| info@UltraNectar.com |
| Monday May 24, 2004
First Ever Kiteboard Crossing San Francisco, CA — On Sunday May 23, Chip Wasson (Treasure Island, CA) Steve Gibson (Mountain View, CA) and Jeff Kafka (Pacifica, CA) completed the 28 mile crossing from the South East Farallon Island through the Golden Gate Bridge landing in San Francisco at Crissy Field, each riding a 4 foot board and powered solely by kites. Landing on the islands is prohibited so riders had a support team of two boats with a crew of experienced kiteboarders to create the right conditions for an open ocean launch in the Shark-infested waters. “Our primary challenge was getting the kites rigged and launched from the boats in the windy, choppy conditions. Once all 3 launches came off with out a hitch we knew we had a pretty good shot at completing the crossing” said Chip Wasson, 38, President of UltraNectar, the leading supplier of Contemporary Motion Sports clothing and lifestyle gear.
The Northwest winds averaged between 12-28 MPH as the riders rode downwind from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge, completing the journey in exactly 2 hours. Jeff Kafka, 30, a Technician with SBC said “The conditions were really ideal so the ride itself went by quickly; we picked a great day to do this” Kiteboarders have completed other major crossings from Catalina Island to Long Beach CA and from Florida to Cuba but the Farallon Islands present a unique set of challenges since riders can not land on the islands and because of the reputation as a shark breeding ground. Trip coordinator, Steve Gibson, 42, Director of Strategic Development at VeriSign and owner of Kiter.com commented, “We probably could have used more time to prepare, but based on the wind, currents and shark migration patterns we knew we had a narrow window to hit so we decided to go for it. Sharks were definitely a consideration, but sharks can’t fly and kiteboarders can”
Boat support included a 22-foot Boston Whaler with a single Evinrude 225 hp motor, piloted by Kevin Gorman, co-founder of UltraNectar. Tim Wells owner of a full service yacht company was captain of a 28-foot Protector with Twin Yamaha 115 hp outboard motors. Gabe Brown, editor at large for Kiteboarding Magazine and producer for KillaHz provided consultation for the crossing and media coverage that will appear in an upcoming issue. Ian Boyd, President of Cosmic Planet and a former pro-windsurfer is creating a video documentary on the expedition.
Links for the members of the crossing team: UltraNectar Clothing Kiteboard Magazine Kiter.com action sports marketing Cosmic Planet Interactive KillaHz Productions |
