So Local San Francisco Kiter now the 2011 Kite Course Racing World Champ gave a talk this past Wednesday about what kite course racing is at the St Francis Yacht Club.
This is the raw footage sorry about the sound on the second part. Had to shoot it with a Contour GPS cam when the SD card got filled up on the video cam.

So Kiteboard racing is an evaluation sport in the 2016 Summer games in Rio.   I was looking at some old photos and figured this one would be great to share. It is form the 1St kite race season in our home spot of Crissy Field . This was the birth of the sport.

You are looking at a shot looking back at the St Francis Yacht Club in May 2006.  Most used C-kite and twin-tips those days.

Tho official release from the ISAF:
The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has confirmed the ten events for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition at 2011 ISAF Mid-Year Meeting in St Petersburg, Russia.
ISAF President Göran Petersson led the ISAF Council in more than three hours of debate and discussion before the ten events were decided. Over 50 Submissions were received for consideration following the changes to the process for selecting events and equipment that was agreed in November 2010.
The ten events selected by the ISAF Council for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition are:

Men’s Board and/or Kiteboard – evaluation
Women’s Board and/or Kiteboard – evaluation
Men’s One Person Dinghy – Laser
Women’s One Person Dinghy – Laser Radial
Men’s 2nd One Person Dinghy – Finn
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – Evaluation
Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Mixed Two Person Multihull – Evaluation

The Vote
In November 2010, a provisional list of Events and Equipment (“the slate”) was agreed by the ISAF Council. Since then, ISAF received over 50 Urgent Submissions which proposed alternative slates. A two-stage voting process, similar to that used by the IOC when choosing a host city for the Olympic Games, was used to decide the final list.

After the first stage, seven Submissions went through to the second stage of voting. There was a palpable sense of tension in the meeting room as the Council awaited the results of the second stage.

About the ISAF Council
The ISAF Council is the final decision making body of ISAF. It is chaired by the President who was elected along with seven Vice-Presidents for a four year term in 2008. The Council also includes the other members of the Executive Committee, Presidents of Honour and a Treasurer (all non-voting). There are also 29 appointed members who represent each of the regional gropus of sailing nations, and representatives of the Oceanic and Offshore Committee, the ISAF Classes Committee, the Women’s Forum and the Athlete’s Commission (non-voting).

At the 2010 ISAF Annual Conference, Council agreed that the process for selecting the Olympic Events and Equipment should be changed and approved new Regulation 23.

The report from the Olympic Commission recommended the change as a way to better serve the ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs) and sailors and to provide greater continuity for the sport between Olympic Games’ and create a system for Equipment evolution.

Other decisions made in St Petersburg
A full report of the decisions made in St Petersburg will be published in the minutes, these include:
• Decisions on the core events for 2020 were deferred until the 2011 Annual Conference in November.
• 29er XX granted Recognized Class Status
• 2014 Youth Olympic Games Events confirmed as: Boy’s Windsurfer, Girl’s Windsurfer, Boy’s One Person Dinghy and Girl’s One Person Dinghy.
• Olympic Class World Championships set to continue
• A single ranking system for the Olympic events to be operational from 2013 onwards.For more information about the ISAF Mid-Year Meeting and to read the Submissions visit – www.sailing.org/2011-midyear.php

To read the ISAF Regulations go to www.sailing.org/regulations

The 2011 Cabrinha kiteboard Race Series schedule is out.
All the Races are in the Bay around Crissy Field in San Francisco and run by the St. Francis Yacht Club.
This is an open event and anyone that wants to race is welcome! The competition is steep but it you can find it a battle though out the fleet. Sign up for a single night or the whole season.

Registration is now open.
The dates are April 7,21 May 5, 19 June 2, 16, 30 August 4, 18 July 14, 28 September 1, 15.
Come out and be a part of the series that birthed the sport! Our Google Calender below has all the dates of this series and also the date for the rest of the SF Bay kite related races this year.

The kite launcher is back.

I also embeded the first one if you never saw it.

Remember he is a kite launcher – NOT a kite lander r

The kitesurfing and windsurfing are bidding for one place in the 2016 summer Olympic Games, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But today Neil Pryde sent a shot across kiteboarding’s bow. He withdrew his support for kiteboard in favor of windsurfing. This sucks cause his brand (Neil Pryde) owns Cabrinha which in the lead sponsor for our kite racing series here in San Francisco that started the sport.

I wonder if the reason for this is the fact that his windsurfing brand supplies the current Olympic class board (RS:X) and is pushing the RS:One as the junior Olympic board.

Here is what he had to say:

“I have been acting as an Ambassador for the IKA in order to assist Kitesurfing in its objective to attain Olympic Event status.

I have now withdrawn my endorsement of the IKA Campaign because it is my view that Kitesurfing has not yet developed the rules of competition and disciplines that must be demonstrated to qualify Kitesurfing as an Olympic Event.

As the Managing Director of Neil Pryde Limited, the owner of Cabrinha, a world leader in Kitesurfing I remain a strong supporter of Kitesurfing and I believe that the sport will continue to grow and develop as a lifestyle / adventure sport. Kitesurfing offers tremendous opportunities to combine sport and travel and there is no doubt that it is an exciting action sport that ultimately could obtain Olympic status.

However it is important to look at Kitesurfing today and understand the limitations of the sport within the requirements of an Olympic Event.

I would support the inclusion of Kitesurfing as a Demonstration Event at the 2016 Olympic Games if this is feasible.

NEIL PRYDE
Managing Director
NEIL PRYDE LIMITED”

Yo IKA keep your friends close and your enemies…….

What can we say Richard Branson know how to live.  But got say he really need to come and have a demo day with us so he moves on so some better kite

Chuck Patterson, a pioneering kiteboarder,  shoots a video of a Great White shark circling while out Stand up paddle boarding with a GoPro camera.

Me my Shark and I from Chuck Patterson on Vimeo.

Richard Branson plans to kite across the English channel for his 60th birthday.When he gets to France, he is set to become the oldest person to manage the feat.

He turns 60 on Sunday, said:
“Kitesurfing is one of my favourite sports. I absolutely love the amazing rush you get when going at high speeds, in high winds, with the most beautiful kite acting as your only guide. I know that kite-surfing across the channel will not be quite the same as kite-surfing in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean but I can’t think of anything I’d rather do, with my family and friends, to celebrate turning 60.
My wife swears I get more barking as I get older – this year I’ve almost crippled myself running 26.2 miles in my first marathon and now I’m putting my poor 60-year-old bones through an arduous 24.4 miles, over water, hanging onto a giant kite. Joan could have a point!

But as Holly, Sam and my nephews will be doing it with me at least I can claim the whole family is barking and at the end of the day they are Joan’s children as well – so she’s 50% responsible.”

He plans to do it  in August, with the exact date to be decided depending on the weather.

Got to love that you can’t find the dude kiting without a pic of a hot Chick on his back!  I this case it is pro kiter Susi Mia.

So Stefaans ended up on the cover of Design Product News Canada. The article is about ThinkDesign’s 3D CAD tool that was used to design the 2010 kite bar.
Read the whole article

We will have all the 2010 Ocean Rodeo demo gear for sale at 25% off.
The gear is all  brand new and will be what is used for that weekend.  So it will have very little if any water time on it.

Check back here or email me for if you want to to pre-pay to ensure you get it.