I recently competed in the Kite Course Racing North American Championship, which was held in San Francisco, California from June 3 to Jun 7 2013. I was joined by fellow SDYC members Artie Means, Bill Hardesty, Bryan Lake, Cameron Biehl, and Nico Landuaer. The event was hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club. There were nearly 80 competitors from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. With a few exceptions, the best racers in the world were all present.
The currents in San Francisco always play a big factor in the racing strategy. The competition was mostly sailed in an ebb tide, but there were parts of the course where the water began to flood at certain times. For spectators, the St. Francis Yacht Club set the starting line close to the shore. This created a chaotic situation: the competitors always ran out of water long before the port tack lay-line. This meant that there was an obstruction/room to tack situation during every single race. The ability to have a good tack early in the race was crucial to success.
The first day brought less winds than many expected. When talking to sailors, I like to compare my kite sizes to jibs/genoas on keel boats. Hence, I started the day on my #3 sail. We all expected to be on the #4 all the time …
The format was that there were two flights, evenly seeded for the first two days of the event. After these first two days the top 40 were split into the Gold fleet, and the bottom 40 the Silver fleet. After a day of Gold fleet racing, the top 10 were selected to race in the “Platinum” fleet for the championship. The scores carried over in the following fashion. The finishing position in the Qualifying round counted as 2 scores in the metal rounds, one of which could be thrown out. In the final, you get one more throw out, and but you still carry those earlier scores. Thus, your finishes in the Qualifying round do matter.
Since this was my first event of this caliber, I still attempted to sail conservatively in the qualifying series. I kept all of my scores in the top ten, and finished the day with a third. Bryan was consistently getting first or second, as he was also in my group. Unfortunately, both Bryan and I were penalized in the last race for failing to complete the check in procedures at the end of the day. The procedures for check in were used for the first time at this event, and many racers in the second fleet were penalized. Because of the penalty I was in 12th after the first day.
With reseeded fleets the second day, I again tried to sail conservatively, but I had a major collision downwind with another competitor. I was in the right, and he spun circles, but it cost us both several places. Luckily my equipment was not damaged, and neither of us were hurt, but it was a scary moment and a good reminder of the extreme nature of our racing.
Due to my crash, and one other bad race, I fell a few places and qualified 14th in the gold fleet. I knew that I was going to need to keep all of my scores in the top 10 in order to make the platinum fleet. I was able to start off with a 6th place, and despite a difficult start in the second race I had fought hard to get back into the top 10. The windward mark was located up in Blackaller cove, and I think his ghost doesn’t like us San Diegans much. I was not quite on lay-line and so had to take two tacks. After the second tack the wind died and I could not get going: I literally watched as 10 racers brought apparent wind from the outside around me. I had my worst finish of the event with a 15th. We had a break for two races, and I knew that I was going to need to step it up to make the finals. I, along with three others, port tacked the entire fleet in the 3rd race. I was third to the mark, and although I wound up 7th I put valuable points on the competitors close to me. I was 10th in the final Gold fleet race, which was enough to seed me 9th going into the final.
The platinum round was unlike any racing I have done in my life. The fleet was literally the World’s best. In a fleet of only 10, everyone has a lane and can sail full speed, so the strategy changes. For the first half of each race, I was mixed up in the fleet, but experience and breakaway speed were not at the level of the World’s best, and I finished 8-9-9-9. This dropped me to 10th overall.
My goal for the event was to make the top 10, and I achieved this. I am the only competitor who was in that fleet who has a full time salaried job, and I felt that I sailed well enough to belong with them. That said, I am relatively new to kite racing compared to those who beat me, and I know I am going to continue to improve. I plan to go the Canadian Nationals, the Worlds, and of course the US Nationals which SDYC is hosting in October.
Bryan Lake was 2nd overall. He sailed exceptionally well, and was the only one to be able to beat the regatta winner, John Heineken, several times. Cameron Biehl made it into the Gold Fleet and finished 35th overall. Nico Landauer finished strong by winning the final 2 Silver Fleet races for 40th overall. Artie Means finished 55th overall, and Bill Hardesty 67th. Our San Diego fleet has been growing, and these guys have not yet put nearly the mileage in that Bryan and I have. I am expecting them to be fierce competition with more time on the water (they certainly are in the other classes that they race).
I would like to thank SDYC for helping me compete in this event. Bryan and I both were proud to represent San Diego Yacht Club in the finals. SDYC and St.FYC were the only yacht clubs with 2 competitors in the final round. Kite racing is such a new sport and has been rapidly growing in both numbers and technology. Only a few years ago, it was not possible to kiteboard in San Diego on most days. Now we can launch south of the Hotel Del Coronado and sail to Zuniga Jetty in minutes in 10-12 knots of wind. I am looking forward to my next event.
Regards,
Ty Reed