Sailing under the power of a kite is nothing new, but the Kite Tender is like nothing you’ve seen before.
A Dutch sailing crew developed this 14-foot dinghy with no mast — just a harness for attaching a kite and a couple of oar locks in case there is no wind. The retail price is about $6,000.
“This little clip is us putting the Kite Tender boat through its paces, taking it out to pit it against boats much larger to see how it performs,” the guys at Kite Tender write in introducing the video, which they posted on YouTube. “Getting speeds on 21 knots and averaging 17 knots, this little two-man, kite-powered dinghy is a formidable sailing machine that has an interesting future.”
It might not be a dry ride, but it certainly looks like a fun one.
