Kitesurfers with record-breaking ambitions have to aim for a new maximum altitude: 240.7 metres. That's how high US pro rider Jesse Richman flew at the notoriously windy Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. It was a sensational stunt that Richman pulled off with the help of a motorboat tow. "There were rumours that I was going to jump out of a helicopter, but that was pure fiction," said the athlete afterwards. "I was travelling at almost 90 km/h in the air in between."
After releasing the towline, the "flight" resembled a continuous spin, as a kite is not designed for prolonged flight. But Richman kept control, landed the board as smooth as butter and then surfed away on the water as if nothing had happened - apart from the ecstatic screaming.
Kitesurfer and stunt coordinator Jon Malmberg made a safety parachute especially for this project, which Richman could have used for an emergency landing if necessary, but it never came to that. "We knew you could fly that high. But to get that high, then kite down, land perfectly and simply glide away after landing ...", said Richman, who was euphoric during the interview and gave the impression of being "high as a kite" himself.
"We planned for the worst, but the best-case scenario materialised," says Richman.
Even if the kiteboards have been removed from Sailrocket's speed sailing, this kind of flying manoeuvre is likely to cause problems with a "real" sailing boat.
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