2018 Formula Kite North American Championship to be held at San Diego

Kiteboard North American Championship day 2 © Bob Betancourt

The 2018 Formula Kite North American Championship is coming to San Diego and will be hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club on November 8-11, 2018. An estimated 30 kiters will launch their foil kites from the beautiful Crown Cove State Beach and shred the waters of South San Diego Bay!

Typical San Diego breezes ranging from 8-12 knots make Crown Cove an ideal venue with flat water giving riders the ability to sail faster without worrying about large swells or big kelp patties. Crown Cove is a beautiful, clean and protected part of the Silver Strand State Beach and California State Park system. Kiters can loft their kites, walk into the water and take off.

The kiteboarders will challenge each other in a series of races for three days and the top ranking countries from North and South America can qualify for the 2019 Pan American Games.

The North American Championships event is fairly new to the kiteboarding community. The first North Americans was held in Puerto Rico in 2010 and the second was held in 2011 at St. Francis Yacht Club, who have been instrumental in developing kite racing by running local racing and promoting big major championships in North America. Other popular kiteboarding destinations include St. Petersburg, FL, various locations in Baja California, and Santa Barbara Yacht Club in Santa Barbara, CA. As the sport gains traction in the Pan American Games, kite racing has a bright future emerging in new locations.

The November event will be raced using the Short Track format, a newer trend in America that was promoted by the French. The format was most recently used in the Kiteboarding Pacific Coast Championships a few months ago in Long Beach, CA. The Short Track course is less than three miles in overall length. With riders capable of hitting speeds over 30 knots over much of the course, races last less than ten minutes each. The Short Track format is altering the way kiteboarders are sailing by putting emphasis on a clean start and maintaining top speed reaching along each of the off-wind legs.

Currently, Foil Kiteboarding is being proposed as an addition to the 2024 Olympics. American Kiteboard Association (AKA) Board Member and Race Director Robbie Dean explains the current parameters of the equipment. "The Formula Kite Class has been around for a long time. The broad concept is that there are certain design parameters in terms of dimensions that the equipment can fit within, like a 'box rule'. That's the main feature of the equipment development. You can develop it as long as it fits into this theoretical box, which is what is being proposed for Olympic inclusion going forward. It's up for discussion whether they have to remain a 'box rule' class, rather than a one-design."

The participants will kick-off the North American Championships weekend on Thursday, November 8 with an Opening Ceremony. Racing will begin on Friday, November 9 and continue through Sunday, November 11. The weekend will conclude with awards on the beach at Crown Cove on Sunday after the races.

San Diego Yacht Club last hosted the Kiteboarding North American Championships in 2014. Commodore Michael Dorgan is thrilled to be hosting the event again. "We are very excited to host the Kiteboarding North American Championships at the SDYC. For over 100 years, SDYC has been leading the charge in the development of racing sailboats of all sizes, shapes and forms. Kiteboarding is an exciting sport enabling anyone to sail almost anywhere. You can open up your kiteboarding bag, pull the board out, pump up the sail, and head off on a foil above the water reaching 'power boat' speeds in a matter of seconds. We are looking forward to seeing some of the best kiteboarders from around the world compete with us in San Diego."

internationalkiteboarding.org/events/upcoming-events/formula/135-2018-north-american-championships