/16

Boat speed in knots (red) vs wind speed in knots (blue).

Kiteboat track.

iWindsurf from Treasure Island.

Today we took out pro kiters Kevin Langeree, Nick Jacobsen, Ruben Lenten as our guests on the kiteboat. The riders are featured in Chapter One: The Kiteboat Legacy Begins, along with Don and the Kiteboat Project, which premieres at the Palace of Fine Arts tonight. Members of the Eyeforce production team and the WeTransfer team also joined us on the chase boats.

We had a lot of wind today, especially for our 40 sqm kite! It was a good short test and a nice way to show everyone the power available to the kiteboat. After our guests departed, we foiled under the Bay Bridge on the way back to Alameda.

Kai View Data:
20160915-k2.kai

Corwin Hardham, 1974-2012

10/29/12

It is with deep sorrow that we must announce that Corwin Hardham, Co-Founder and CEO/CTO of Makani Power, and Advisor to the Kiteboat Project, among other companies, died unexpectedly but peacefully on October 23rd, 2012. He was 38 years old.

Corwin’s clear vision and deep commitment to transformative innovation in clean energy inspired us all. A brilliant engineer and skillful leader, as well as an avid kitesurfer, dancer, and community builder, he showed boundless energy and generosity in all aspects of his life.

Our hearts go out to his family, his close companion Gia Schneider, and his many friends.

Please visit his memorial site at astupendousbadass.com for more information.

K2 Test – Jul 20 – Bridge crossings!

7/20/12

Today’s test was epic. We covered the distance from Alameda to the Golden Gate Bridge and sailed all around the waterfront near Hunter’s Point and Crissy Field. We crossed under the Bay Bridge on the city side for the first time, and under the Golden Gate Bridge and back twice each. We witnessed the tail end of a kitesurfing race by St. Francis Yacht Club, and got some great photos. In an over four-hour test, the boat worked very reliably, and we hit a top speed of 29 knots with three crew members and the 40 sqm v10 kite.

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.

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.)