Fight for the Flight: Johnny Heineken and Riley Gibbs’s 2017 Delta Ditch Run







Johnny Heineken wondered how fast he could fly the Delta Ditch Run course. Joey Pasquali did it last year in 2 hours and 37 minutes, but that time excluded a few rest and no-wind stops along the way. So, in the week preceding the Delta Ditch, Johnny followed the forecasts to see if conditions would be favorable for a fast run. They were. He recruited a partner rider, world class sailor and kiter Riley Gibbs, borrowed a chase boat from the ever-generous Rick Wallace and hired his dad to drive. With a couple of VHF radios, 13-square-meter kites and foil boards, off they flew.



When they launched from Paradise Cay at 1:04pm, the Delta Ditch fleet had long ago left the starting area. Johnny and Riley ducked their kites under the second gap in the Richmond Bridge and blasted toward the Brothers. At 1:13pm they left the Brothers to port for their official starting time and began their flight to the Stockton Sailing Club. Johnny and Riley didn’t race, but tandem-sailed, watching out for the other, chatting on their radios. They only touched down on occasional missed gybes. By America’s Cup foiling standards, they were in the >99% range.





Delta Ditch Flight track via Strava, a bicycle race tracking program



On rounding Point Benicia, the whole fleet of Delta Ditch spinnakers came into view. Johnny and Riley ducked their kites under the 70ft Martinez Railroad Bridge and entered the Suisun Bay Delta Ditch Run “slalom course” where they zipped through the fleet, surrounded by cheering sailors who were enjoying the perfect conditions—at a quarter their speed.



Since the kiters’ average speed through the water was about 40 MPH, by the end of Suisun, Rick’s chase boat, a 22ft Zodiac RIB with a solid 200 HP engine, couldn’t keep up. At “only” 26 MPH it nearly lost contact. The kiters passed a few more multihulls, ducked the Antioch Bridge, rounded the only mark of the course, #19, and sped far ahead of the chase boat.



Up river they were sucked into the wide entrance of False River, wondering if they had screwed up, but going too fast to turn around. As it turned out, they had. The appropriately named “False” River is restricted in the Delta Ditch Run SIs. A couple of dozen gybes in the narrow river later, they re-entered the main San Joaquin River and flew on toward Stockton.







In the almost-as-narrow ship channel, the wind lightened and became erratic, and the gybing angles got worse. On one gybe at the river’s edge, Johnny wrapped his kite tip on its bridle lines and Riley had to sail over to complete the release. Then, dodging water ski boats and spectators, they completed their flight to the Stockton Sailing Club at 3:34:21, simultaneously finishing the 60+ mile course in 2:21:21. Riley counted 54 gybes before he lost count. Johnny’s GPS course through the water (from Paradise Cay) was 73.3 miles over which his average speed was 33.5 MPH or 29.1 knots.



Was this a record run? No doubt it was, for the False River course. But that is not the Delta Ditch Run course, so kiters may have to try again next year for the record.



Or maybe, just maybe, the kiters should challenge Jimmy Spithill and his AC50 to a race. Now that would be the ultimate fight for flight…

wondered how fast he could fly the Delta Ditch Run course.did it last year in 2 hours and 37 minutes, but that time excluded a few rest and no-wind stops along the way. So, in the week preceding the Delta Ditch, Johnny followed the forecasts to see if conditions would be favorable for a fast run. They were. He recruited a partner rider, world class sailor and kiter, borrowed a chase boat from the ever-generousand hired his dad to drive. With a couple of VHF radios, 13-square-meter kites and foil boards, off they flew.When they launched from Paradise Cay at 1:04pm, the Delta Ditch fleet had long ago left the starting area. Johnny and Riley ducked their kites under the second gap in the Richmond Bridge and blasted toward the Brothers. At 1:13pm they left the Brothers to port for their official starting time and began their flight to the Stockton Sailing Club. Johnny and Riley didn’t race, but tandem-sailed, watching out for the other, chatting on their radios. They only touched down on occasional missed gybes. By America’s Cup foiling standards, they were in the >99% range.On rounding Point Benicia, the whole fleet of Delta Ditch spinnakers came into view. Johnny and Riley ducked their kites under the 70ft Martinez Railroad Bridge and entered the Suisun Bay Delta Ditch Run “slalom course” where they zipped through the fleet, surrounded by cheering sailors who were enjoying the perfect conditions—at a quarter their speed.Since the kiters’ average speed through the water was about 40 MPH, by the end of Suisun, Rick’s chase boat, a 22ft Zodiac RIB with a solid 200 HP engine, couldn’t keep up. At “only” 26 MPH it nearly lost contact. The kiters passed a few more multihulls, ducked the Antioch Bridge, rounded the only mark of the course, #19, and sped far ahead of the chase boat.Up river they were sucked into the wide entrance of False River, wondering if they had screwed up, but going too fast to turn around. As it turned out, they had. The appropriately named “False” River is restricted in the Delta Ditch Run SIs. A couple of dozen gybes in the narrow river later, they re-entered the main San Joaquin River and flew on toward Stockton.In the almost-as-narrow ship channel, the wind lightened and became erratic, and the gybing angles got worse. On one gybe at the river’s edge, Johnny wrapped his kite tip on its bridle lines and Riley had to sail over to complete the release. Then, dodging water ski boats and spectators, they completed their flight to the Stockton Sailing Club at 3:34:21, simultaneously finishing the 60+ mile course in 2:21:21. Riley counted 54 gybes before he lost count. Johnny’s GPS course through the water (from Paradise Cay) was 73.3 miles over which his average speed was 33.5 MPH or 29.1 knots.Was this a record run? No doubt it was, for the False River course. But that is not the Delta Ditch Run course, so kiters may have to try again next year for the record.Or maybe, just maybe, the kiters should challenge Jimmy Spithill and his AC50 to a race. Now that would be the ultimate fight for flight…

