San Francisco, CA - On Friday May 12, four Kiteboarders; Adam Koch, (Los Angeles, CA), Chip Wasson (Berkeley, CA), Jeff Kafka (Pacifica, CA) and Steve Gibson (Mountain View, CA), attempted the first-ever circumnavigation of the Farallon Islands by Kiteboarders. Launching from Drakes Bay on Point Reyes at 11:40 a.m. the team, supported by four boats rounded the South East Farallon Island by 1:15 p.m..

Koch and Wasson were able to successfully work their way though a portion of light wind several miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge and land in San Francisco at Crissy Field beach. Kafka and Gibson, on slightly smaller kites and boards, floated in the waters outside the bridge for over an hour but were unable relaunch their fallen kites in the 5 m.p.h. light winds and were picked up and brought in by their support boats. The full team or riders and crew were all reunited at the St. Francis Yacht Club. The riders completed the 70+ mile journey in 4 hours and 30 minutes powered solely by kites and riding a 4 to 5 foot kiteboards.

Wasson, Kafka and Gibson had completed the first-ever crossing by kiteboarders from the Farallon Islands to San Francisco on May 23, 2004, (about 28 miles total).

"The Circumnavigation seemed like the next logical challenge since it is over twice the distance of our previous crossing but also spans several micro climates and a range of conditions," said Chip Wasson, 41, President of UltraNectar, a leading supplier of contemporary motion sports clothing and lifestyle gear. The team had previously attempted the circumnavigation on July 6, 2005 with disastrous results in huge swells, 50 m.p.h. wind gusts and low visibility. All three riders were rescued and one of the support boats was seriously damaged in the attempt.

"Having Adam (Koch) on the team was a big plus since he is an experienced sailor and one of the original pioneers when it comes to kiteboard crossings," said Steve Gibson, 44, trip organizer and Director, Strategic Development at VeriSign. Adam Koch soloed a crossing from Catalina Island to Long Beach, CA in 2001. In addition, Kiteboarders have completed other major crossings. A team crossed from Florida to Cuba and the English Channel has also been crossed.

The Farallon Islands have a nasty reputation. The location serves as a Great White Shark feeding ground and one of the top research facilities for studying shark behavior is on the South East Farallon Island, directly in the path of the route followed by the team.Steve Gibson commented, "Our experience taught us that mid May is really the best time for kiting the Farallon Islands. June and July are too foggy and my understanding is the sharks become most active in October but in August and September they show up hungry. We did not have any problems with sharks although it did cross my mind bobbing around in the water for an hour."�

Crossings of this nature are only possible with support from a highly competent crew and skippers. Boat support included a 24 foot Titan, a 28 foot whaler, a 26 foot Osprey, and a 28 foot Mako.

Links for the members of the crossing team:

Red Bull

UltraNectar Clothing

Kiter.com action sports marketing

Wind Over Water Kiteboarding