From 2005...

Cabrinha Kitesurfing is pleased to announce...

From 2005...

Cabrinha Kitesurfing is pleased to announce it has joined forces with the St. Francis Yacht Club of San Francisco, and Kite Wind Surf of Alameda, Calif. (sponsor), to present the Cabrinha Race Series.

The St. Francis Yacht Club is one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the World, Kite Wind Surf is one of the premier kite shops in the USA, and Cabrinha Kites is the world’s kitesurfing market leader. “This partnership is a natural,” says Kent Marinkovic, VP of Marketing for ASI, the North and South American distributor for Cabrinha. Todd Gréaux, Brand Manager for Cabrinha at ASI, agrees and says, “Course racing is an entirely new discipline in kitesurfing. What better partners could a brand have than the St. Francis Yacht Club and Kite Wind Surf. With the coupled racing expertise of SFYC and the kitesurfing market knowledge of Kite Wind Surf, this partnership was too strong to pass up.”

Jeff Rouss, managing partner of Kite Wind Surf and race participant expects the Cabrinha Race Series to become the competition model that other yacht clubs around the world will adopt. “The SFYC, Kite Wind Surf, and Cabrinha are offering a competitive discipline of kitesurfing that’s an alternative to freestyle – I think it’s great, and it's a model program that others will certainly follow.”

The Cabrinha Race Series will be held on the San Francisco Bay with the start and finish in front of the St. Francis Yacht Club next to the Golden Gate Bridge. It will be a series of 11 evenings of course races with the first to be held Thursday, April 26th, 2005 and participation is expected to average 30 or more racers. According to John Craig, Race Director for the St. Francis, “The series which started last year as an experiment has quickly developed into an amazing spectacle of speed and colors placed against a backdrop second to none.” “Race nights” are scheduled every other Thursday evening, May through September. Craig continued, “The racing itself usually consists of 4-5 races per evening and is very competitive with riders finishing overlapped all within seconds of each other. From shore you can easily see how powered up the kites get and the skills needed to control them is amazing to watch.”

At the conclusion of the race series, Cabrinha and Kite Wind Surf will host the Cabrinha Race Series Social and Awards Ceremony at the St. Francis Yacht Club.

So, what is it about kiteboard course racing that piqued Cabrinha’s and Kite Wind Surf’s interest? Marinkovic, a former member of the US Sailing Team and Olympic hopeful, may have summed it up the best: “Racing has always been the most objective form of competition for any wind sport. It makes sense that kitesurfing would eventually explore this discipline of competition. I saw the opportunity to help promote the sport and extend current forms of kite racing into the yachting community and I jumped at it! I first saw the racing at the St. Francis last summer and I was blown away at the level of competitiveness and fun; additionally, the willingness of the local community and the SFYC to push this amazing discipline…it will be great for the sport.” John Craig agrees, saying, “Long term, the partnership between industry leaders, Cabrinha, Kite Wind Surf, and the club will only increase the profile and legitimacy of kiteboarding course racing nationally and internationally. At its continued rate of growth it would not surprise me at all to see a World Kiteboarding Course Racing Championship in the near future.”

Added: January 4, 2007
 This item has been viewed 3672 times