Professor Brian Cunningham of Bolton England has been awarded the Guinness Book of Records award for travelling the longest distance in a kite powered buggy:  1,000 kilometres (600 miles) across land by kite power in September 2004.

 The original crossing of the Gobi Desert was reported by The Manchester News and posted in Best-Breezes in a Sept. 28, 2004 posting here.

 During his records setting journey, Cunningham was accompanied by his wife, Christine, who acted as first aider and photographer, and two other expedition members, Kieron Bradley, aged 32, and Peter Ash, aged 36, both from Norfolk.

Cunningham is no stranger to adventure.  In 2002, he attempted to cross the Antarctic in a kite buggy but failed when he hit one of the most windless periods on record.  At present he does not have any plans for additional kite traction adventures.

The buggy used by Cunningham was specially designed for the long distance ride and for the conditions of the Gobi Desert.  It was named the "Parastorm Gobi Buggy".  The buggy carried Cunningham at speeds up to 50 mph and was equipped with independent rear suspension, adjustable shocks, ride-height adjustment, wheel camber adjustment, full underseat belly pan, 18” four-ply wheels all round, quick-release off-line flying system, oversize splashguard, and a special rear axle brace.

On June 20, 2006 Anne Quemere passed the mid-point in her solo voayage across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Brittany, France.  As previously reported in Best-Breezes, Anne's solo journey under kite power is a truly amazing feat of modern technology, kite traction and individual skill and perseverance.

Each and every day I have followed Anne's adventures on her web site.  Reading her postings has been an experience that provided insight into  her highs and lows as she has battled heavy seas as well as dead calms.  Her fortitude is remarkable and I encourage you to visit her site to watch her journey continue to unfold.

 The vessel has been rigorously tested by the storms of the Atlantic and survived  a capsizing, just as it was designed to do.  The Naish kites have been excellent traction engines whenever winds were in the proper range for flight.

 Keep up the great work Anne - you are a true kite traction pioneer!

Note:  all photos and map courtesy of Anne Quemere's web site.

Anne Quemere of France is an accomplished solo adventurer.  Having crossed the Atlantic Ocean by rowing solo in both directions (westward in 2002 and eastward in 2004) she had already established her reputation as a courageous and determined adventurer.

Anne Quemere's latest undertaking is to pilot her specially built Oceankite  boat across the North Atlantic from New York to Brittany, France entirely under kite power.  The trip is expected to last from five to six weeks and will cover a distance of over 5,600 kilometres. A new adventure in kite traction is under way!

Oceankite, built by Marc Ginisty of composite materials, is designed to provide comfort and safety to Anne during the arduous crossing of the mighty North Atlantic.  Once underway, Anne will be on her own as her support team will only monitor her progress through modern communications and GPS location systems powered by solar arrays.  It will truly be a solo voyage.

Oceankite is equipped with eight kites for traction although only one will be used at a time.  The craft has a length of 5.5 metres and a beam of 2.15 metres.  It is designed to be self-righting in case it capsizes in heavy seas.  There is space to store the extra kites, foodstuffs and various navigational equipment for the long weeks of the ocean crossing.  The entire unit acts as autonomous cell which provides Anne with a degree of comfort and protection while handling the seas under kite power.

Each traction kite is a four line, 16 square metre, multi-celled inflatable kite.  It is steered and directed by a bar to which four kite lines are attached.  A harnessing hitch provides the anchor for the pulling force of the kite on the boat.  Anne then steers the kite by maneuvering the control bar, much as a kiter flies a quad line kite.  Multiple kites were packed in case of damage to a kite or in the event that the boat capsizes and the kite totally fills with water and cannot be launched again.

The route that Anne is taking will enable her to harness some of the power of the mighty Gulf Stream.  This current moves at a rate of 150 kilometres per day and will provide some additional forward impetus to her self-contained boat.  However, due to the current's fairly constant direction it can also carry a boat into storm paths.  Extra time may be required to work against the current and  navigate around some weather systems as they emerge.

 Anne is providing an on-line account of her journey and it will be interesting to watch the progress of this amazing woman in the days to come.  You can follow Anne's accounts on her web site and track her progress as well as read her journal entries daily.

Anne's previous amazing solo rowing journeys across the Atlantic are captured in a photo gallery on the web site of The Ocean Rowing Society. 

All in all, Anne's current kite sailing adventure will be an exciting and rigorous challenge.  Good luck Anne!  May your journey be blessed by the Best Breezes possible!

French kite sufer Manu Bertin recently became the first man to KITE-SURF 2,700 miles across the Atlantic Ocean! 

The trip took three weeks and included the use of three vessels powered by kite traction.  Bertin used  a regular kiter's surfboard, a "relaxation" kite-cat catamaran (designed by Peter Lynn of New Zealand) for when his muscles needed a rest, and a kite-towed dinghy for sleeping while keeping  one hand on a single kite control line.

Bertin set off from the island of Gomera in the Canary Islands on April 26, 2006.  Three weeks later, extremely tired but jubilant, he arrived at Pointe a Pitre in Guadaloupe.  He was accompanied by a support vessel, the Baies du Monde.

At age 42, Bertin is a very fit athlete with over ten years of kite-surfing experience. He has several kite surfing championships to his credit and has amassed loads of experience in all types of kite surfing events and challenges.  However, this feat was nothing short of amazing!

Congratulations to Manu Bertin for an amazing feat of personal endurance and application of modern kite traction technology.

 More details can be found at:

• Surf Magic
  
• Kitesurfing News
• Surfersvillage.com
  

Last week, on the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, Best-Breezes brought you a blog entry on Goerge Lawrence and his amazing photos of the devastation of that quake by way of his kite aerial camera.  Also at that time, we noted that Scott Haefner, a noted Kite Aerial Photographer, was working with the Drachen Foundation of Seattle WA to recreate the historic photos with modern KAP equipment.

 Well, today the current photos by Haefner are available on the Drachen Foundation's website.  What a spectacular view and great project.  Typical of Scott Skinner, Ali Fujino and the Drachen Foundation this project is first class and adds greatly to the dissemination of knowledge about kites and their role in history.  The complete story and photos by Scott taken from his aerial rig are amazing.  Well done everyone!

For a complete press release and description of the event visit the PR Web (Press Release Newswire) site to see all the details as well as information on George Lawrence, Scott Haefner, and the Drachen Foundation.