IKA News:

John Heineken and his sister Erika (both USA, Ozone/Mikes Lab) have taken the 2012 North American Course Racing Championship titles after 12 races.

As usual, the renowned St. Francis Yacht Club, one of the birth places and still a hot spot for kite course racing, hosted an amazing event for the nearly 70 kite racers and 20+ Formula Windsurfers in this combined championship event of the IKA and Formula Windsurfing Class.

The kiteboarding podiums were completed by Bryan Lake (USA, Cabrinha/Mikes Lab) and Adam Koch (USA, Ozone/Mikes Lab) for the men, and Boriana Viljoen (Ocean Rodeo) and Warenta Smutny (North) for the women.

12 races in challenging conditions were held over the course of four days, split into three days of qualifying series and one day of final series. With two discards for the whole event it was crucial for competitors to stay out of trouble and avoid mistakes and equipment failure. Winds up to 30 knots at the top mark situated right under the Golden Gate Bridge and steep choppy seas made the event a challenge for both sailors and equipment.

The next two major events of the International Kiteboarding Association will be the European Championships in La Baule, France (26.-30.09.2012) and the Kite Course Racing World Championships in Cagliari, Italy (02.-07.10.2012), before the South American Championship in Buzios, Brazil (15.-18.11.2012) and the first ever ISAF Sailing World Cup with the inclusion of Kiteboarding as Olympic Event in Melbourne, Australia, conclude the 2012 season.

The full event results can be found HERE

A video diary of the event can be found here

Day 0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4fcm1xO--g



Day 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN1D5pDD9AQ



Day 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOrzaNmEjNY



Day 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNGvYsd_ICo



Day 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH80dIrRe04



Photo Galleries
Day 1+2
Day 3

St. Francis Yacht Club Website