Marin Kiteboarder Dies in Alameda

On May 12, a Marin County kiteboarder was killed at Robert Crown State Beach in Alameda after a gust of wind picked him up and hurled him onto land, according to the East Bay Times.

Brett Spence Powell was known as an experienced kiter and all-around athlete. The 57-year-old Powell was preparing to head out from Crown Beach "when an exceptionally strong gust of wind caused him to lose control," the Times said, adding that investigators said Powell was "lifted about 50 feet into the air and blown landward before he dropped and crashed into a metal electrical box."

Powell was wearing a helmet, but still suffered "severe head and neck trauma during the accident . . . Powell never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead about four hours later at Highland Hospital in Oakland," the Times reported.

Powell is survived by his wife Carla, son Tanner, and two golden labs, Stinson and Lola, according to a GoFundMe page.

Powell graduated from Redwood High School and attended UCLA and the University of Washington. He was "active in many philanthropic organizations including the Marin Conservation League, Surfrider Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Marin County Bike Coalition, Marin Rowing, SF Mycological Society, and the Marin County Humane Society.

"If Brett was not out biking through his beloved hills of Marin, or hiking with his two dogs, he was surfing, rowing, kite boarding, fly-fishing, diving, skiing, writing, doing yoga, reading or traveling."

Donations made in Powell’s name "will support some of the many causes he was passionate about," the page said.