BayAreaKiteboarding.com

Cabrinha's Jeff Kafka Captures the 9th Annual Ronstan Bridge 2 Bridge race.
40 windsurfers, Aussie 18 skiffs, and kiters pitted their skills against each other to see who would be the fastest from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge....for more and photos, check www.teamcoyote.net and click on kitesurfing
steve

go jeff!!

Thanks for posting the photos, that a REAL race, I only wish there had been more wind!!
These photos look like they must have been shot from one of the helo's, those things were freaking me out a few times, had me worried my kite was going to hit a rotor (prop wash) and spin in... Crashing three times (body only- never lost board) already I knew I didnt have time for a stinking relaunch too...
Have FUN! (i did)
L.M.G.

LMG:
ya...I t/w Jeff after the race and he sd that he was so far ahead he thought he had done something wrong. Then he started to think about the posibility of something going wrong;line breaking, footstrap coming loose, etc, and then the helicopter overhead...how close were they? would the downdraft get him, and on and on.

yes, photos were taken from one of the helo's by Erik Simonson

steve

Yes I kept thinking about rotor turbulance, (mostly in last 1/3 of the race). I was third/fourth (kiter) most of the way down. I know Jeffs thinking, I was also concerned about getting another false start so I waited in back and even took a moment before even starting to make SURE this time, then I fell and Jeff shot away and beat me by a mile.. On the way down the helos kept circling back to get shots of Jeff or a windsurfer or boat (I dont recall seeing any boat) and I thought they didnt really take into consideration the possablilty of hindering another kiter. But it was cool seeing all the action and my kite never even flinched from prop-wash. After my third tumble I finally said F-it and quit looking in the air and focused on beating Chip who was pulling away AGAIN..