This year' Kite Racing Nationals will be the first National Racing Comp' in Australia, I hope you've booked your flights and registered for this years' comp in Alva beach (QLD)!?
We are going to try to make the Racing Competition as accessible and as fun as possible:
- we will most likely run 2 categories: 1 for Twin-Tips, and the other one for Race-& Surf-boards (if numbers are really high >50 riders, we'll split riders in more categories)
- we want to run as many races as possible in order to get all the riders entering the comp' to run as many races as they can. So, we will make everyone starting at the same time, per category. This is good for the riders to improve their skills during the comp' and get hooked into racing :0) having 20+ riders starting at the same time will for sure be a pretty intense moment for the riders, and also great to watch from the beach!
- the course shapes will be decided closer to the competition dates, but we will most likely have a starting line away from the beach, and a first upwind mark close (-ish) to the beach, then the other marks will depend on tides, riders numbers, and wind. A Windward/Leeward with Offset?Mark will probably be the best option.
- the target time for the first finisher will be around 15 minutes, with the last ones expected to be done in 30 minutes
- the Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions & scoring system will be available on-line, on the website: www.KiteboardingNationals.com in a few days, in the Event Info page
- get yourself comfortable with right of ways and starting procedures by downloading the IKA pdfs on the Nationals website on the Event Info page at: http://www.kiteboardingnationals.com/2011-aknt#!__2011-aknt/event-info
(don't forget to get yourself a watch with chrono for the start!)
- Finally, as many riders will get to Alva before the 22nd of April, we'll try to run a few training races (maybe on the 21st, nothing sure yet though), to get the starting boat crew, the racing committee and a few riders used to racing before the big day :0)
Tell us what you think, and see you all very soon in Alva!!!
watch a few good racing videos on:
www.tropheesaintclair.com/
it's in french :0(
but it gives a good idea of starting lines packed with over 70 kiters
here are a few raceboards pictures, the tri-fins seem to be back in the game!? there are a few trifins new North Race-boards on the podium...!
Back to 3 Fins now!?
Has anybody else got a whistling sound coming from the fins of the raceboard?
What causes it? What can you do to get rid of the noise?
... funniy thing that noise, was the first thing I noticed about my race board, then the fact that I shot upwind was the next, anyway, I didn't know if it was the board in conjunction with the fins (board acting like a natural amplifier since it is a light shell over eski type foam), or just the fins.
Recently, I put the fins into an old directional Stonker for a laugh and had the same humming noise. Further, I think it came from the front fins and not the back ones. Not sure but thats where it sounded it came from! And it happended when the fins were new and still after a year with small dings in them now, so its a design thing. Smalll high frequency vibrations (harmonic resonance at about 440 hertz from what I can hear) naturally amplified by the hull.
Anyway, enough blah blah blah from me,
cheers for now,
Robbie
The guy that won most of the races in Thailand was on a 3 fin custom thing that he has been using the last year or so and it resembles the shape of an egg surfboard haha. My guess is this is why everyone went back to 3 fins.
"shape of an egg surfboard" 
yes, I guess that's where the shapes will go towards :0) they will probably push everything to the limits ~70cm wide with a 50cm fin at the back...? who knows...
yes, it's was has been decided but we are always open to more ideas
we will have to adapt to the conditions on the comp' day + adapt to the level & number of riders, anyways
tell us what you think Damo about the racing format? debate will most likely bring good ideas
I was thinking it might not be such a good idea with the all in starts. With it being the first nationals held in Australia and not many people having experience or knowledge of the rules i think there could be too much Chaos and too many people being taken out on the start line.
It would be a shame to see a better racer being taken out on the start line by some aggressive kook that doesn't know the rules
just throwing it out there
Also a couple of questions
Is it true that it is really shallow at Alva and the big race fins might be an issue?
Will races be held back to back??
Can we please get a heads up here on SB when the Sailing Instructions become available.
Hi
we will see how the first few starts will be, and may change to smaller groups, that's one of the points we need to stay flexible on, for sure.
regarding fins & depth, it will OK for big fins as we need to make it safe for the raceboards, unless you have 80cm fins (which I would doubt), you're fine in Alva (IKA normally allows fins up to 50cm)
we will put small marks on the very shallow sand bars (out of the race track) to avoid destroying fins, boards & people :0)
races held back to back: again depending on how many groups we have, but YES, we'll try to run races one after the others with a ~15 minutes turn over time from the time the last finisher has arrived
I heard a rumor that the notice of race has been put out but i cant find it on the web site. Anyone got any info on when it is going to come out?
At the PKRA on the goldy there were 6 experienced riders in a heat and that was chaotic 20 @ once will be hilarious
In the states they race with 20 -30 people and handle it , don't worry, this is called racing. Go to kiteforum.com Cabrinha race series 2011 racing & you will see 20 plus kites in the sky racing at 100% April 2011, probably the most advanced races today, Johhny H , Adam K race here. I will try and attach the link when I work out how to use this Mac.
Hey!
all this sounds soo exciting! I just wanna ask if you guys are having a Men and Women Races or unisex ones? Cheers! See you there
xM
Hi Muxu,
depending on numbers again, but ideally I would see a women group & a men group in each dividon (TT & raceboard)... we'll see depending on numbers, because if we are not that numerous, we could all race together = that way we can run as many races as possible!
see you soon!
I shipped race boards up by road freight, much better way to get this bulky gear to an event.
I hope that is my MASSIVE box if its not could you please give me a heads up when mine does get there so i can stop stressing about it. (if its mine it should have my name and number written on the box)
heading off tonight!!!!
