Kite Foil League - Seabreeze Invitational
by Kite Foil League 20 Jul 2021 18:19 AEST
Some "night kiting" Saturday night saw the leaderboard tighten with leaders Markus Edegran and Noah Runciman each retiring from a race, and Neil Marcellini moving up the ranks with a redress ruling in Race 2. With the top four all within six points, the battle was on for the Seabreeze Invitational.
Immediately out of the gates, Markus Edegran went for a big opener, teeing up to cross the fleet on port until the last second when he realized he wouldn't make it, and launched himself into the air to avoid a collision and land on starboard tack. The move put Edegran behind at the gun, but lightning reflexes kept him out of the water, and in the hunt.
Will Cyr opened strong with excellent speed off the line and good tactics putting him in control of race one. Fending off battles from many of the top kiters Cyr hung on for the win, and set the tone for his critical Sunday rally to overtake Noah Runciman, and take control of the California Triple Crown.
Day two saw an unusual, monsoonal weather pattern bringing sprinkles of rain in the morning. The first three races of the day were tricky with a shifty breeze, before the sea breeze won out for the remainder of the day.
The top kiters battled throughout the day, with seven different riders breaking into the top five at times. Xantos Villegas who was in a tight battle for third suffered a deep cut from kite lines requiring stitches, and was not able to make the final three races of the day.
Elsewhere in the fleet, the level of racing is rising quickly. Since the Delta Pro event in Sherman Island, Leif Given has been hard at work, focusing on speed on the foil, and the results show. From 13th at the Delta Pro, Given moved up to 9th at the Seabreeze Invitational (tied for 8th), and finished strong with a 6th in race 12. One of the kiters to watch in Santa Barbara will be Neil Marcellini, who has been breaking into the top five more and more often, and is looking like a challenger to the top contenders.
Mike Martin kept the hammer down this weekend, with his first top five race finish of the Triple Crown. With two wins in the Masters division now under his belt, his consistency in the series so far puts him 6th in the overall California Triple Crown standings, just ahead of Ryan Satterberg.
At the end of the day, Edegran showed just how far the bar has been pushed in terms of speed and consistency around the race course since the Delta Pro, carrying all top 2 finishes in his final scoreline. The performance jumps him up the California Triple Crown leaderboard from fifth to second, but the challenger is clear: the race is on for the rest of the fleet to find extra speed before the Ledbetter Classic, August 20-22!