Just a few weeks prior to the most significant annual kite foiling event in the world, Stefaans Viljoen was still waiting on new equipment — a quiver of kites — being shipped from the factory.
“It’s going to be a bit of a rush to get everything race ready,” the Mill Valley resident said, “but I’ve been experimenting daily so I have a good idea what works for me.”
Viljoen’s been preparing for the third stop of the international 2017 Hydrofoil Pro Tour, which kicks off Aug. 2, at the St. Francis Yacht Club (STFYC) in San Francisco. In its second year, the event represents the best talent in foiling kite racing from around the world. The 2017 tour has six stops: La Ventana, Mexico; Montpellier, France; San Francisco; Fehmarn, Germany; Pointe D’Esny, Mauritius; and Rockingham, Australia. Some 60 competitors representing 15 countries are registered to race the San Francisco event.
Viljoen, who finished fifth overall in last year’s 45-strong fleet, has come a long way since he started kiteboarding in 2003. At that time, getting into kiteboarding wasn’t as easy as it is today, but Viljoen was able to take pointers from the handful of kiters frequenting Crissy Field.
“The first month of learning to kite was basically just uncontrollable launches over water, if you did it right,” Viljoen recalls. “The kites didn’t have proper safety and depower mechanisms, like they do now, so learning the sport was a challenge.”
He started kite racing on twin tips in 2005 and has raced every season since, transitioning along with other local kite racers some three years ago to foil racing.
The transition to foiling was not something that happened by chance for Viljoen and his foiling friends.
“It has taken lots of failed board design attempts to get to what we are on today,” Viljoen said. “When something faster comes up I won’t hesitate to change again, though I have to say the speeds on these foils are really starting to scare me.”
While 30-plus foil racers regularly compete in the STFYC Thursday night series, the discipline is far from mainstream. There’s still a learning curve when it comes to the putting together the right combination of gear — board, foil, and kite — capable of sending competitors around the course at speeds that almost rival those of America’s Cup boats.
Viljoen’s sparring partner, Will Morris, has also been working on last-minute equipment tweaks, figuring out what’s going to work best under the expected conditions, and perhaps even what may give an edge over his competitors.
“Every year we experiment with new equipment — new foils and kites — which make a big difference,” said Morris, who also lives in Mill Valley. “We’re always tweaking things like how best to tune the kites, what length of lines we should be using, how to sand the hydrofoil, etc.”
For Morris, the pleasures of foil racing appreciably outweigh other forms of kite racing.
“The feeling you get on a foil is like you are flying over the water, the top guys in our sport can travel upwind at roughly 20 knots and downwind it can be more like 30-40+ knots, depending on conditions,” Morris said. “The course boards we used to race were like thick surfboards, with three sets of long fins that were also pretty fast, but punishing to ride in the often-choppy Bay.”
Riding a hydrofoil requires commitment and attention, mainly because of the speeds that are attained. Maneuvering through transitions — tacks and gybes — is particularly tricky and the most common time that someone may crash as they switch feet and try to stay foiling.
“It can hurt, especially when you are traveling at over 20 knots — think of falling off a picnic table moving at 25 miles per hour into the water,” Morris said. “The top guys make it look easy, but it’s actually hard and takes a lot of practice. Because we are moving so quickly, falls in our sport are quite costly, so trying to race without mistakes is very important. And, in a big fleet, navigating the start line and race course without bumping kites or fouling other riders is also very important and difficult.”
Racing will occur just off Crissy Field between St. Francis Yacht Club and the Golden Gate Bridge. Three race days will feature course racing and one will be a long-distance “Bay Tour.” Race coordinator Graham Biehl concedes that at the least, running Race Committee for kiters is exhilarating.
“It keeps you on your toes at all times as kiters can handle 6–7 races a day, with extremely tight turnaround times,” Biehl stated. “The first finisher usually crosses the line after 12-15 minutes, and we allow ten minutes before starting the next race, which gives us little opportunity to make any necessary course adjustments.”
Competitors on the San Francisco tour stop this year include former world champion and Rolex Yachtsman of the Year (and Marin native) Johnny Heineken, former tour champion and 2017 France-stop champion Nico Parlier, 2017 Mexico-stop winner Oliver Bridge, and Ronstan Bridge to Bridge record-holder Ricardo Leccese. Sixteen-year-old Daniela Moroz, Formula Kite World Champion and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, is the youngest competitor. A Moraga resident with an eye toward the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, Moroz trains and races regularly on the Bay, receiving support from the St. Francis Sailing Foundation.
Spectators are encouraged to check out the racing from Crissy Field and the City Front. “If you want to see some high-speed racing with a backdrop of Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz, grab some cold beers and come enjoy the event with us,” Viljoen said.
Marin resident Michelle Slade is a sailing journalist. Contact her about results, upcoming competitions and story ideas at micheslade@gmail.com. Read her blog at sailblast.blogspot.com.
