The IKA Formula Kite North American & Caribbean Championships alongside an open kitefoil event came to St. Francis Yacht Club to showcase some of the world’s top kite racing talent.
With an eye toward the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris—the scheduled debut of kiteboarding as an Olympic sport—the dual regatta did not disappoint.
Nico Landauer, representing Uruguay, took the laurels on the Formula Kite North American & Caribbean Championships, followed by Americans Evan Heffernan and Will Cyr. Next in fourth, Kirstyn O’Brien claimed Top Woman honors for the regatta, and Sweden’s Markus Edegran rounded out top five.
“What an amazing venue here in the birthplace of kite racing,” said Markus Schwendtner, Chief Executive Officer of the International Kiteboarding Association. “It was a wonderful regatta and we hope to be back here again in the near future.”
After O’Brien, StFYC’s Daniela Moroz finished second among female entries. The 2016 Formula Kite World Champion is an incoming freshman at the University of Hawaii; at the awards ceremony, Moroz’s mother Linda stood in for her daughter, whose flight to the islands had landed minutes earlier.
The week began on the Cityfront with the annual Ronstan Bridge to Bridge Race, where ideal San Francisco Bay conditions led to the breakage of several Bridge to Bridge records. Parlier [in the open kitefoil fleet] finished in 9 minutes, 32 seconds, beating de Ramecourt by one second for the victory.
Heineken, France’s Theo Lhostis and Moroz completed the Ronstan Kiteboard top five. Xavier Ferlet of Great Britain won the Windsurf side of Ronstan in 16 minutes, 45 seconds, with StFYC’s Al Mirel going second. Ferlet also grabbed the top windsurfer spot in the later SF Bay Challenge.
The IKA is now looking ahead to a busy September: two KiteFoil World Series events in China, then the European Championships in Italy.
