stfyckiteracing

After an intense week of racing with a strong fleet of local, national and international racers, among them F-One team racers Connor Bainbridge, Joey Pasquali, Seth Besse and Noah Runciman (U19), we are thrilled to report that Conno finished on the podium of the Hydrofoil Pro Tour / Formula Kite Event hosted by St Francis Yacht Club at Crissy Field Beach.
Last night kicked off the first St Francis YC Thursday Night Kite for the season. We could not have asked for better conditions. Fog in the distance at the north end of the bridge but perfect sunshine and steady wind on the course and at the beach. 27 racers flying around the course on 11M kites, with perfect power was a great way to kick off the season.
Good night of racing in slightly lighter winds! At the 5:00pm skippers meeting the whole fleet was convinced 9M was the kite, but by 5:15 it was 11M or even 13M. It was a nice break from the winds we have seen since the beginning of June. Johnny Heineken and Daniela Moroz were notably absent tonight giving a chance for some others to be at the top of the pack. Will Cyr (1,1,1) convincingly took the bullet baton from Johnny taking all three races.
Race One started with all but Johnny Heineken (1,1,1) and Joey Pasquali (3,4,3) starting on starboard. Johnny and Joey just squeaked across the fleet and headed out. As the fleet tacked out Joey and Johnny were looking launched, but as we got closer to the lay line the fleet inside clearly had more pressure. At the windward mark it was Joey, then Johnny but followed by Daniella Moroz (2,2,5) and Kai Calder (4,7,9)
Joey Pasquali (8,2,3) reached the lay line first coming in fast on the starboard. Daniella Moroz on a 19M kite went to tack inside but she got lofted and Joey couldn’t avoid quickly enough. Both Joey and Daniella ended up swimming. Next came Johnny Heineken (4,1,1) and Gabriel Wicke coming in as the carnage was unfolding.
Fun night, flat water and good breeze. Tonight, was one of those nights that picking the right kite was an art not a science. 30 minutes before the start everyone was thinking 8s or 9s but by the time 5:15 rolled around about half the fleet decided to go big on 10s or 11s.
Daniela Moroz (3,2,2) has showed she is in it to win it this season. In the two races thus far she has been on Johnny Heineken’s (1,1,1) heels and consistently ahead of the rest of the pack.
The St Francis Yacht Club, located near famed Crissy Field in San Francisco has started off the 2018 Thursday Night Kite Race Series!
Thank you again for everyone who makes our Thursday Night Race Series possible including the St Francis Yacht Club and of course the Race Committee! Until next time, check out the pictures and results below.
We all should have known that Chip’s Birthday was going to be a wet and wild evening. Ebb tide and wind gusting over 25 knots made for a fun and fast evening. As the night went on the wind stayed up but trended slightly south. This meant that the square start in race one turned pin favored for race two and three. Race two saw about four people risking it on port tack then race three closer to ten. The risk payed off for Joey Pasquali...