The Hawai’i Kite Crossing team riders have been riding cross-channel (XC) since the first years of kiteboarding. They follow in the wake of many other wind-powered craft in ancient and modern times.
The first wind-powered crossings in Hawai’i were done by ancient Hawaiian sailors with outrigger canoes. In modern times, windsurfers pioneered solo and duo crossings of various channels in Hawai’i.
The first official wind-powered event was organized as a charity race by Claire Mawae called the Moloka’i Ocean Challenge. This connected Ka’anapali on West Maui to Kaunakakai, Moloka’i. In years prior to 2006, a few of the founding team riders performed in the Moloka’i Ocean Challenge, riding between West Maui and East Moloka’i.
Team Origins
In summer 2007 Paul Franco organized and pioneered a new longer route from Maui to Moloka’i with a team of eight experienced Maui kitesurfers. This route avoided the notorious Ka’anapali wind shadow. Thus the Hawai’i Kite Crossing team was born!
In summer 2008 an expanded team of nine (seven original riders and two additional long-time Maui kitesurfers), rode to Moloka’i and then on to O’ahu over a two-day period, as documented here.
In summer 2009 the team lost its wind, literally, splitting up and dispersing to far corners of Maui and the globe: one rider couldn’t be pulled away from mowing the lawn at his new house, others couldn’t be pulled away from kiting the sicky south shore swells in The Kihei, and one rider even spent the summer in South Africa mooning buffalo!
2010
Like an aquatic phoenix, in 2010 the Hawai’i Kite Crossing team re-surfaced as a lean two-man outfit consisting of founding members Paul Franco and Aaron Culliney. Both long-time Maui XC kitesurfers began training to pioneer new channel crossings and routes, to be performed and videotaped guerilla-style.
Throughout spring 2010 they trained on their own and also together—like a tow-surfing buddy-team—to develop open ocean logistics for all situations. Their first 2010 crossing was a downwind blast from Kanaha, Maui “Kitebeach” to Shipwreck Beach on Lana’i island.
Stay tuned to this site to see what comes next!
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