8 minute read
Sailing
Kiteboarding was added to the Olympics for the 2024 Olympics set to be hosted in Paris.
Kite Foil League Takes Off in Southern California
The league was created by a group of friends who were interested in upping the kite foil racing scene in California, their interest is in lieu of the induction of the sport into the 2024 Paris Olympics.
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
CALIFORNIA— Standing on the beach in Long Beach on July 17, passersby would have noticed a group of colorful kites dotting the sky just offshore. Twenty-six kiters were out on the water duking it out in 13 two-lap races for the lowest set of points in the Sea Breeze Invitational, the second race in the California Triple Crown Series hosted by the Kite Foil League.
The league, based in Southern California, was created by a group of friends who were inspired to up the racing experience here in the United States after the International Olympic Committee announced that Kite Foil Racing would join the sailing events in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We were all kind of hanging out one afternoon and you know we were talking about how we could get to the place where you could go and win a gold medal for the U.S.,” said Willie McBride chief executive officer for the Kite Foil League. “One of the big things that came up was you know there is not enough racing here in the United States... We want to create super high-level racing as they have in Europe here in the United States and hopefully be able to bring national and regional and international events here to the United States.”
Kite foiling also referred to as hydrofoil kiteboarding, foil boarding, and foil kitesurfing is a sport where racers use a kite and a hydrofoil allowing the racer to kite along the surface of the water.
Kite foiling got its evolution from kiteboarding, people realized that they could drag themselves behind a kite on different types of boards, like wakeboards or surfboards.
Once the racing started and people tried to go upwind, they began to add longer fins to the boards to make them go faster, and eventually it was discovered that by adding a hydrofoil they could maximize their speed.
McBride compared the sport to Olympic snowboarding, with the amount of speed that racers gain paired with the chop of the water and ability to navigate the course.
“I think really at the end of the day it is more akin to snowboard racing in the Olympics,” said McBride. “Or something like that downhill skiing where these guys are going so fast it’s really all about managing the sea state and the chop and the wind and you know it’s kind of like a mogul course on a ski mountain where every little piece of chop out there on the water is impacting how they navigate the course.”
McBride said that between an influx of 32 racers for the previous two events and almost 20 volunteers that have come down, the league is gain and hopefully will continue to gain momentum moving forward.
McBride said part of it is the sense of community that the league has to offer and the excitement of creating a better racing community here in California.
“In kiting the more people, you have out there the more people who are pumped to get out on the water the better it is the more people you can get out there the better the racing is the more competitive it is and I think because of that there is this sense of community,” said McBride.
Because of sponsors and volunteers willing to come down and spend the time, the league has been able to offer free entry, and it is open to anyone with a kite and board.
Or if you are just looking to volunteer, there are opportunities to be involved in the production of the event.
“People can get involved in a lot of different ways the number one way that we encourage people to get involved is we want kiters to get out on the water and come race,” said McBride.
The next race is the Ledbetter Classic Aug. 20 - 22 in Santa Barbara, for more information see https://www.kitefoilleague.com/.
Mary Bacon will be the second woman to fill the role of Commodore for the Newport Ocean Sailing Association.
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
NEWPORT BEACH— At their annual meeting on July 18, the Newport Ocean Sailing Association instilled the 2022 board of directors, which included the installation of the second woman to ever hold the Commodore title, Mary Bacon. Bacon has been a valued member of the sailing committee for over 30 years and served as the second female commodore of the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in 1999 where she helped the club navigate the purchase of its land and marina. She received the club’s Woman of the Year award in 1992, 2012, and 2013. In 2013 she was awarded the Peggy Slater Memorial Award from the Southern California Yachting Association where she served on the board in 2003 and as commodore in 2006.
In a July 20 press release, Bacon said she hopes to capitalize on the momentum created by the 2021 Newport to Ensenada Race, to increase participation, and improve the competition experience.
“We have had a great number of challenges in the past year, but we need to celebrate that we’re on the other side of the pandemic,” Bacon said in the press release. “The challenge now is to maintain enthusiasm into the celebratory 75th year and race. Sailors need to sign up and get raring to go; to bring friends; challenge other racers to get others out on the water; challenge organizers to stay busy, and challenge our yacht clubs to get fleets ready for 2022.” Bacon’s first act as commodore was to officially announce that the 74th Newport to Ensenada Race will be held on April 22, 2022.
Bacon is a long-standing member of the Bahai Corinthian Yacht Club and also served as President of the Bahia Sail Racing Association from 2018-2020.
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ON THE HORIZON
By: JORDAN B. DARLING
2021 Laser NorCal Championships Aug. 14-15
The Santa Cruz Yacht Club will host the 2021 Laser NorCal Championship in the northern end of Monterey Bay Aug. 14 and 15. The regatta is open to Laser Standard, Laser Radial, and Laser 4.7 (ILCA 7,6, and 4), and will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing. All hails will use the last four digits of the sail number, if there are duplicates, they will be distinguished by a black line under one of the sailing numbers. Registration will close at 11 a.m. on Aug. 14, there will be an entry fee of $80 on or before Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. and a $20 late fee will be added after that date. Prizes will be given out to overall winners in each registered class division. For further information see https://www.scyc.org/racing/.
2021 Charity Bay Race and Fundraiser Aug. 14
The Point Loma Yacht Club is hosting the 2021 Charity Bay Race and Fundraiser on Aug. 14, for Challenged Sailors of San Diego, an organization that provides sailing experiences in specially designed boats for those with disabilities. The race is governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing and is open to all members of organizations associated with US Sailing, to be eligible for PHRF class yacht should provide the boat’s PHRF rating. Registration closes on Aug. 13 at 5 p.m. The entry fee is $1 per foot of the participating boat’s length, with the max set at $50, boats registering from Challenged Sailors of San Diego are exempt from the fee. There are three classes in the race schedule, Class A Spin, Class B Non-Spin, and Class C One Design Matin 16, races are scheduled to start at 12 p.m. on Aug. 14. For more information see https://www.regattanetwork.com/ event/22730.
Refraction Regatta, Aug. 15
The American Legion Yacht Club will be hosting the Refraction Regatta on Aug. 15 off of Newport Beach. The regatta is governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing and the Class Rules of the Performance Handicap Racing Fleet of Southern California. The fleet will be divided into appropriate classes based on their Base Random Leg Course Ratings. Registration is online at US Sailing’s Regatta Network. There is a $35 entry fee prior to 5 p.m. on Aug. 11, and an additional late fee of $10 will be added after that date. For more information see http://www. alyc.com/.
CYC Corona Cup Family Regatta Aug. 21
The Coronado Yacht Club is hosting the Corona Cup Family Regatta on Aug. 21 in Glorietta Bay. The race is open to all classes and all members of yacht clubs and sailing associations recognized by US Sailing, for this race, the crew must consist entirely of family. Registration closes on Aug. 20 at 1 p.m., for racers not with Coronado Yacht Club there is a $30 entry fee. The prize for the event will be a six-pack of Corona presented dockside. For more information see https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/22943.
