Kiteboarding at 44 MPH -
9/27/06 -- Shawn (aka AceMace), thanks for the UPDATE
Recently, Shawn and Jesse Richman were here in the SF Bay Area to participate in the Cabrinha Race Series at the St. Francis Yacht Club.
I caught up with Shawn after a nice kite session at 3rd Ave. Shawn and his brother have always been some of my favorite kiteboarders to watch – he and Jesse can really JUMP. BUT - That’s not all they can do...
Just before coming over to California, Shawn set a record for SPEED on the water at the Maui Speed Challenge ( Click on "race results" and look at the Sept 10th data). Shawn managed to attain a speed of 38.1knots – or 44 MPH (conversion table) on the open ocean. Not only was he the fastest kiter – he was FASTER THAN all the windsurfers as well. That’s amazing – I’ve always assumed that a windsurfer with a sail board (and its great big rail to spread the weight and pressure of a great big sail) would be faster than any kiter on the water on a given day.
Here's a clip (Video - Maui SPeed Challenge) from the Maui Speed Challenge - Shawn speaks briefly at 1:47 into the video.
I asked him about the conditions and gear. Shawn mentioned that the wind speed was roughly 35 knots, and that he used a Cabrina 12 bow kite in combination with a slightly larger asymmetric board; bindings pointed aggressively forward. He pointed to another standard board as a comparison – I’m guessing it was around 150 cm.
In his words "I just looked for a patch of kinda flat water & pointed down wind..." GO!
9/27/06 -- Shawn (aka AceMace), thanks for the UPDATE
Recently, Shawn and Jesse Richman were here in the SF Bay Area to participate in the Cabrinha Race Series at the St. Francis Yacht Club.I caught up with Shawn after a nice kite session at 3rd Ave. Shawn and his brother have always been some of my favorite kiteboarders to watch – he and Jesse can really JUMP. BUT - That’s not all they can do...
Just before coming over to California, Shawn set a record for SPEED on the water at the Maui Speed Challenge ( Click on "race results" and look at the Sept 10th data). Shawn managed to attain a speed of 38.1knots – or 44 MPH (conversion table) on the open ocean. Not only was he the fastest kiter – he was FASTER THAN all the windsurfers as well. That’s amazing – I’ve always assumed that a windsurfer with a sail board (and its great big rail to spread the weight and pressure of a great big sail) would be faster than any kiter on the water on a given day.
Here's a clip (Video - Maui SPeed Challenge) from the Maui Speed Challenge - Shawn speaks briefly at 1:47 into the video.
I asked him about the conditions and gear. Shawn mentioned that the wind speed was roughly 35 knots, and that he used a Cabrina 12 bow kite in combination with a slightly larger asymmetric board; bindings pointed aggressively forward. He pointed to another standard board as a comparison – I’m guessing it was around 150 cm.
In his words "I just looked for a patch of kinda flat water & pointed down wind..." GO!
posted by kiteVC at 4:04 PM
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