US Race report

May 14, 2009 marked the second race night of the season for the Cabrinha Race Series at Crissy Field in San Francisco.  Winds held in the mid-20’s close to race time with frequent gusts over 30 knots, and an ebb-tide through the evening that was sure to spice up the racing with monster chop and white water.  Nine, ten, and eleven meter kites were the call.

Crissy Field, CA May 14, 2009
With a core group of kiters fresh off of a week of competing at the U.S. Nationals in Corpus Christy, TX, the racing was sure to approach a whole new level.  Chip Wasson, Ozone Race Team Captain and 5th at the Nationals sought to prove his dominance with a new high-wind, downwind kite loop technique and refined fin combinations.  Sandy Parker, of Sherman Island, CA, and recently crowned U.S. National Champion in the female division, also intended to show all the boys and girls what she learned in Corpus, where winds preferred to blow in the 30 to 40 knot range for most of the week.

The first race started with almost the entire fleet of 35 kites on starboard tack at the boat end of the line.  I made it to the windward mark first with Chip and Paolo Rista in close pursuit.  Heading downwind, Chip went straight into Corpus mode, looping his kite like a airplane propeller and easily passing me to leeward.  He made it to the leeward mark with a wide lead that I couldn’t make back.  Chip crossed 1st while I fought Paolo off for 2nd place.  Race 2 started, again, with most on starboard.  Chip gambled on a pin-end port tack start and tried to cross the fleet.  He was no match for the wall of kites that bore down on him and was forced to tack away and fight his way out of mid-fleet.  Paolo rounded the windward mark first, followed closely by me.  As Paolo broad-reached his way off to starboard, I aggressively looped my kite, six loops in one direction, then six back in the other, and went straight for the leeward mark.  The move paid off, allowing me to round the leeward mark in the lead and finish 1st, followed by Paolo, then Chip.  Race three began a bit more dramatically with the starboard mob forcing a few unlucky kiters over the line early at the gun, leaving them in the unenviable position of having to fight their way backwards through the pack to recross the start line.  I slugged it out with Paolo again for the rest of the race, finishing 1st, while Chip battled his way up from the back of the fleet to finish 6th.  The committee chose to go for one more, as the winds faded slightly but a full fledge ebb-tide (upwind current) kicked in, generating a massive mogul field sure to use up any last bit of leg strength from the remaining competitors.  Chip showed unflinching moxie as he led through most of the race.  Paolo scored his usual second, not letting me pass despite my persistence.  I crossed 3rd.

When the flying foam had settled, the results for the night were: myself  in 1st with 7 points, Paolo in 2nd with 9 points, Chip Wasson in 3rd with 11 points, Stephaans Viljoen in 4th with 22 points, and Franke “le Prof” Wittke in 5th place with 25 points.

The next night of racing is scheduled for May 28th.

Geoff Headington