Riley Gibbs, the youngest member of our national team, took first place during the Fall Foil Regatta and left nothing to its concurrents with 8 bullets on 9 races ! Overall, it was a great showing for the F-One Team Riders with Zach Marks second and Jon Modica third, all of them riding the new DIABLO V2 in various conditions. Elite Watersports‘s (regatta organizer) owner Aaron McClearnon finished 12th. Here are the full results.
I asked Riley to send back his impressions of the week end:
Participating in this event was a last minute decision, yet I’m happy Jon Modica persuaded me to fly out to St. Pete Florida. Being a three day event over a weekend was a great opportunity to drop in and test my skills and gear against some of the top American racers. Friday being a training day, left Saturday and Sunday as race days. Through-out the event conditions varied from 3′ chop and gusts of 25 knots to a consistent 15 knots and flat water. The majority of the regatta I spent most of my time riding my brand new F-One Diablo V2 15m. The latest kites coming from F-One have yet again set a new precedent in versatility and performance. Riding through a range of conditions while staying on one kite can prove to be vital, which helped me to win 8 out of 9 races sailed. Although the kites are high aspect, they are quite user friendly. Although I’ve only had the new Diablo V2’s for only a week now, they give me the confidence to put myself in a tough/tactical positions while on the race course that could make or break the race for me. Competing in the St. Pete Fall Foil Regatta was a real treat for me. Hats off to race management and the organizers, I can’t wait to come back in the spring and race again on The Gulf Coast. ~ Riley Gibbs
→ More info on the Florida Kite Racing league: http://www.floridakiteracingleague.com/
→ More info on the DIABLO V2 here
