 |
|
|
previous topic :: next topic |
| Author |
Message |
pkh
Since 27 Feb 2005
6549 Posts
Couve / Hood
Honored Founder
|
 Fri Jun 13, 08 6:45 am Article on SF Kite Race Scene |
 |
|
| Quote: | Breaking News
Buzz up!Kiteboarders in S.F., hoping sport will soar
Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
(06-10) 17:18 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The deepest secrets in San Francisco were lying on the beach Tuesday at Crissy Field, covered with sand and guarded from prying eyes.
No peeking was allowed. Keep away. This means you.
In the world of big-time kiteboarding, the designs of the boards and the fins for this year's U.S. championships being held in San Francisco are not something that a big-time kiteboarder wants to share with his foe.
Five dozen kiteboarders are in the city to compete in the five-day event. Kiteboarding is a young sport, which means the winner gets only a trophy, the athletes gleefully sign autographs, admission is free and nobody knows what, exactly, the best kiteboard looks like.
Nonetheless, the racers were keeping their boards and their top-secret fin designs hidden from one another. Some of the fins, it turned out, were made of fiberglass. Others were resin or carbon fiber. Some were a foot long and skinny, some were 4 inches long and squat. Some boards had four fins, some only two.
Hiding a top-secret kiteboard from the enemy is easier than hiding a top-secret America's Cup yacht. You don't need a warehouse, only some strategically placed sand or, perhaps, a beach towel.
"We're not out here to have a trade show," said world-class boarder Chip Wasson of San Francisco. "You don't want to have a big conversation about your board before the race. Some things you keep to yourself."
Behind a tree, racer Jeff Kafka was spending the precious few moments before the first heat frantically making a last-minute tweak to his board. By his side was a power drill, duct tape and a screwdriver. Exactly how he had modified the board, he wasn't saying.
"Went to bed at 4 this morning, got up at 6 and I still wasn't finished," Kafka said.
Wasson said he was going with 12-inch flexible fins. Mike Gebhardt of Fort Pierce, Fla., said he was going with 6-inch rigid fins.
Gebhardt, a former Olympic champion windsurfer, said he likes kiteboarding because it isn't windsurfing.
"It's something new, like a new toy or a new girlfriend," he said. "It's cool to be at the beginning of a sport. It hasn't gotten too hard-core yet."
In kiteboarding, the idea is to ride a small surfboard while harnessed to an inflatable nylon crescent-shaped kite, navigating around a series of buoys, all the while contending with the caprices of wind, waves, current, board, boats, the clock and the occasional sea lion.
Just about anything goes, race promoter John Gomes said. There are no restrictions on boards, kites, materials or designs, at least during the sport's shakedown period.
"In kiteboarding, we're still just getting things figured out," he said.
For most of the afternoon, the competitors pumped air into their nylon kites, attached the high-tech lines to their harnesses and wiggled into their wetsuits. The kites sat on the beach like giant tents. Passing dogs gave them a sniff.
The first race was delayed for an hour or so while organizers waited for the wind to get windier. Finally a gun sounded and 27 contestants shot past a yellow buoy in the middle of the bay, and the race was on.
The kites, looking like giant airborne potato chips, wafted across the sky, carrying the boarders west, toward the second buoy. There was a fair amount of jostling for position and the strategy got even more intense when a 980-foot container ship, the Hatsu Envoy, chose that moment to steam beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and smack into the middle of the course.
Race organizers dispatched a marshal's boat onto the course to keep law and order, and a couple of the kiters boldly scooted past the tanker's bow with seemingly not much room to spare. The Hatsu Envoy continued toward Oakland, keeping its keel design hidden, too.
After about half an hour, a handful of fleet boarders crossed the finish line and were on their way toward qualifying for the next round. After more preliminary heats today and Thursday, the winners will advance to the finals Friday and Saturday.
"You feel it mostly in your legs," Gebhardt said. "It's like wrestling, but more of a fight."
If you go
The national kiteboarding championships will be held through Saturday, starting each day at 2 p.m. or so, depending on the vagaries of the afternoon sea breezes. The best place to watch is Crissy Field; there is no admission fee.
E-mail Steve Rubenstein at srubenstein@sfchronicle.com. |
|
|
|
gorgebob
Since 25 Jun 2007
259 Posts
Portland, OR
Shop Owner
|
| Fri Jun 13, 08 6:58 am kens race boards |
|
|
I have seen Ken Winners race boards being built at Cascade. They aren't much to look at. Twin fin with big chinnook boxes canted out. The 5'3" board has the wide point almost at the tail with parallel rails. Kind of the old school kite surf board hybrid prior to the twin designs. Its all about the upwind speed.
_________________
Gorge Performance
http://www.gorgeperformance.com/
Surf, Snow, Kite, Sail, Skate – Since 1983
Portland
503-246-6646 |
|
|
stringy
Since 23 Jun 2006
1738 Posts
vancouver
XTreme Poster
|
| Fri Jun 13, 08 8:31 am |
|
|
I came down to SF on thursday. I decided to hit Crissy instead of Sherman for the day. Crissy is one of those places that is the most picturesque for city style kiting. I'm kicking myself far not bringing my W10 on the water with me. Here's some shots from the beach. Damien Leroy is leading the series, with Sean Farley and Sky not far behind. Not to get out on the water here. Still foggy this morning so heading for the delta today.
 |
| crissy field |
race.jpg |
 |
| launch area |
race-2.jpg |
 |
| kiting by the rock |
race-5.jpg |
 |
| wasson's weapon |
race-3.jpg |
 |
| race |
race-4.jpg |
_________________
www.jimstringfellow.com |
|
|
jbruxer
Since 24 Jul 2005
398 Posts
Beaverton, OR
Obsessed
|
| Fri Jun 13, 08 9:13 am |
|
|
Great pics, Stringy! 
Its always cool to see what people are riding outside of the PNW. Definetly not the usual SS malitia.
|
|
|
Spike
Since 13 May 2007
1414 Posts
Alameda
Spelling Expert
|
|
|
Spike
Since 13 May 2007
1414 Posts
Alameda
Spelling Expert
|
| Fri Jun 13, 08 10:35 am |
|
|
| Quote: | | In kiteboarding, the idea is to ride a small surfboard while harnessed to an inflatable nylon crescent-shaped kite, navigating around a series of buoys, all the while contending with the caprices of wind, waves, current, board, boats, the clock and the occasional sea lion. |
| Quote: | | For most of the afternoon, the competitors pumped air into their nylon kites, attached the high-tech lines to their harnesses and wiggled into their wetsuits. The kites sat on the beach like giant tents. |
their nylon kites, and high tech lines attatched to harnesses.
Pretty fun when non-kiters write about kiting 
|
|
|
bulae99
Since 12 Jul 2006
1692 Posts
XTreme Poster
|
| Fri Jun 13, 08 10:57 am Very Funny Stuff!!! |
|
|
| Quote: | "It's something new, like a new toy or a new girlfriend," he said. "It's cool to be at the beginning of a sport. It hasn't gotten too hard-core yet."
|
Holy Crap he needs to start kiting here in The Gorge!
_________________
Hey, I'm being hahahahahrassed! |
|
|
BigR
Since 05 Jul 2005
372 Posts
White Salmon
Obsessed
|
| Fri Jun 13, 08 11:30 am |
|
|
| Quote: | | Holy Crap he needs to start kiting here in The Gorge! |
He does...... he's been there for most all of the windsurfing races out there as well as kite
I just saw him kicking some nice jumps in ft pierce 2 weeks ago.
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
|
|
