2015 KiteFoil Gold Cup Tour to feature US KiteFoil Youth Nationals

by Meredith Laitos on 10 Jul 2015 2015 KiteFoil Gold Cup Tour – Beginning July 30, the country’s largest kiting event of the year will take place on San Francisco Bay: the third stop of the event, featuring a fleet of highly competitive kitefoil racers from around the world. Winds are predicted to average 20A 25 knots, which means these athletes have the potential to achieve speeds of 30 to 35 knots (roughly 40 mph) as they blast across the Bay. With just a few weeks to go, event organizers are rolling out a number of announcements regarding coverage, partnerships and the inclusion of the US KiteFoil Youth Nationals.

San Francisco is a tech-focused city, so it comes as no surprise that Kite Foil Gold Cup’s coverage will be instant and interactive. At STFYC website, spectators will be able to watch the action via a live video feed from the yacht club’s race deck. During the finals, they will be able to track the elite Gold Fleet and see their GPS coordinates, speed and direction. Renowned sailing commentator Tucker Thompson will provide video commentary and analytics, including a complete regatta wrap-up.

In a nod to the kiting community’s commitment to “green”, event organizers have agreed to donate all proceeds to San Francisco Baykeeper, which endeavors to keep pollution out of the Bay. Since 1989, SF Baykeeper has been the premiere pollution watchdog of SF Bay, using science and advocacy to reverse the environmental degradation of the past while promoting new strategies and policies to protect the Bay from harmful pollution in the future. “This partnership is a simple but important way to help protect the Bay that so many of us kiters spend time on and in every day,” says Erika Heineken, regatta chair and the top-ranked female in the Tour.

Heineken will be joined on the starting line by an impressive fleet of international competitors. Of the top ten highest ranked competitors, two hail from the United States and both are members of the St. Francis Yacht Club, the host club of this stop of the Tour. John Heineken (ranked third) and Joey Pasquali (ranked fifth) both say they are looking forward to home-turf advantage.

The San Francisco Gold Cup tour stop will double as the first-ever US KiteFoil Youth Nationals. Any competitor under the age of 21 in the year of the competition will automatically be entered into this parallel set of rankings. The top American competitor in the Youth Nationals class will be awarded the title of US Kite Foil Youth National Champion.

To register for Kite Foil Gold Cup, click HERE.

To learn more about the Tour’s partnership with SF Baykeeper, click HERE.