TIII: TAKING DAVENPORT is a revolutionary kitesurfing film about the growing divide between kitesurfers and windsurfers on the north coast of Santa Cruz. This action packed kitesurfing movie follows the characters of the north coast as they explore new breaks and challenge the territorial divide among windsurfers and kitesurfers.

It all started in 1999 when the Schiebel brothers and a few others walked away from the Davenport windsurfing scene to stake out the fledgling beginnings of the sport now called kitesurfing. Seven years later, in 2006, a booming kitesurfing population threatens the old windsurfers, as the divide grows larger. Follow the characters of Santa Cruz through this journey, including Josh Mulcoy's run in with a malcontent windsurfer and Don's pivotal fist fight at Davenport landing. In this film, H-WOOD PRODUCTIONS gives you the characters, scenery, and wave action of the north coast in a way only few have seen.

TAKING DAVENPORT is a different breed of kitesurfing film. The movie is based on an underlying documentary story line of the Davenport conflict, while incorporating subplot lines featuring the culture and individuals of the Santa Cruz kitesurfing community. This is a movie as much about talented wave riders as it is about the people and places of the north coast. The typical formula for a kitesurfing film generally requires three heaping cups of highly talented kitesurfers; two tablespoons of new, undiscovered exotic locations; and one teaspoon of “kitesurfer lifestyle” segments. Although proven to be a successful equation in the sports industries, it poses challenges to keeping the interest of a wide spectrum of viewers.

When putting this film together we sought to layer it with plot while fleshing out multi-dimensional characters. We layered in the humor of the north coast culture, and ridiculed our friends as best we could while leaving enough context to avoid making inside jokes leaving the viewer on the outside. One of the downsides to this model is that it posed the risk that individuals outside the Santa Cruz family would find limited interest in the story of our local heroes, but in reality we have gotten rave reviews by individuals beyond the Santa Cruz mountains, SF Bay Area, including individuals outside the sport of kitesurfing. Ultimately we were really happy with the way we told the story and its ability to entertain and the way our audiences have related to the situations and challenges posed by this movie.