Traveling 60 miles in the open ocean with nothing but a kite and a thin board isn’t an endeavor for the faint of heart.
But more than 65 athletes braved winds over 30 miles per hour – and near-constant whitecaps – in the first-ever Downwind-a-palooza on Nov. 29.
Beginning at Grassy Key’s Grassy Flats Resort, an armada of kites sliced through the waves in an endurance race to Geiger Key – already nearly a 50-mile trek in a straight line, but much more when accounting for hundreds of tacks and turns.
“It sounds simple – ‘Oh i’m just going to ride 20 miles an hour for three hours’ – but in these conditions, it was anything but,” said Grassy Flats owner and event organizer Matt Sexton.
Identifying a “wind window” in already one of the most blustery months of the year, Sexton said agencies like NOAA, local law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard stood ready to assist with forecasting, permitting and safety. But as the wind and waves shifted from ideal to more extreme, event officials made a last-minute call to shorten the race from its original finish line at Key West’s Smathers Beach to Geiger Key. Still, Sexton said, riders averaged around 65 miles of open-water travel – and riding a Sea-Doo himself to supervise, he logged 108.
“If you asked them five minutes after they got off the water, they might have told you it was the worst day of their lives,” he laughed. “But once everyone had a beer later, they told me, ‘See you next year. This was amazing.’”
Puerto Rican rider Dylan Shewfelt topped the podium in the Pro division, edging out the second- and third-place finishers by less than two minutes to touch the sand and complete his ride in 2 hours, 22 minutes.
On the ladies’ side, Frances Dux finished the race in 3 hours, 57 minutes – a feat made even more impressive considering the rough conditions detached her prosthetic leg four times during the race, Sexton said.
For the slightly less experienced, a “Not So Pro” division took riders on a shorter route, ending just past the Seven Mile Bridge at Veterans Beach. Top finishers included Reybel Hernandez for the men, finishing in 1 hour and 13 minutes, and Lydia Spitalny for the women, clocking in at 1 hour and 34 minutes.
“It was incredible how it all fell together,” Sexton said, giving another nod to law enforcement, Monroe County Emergency Management and the Monroe County TDC for their support. “This put the Keys on the map as a proper kiteboarder’s and waterman’s destination, and I think that was the coolest part of it.”
Photos by CHRIS GLEADALL/Contributed
