What do they have to jump over? One of those inflatable logs? I don't like the idea of a mandatory jump during the race. The boards aren't designed for jumping, and I'd be pissed if I lost the gold medal because I fell on the jump! I see that showing off jumping to spectators, something that none of the other sailing classes can do, but it seems like a pain for the competitors. How do the top level racers feel about the mandatory jump?

Good to hear at least some of the windsurfing guys are happy to move to kiting. Even if they have never kited before, they could be ready for the olympic trials in the next 2 or 3 years. Didn't Johnny Heineken only start racing 2 or 3 years ago?

You do see them on the list. All of the flysurfer kites qualify on the list. Everyone forgets that the first entry is ALL 2011 and before. I don't know that flysurfer even has any kites that released after 2011.

[quote="Gebi"]

In 4 to 5 knots riders are doing 12 knots upwind speed and over 18 on a reach. In 7 knots riders are doing 14 plus knots up wind, and hitting 28 knots on a reach. Sick! All GPS data and wind meter verified and show to ISAF. [quote]

Nice to see all that enthusiasm.

I had no problem with board speed = 2.5 times wind speed

And I was just getting on board with board speed = 3 times wind speed and was starting to believe that.

The 4 times wind speed? I know the GPS is verifiable and the wind was presumably measured in a drifting boat? somewhere nearby and was probably correct, but I'd like to see someone prove that in clean steady wind of 7 knots, when most people couldn't even relaunch a kite, you can do a long run at 28 knots.

For sure there will be an arms race. To get serious I could see me owning 4 boards to choose from before events based on event forecast. Fin wise - unlimited - just as much as i could afford to keep buying the fins that won the last big race, length, foil profile, pitch, toe, carbon /nomex core. Same with the kites, some kites are much better in super gusty conditions that others - riders will own sets of kites no doubt and again choose based on forecast, the second a brands gets 2 of top 3 spots I would consider changing. Super super choppy location wind against tide and I think another kind of board (to box rule) again. Efficiency will rocket, battens, lightwind models with no crash reinforcement, super high inflation pressures for stable predictable foil and super thin leading edge, bridles will become more complex, double depower systems will come back in, in fact triple depower maybe, very long kitebars will be back, super long lines, super thin dyneema and spectra will be experimented with, and everyone will be secretly rubbing thick layers of detergent all over the bases of boards... interesting times,.

Least expensive of all Olympic sailing classes - well if you are not intending on getting a medal lol. As for being accessible to "emerging nations", wtf lol!

The IKA form for new kites registration is asking for
"We declare that the kites and associated bars/lines comply with the current AFNOR regulation and testify this with the attached certificate of an independent test laboratory."

just out of curiosity - does anyone knows what AFNOR regulation is saying?

can´t find a link...

I don't think the current top level competitors are changing between 4 different boards for different events. I had heard everyone rides the same board no matter what the conditions will be. People are changing fins all the time though.

Even if you did have 4 boards at $2000 each plus 5 sets of fins at $1000 each plus 8 kites at $1200 each plus bar and lines sets of $1500 total. That's a total of about $24k worth of equipment, and that's a lot of equipment!

The price of the new NACRA 17 is just under 20,000 Euros just for one boat. If you're a serious Olypmic level competitor you'd likely have a second boat, one for races one for practice. New sails every few months. Then trasnportation of that boat around the world for international competitions is a huge cost compared to the price of transporting your raceboard and kites.

An olympic campaign in a laser might be less, but compared to the 49er, 470, or NACRA 17, the kiteboards seem cheaper.