World Kiteboard Racing Championships show what's to come
Um... My kites green. I know i left it here somewhere!
Check out the video below from the event, it's highly produced nature is only but a glimpse of what's in store when it comes to media coverage. Balancing nicely on the fence between experienced (in kiteboarding) viewers and the general public, this video is a great showcase for the sport. It gives the view a great sense of the speed and excitement experienced with kiteboarding, and even manages to get most of the terms right. Well, except the narrator said 'planning' not 'planing'. That can be forgiven however.
Back to the racing, and light wind conditions tested the riders but made for a great race. Start line decisions were crucial, especially in the women's event where many of the kiteboarders failed to even cross the start on their first tack. The racing tactics are fast becoming more in line with sailing, and riders are relying more on their tactical decisions rather than hoping the other riders fall off at the tacks or gybes.
There's some interesting equipment being used in the fleet, while there is of course the hordes of Ozone Edges flying, there's also some very green North kites in the air and even some Flysurfers! Boards remain very similar to what we've seen. 70cm wide boards with square noses, three fins and 5 footstraps. Thanks to the box rules that govern the board sizes, it's kept a very level playing field in the board department. Interestingly, the IKA have recently decided to increase the amount of boards that class a 'production' board from 50 to 150. A huge slap in the face to all the small board manufacturers out there that were driving the development in board design initially. Time will tell whether the sizing and limits placed on equipment will change, or if the sport will go down the one design route, similar to the RS:X concept in Olympic Windsurfing.
The competition goes for a few more days yet, so stay tuned to see future videos and reports on the IKA website. Watch the video below for a real insight to kiteboard racing and how it's going to shape the future of the sport.
Diamond Beach, NSW
