Great info on how to set a race course at Kite world champs in Germany 2011. info

http://www.internationalkiteboarding.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4896&Itemid=140

Great info for racers in Australia to learn how to set courses and set up races if you are going to have comps. They also make sure race is in water at least 1m deep around all marks and well away from shallow water areas so racers can choose to take their own lines around course. The 1st mark is straight upwind at least 1km to 1.5km, that gives you the timing of around 15 minutes. The time taken from 6 to 10knots / verus 20 to 25 knots around course would only be 20% to 30% slower.

Whats the rules of race boards? Is it inevitable the boards will evolve to having foils, like Moths?

I've just started a little project in my shed

www.boatdesign.net/threads/foiling-kiteboards-vs-normal-kiteboards.35108/page-2

Kite race board IKA spec for racing 2011/2012

190cm in length max
70cm wide
50cm fins max - any set up / thruster 4 fin / 1 fin etc

2012 racing in comps

3x production kites per race meeting
1x board per race IKA approved


Racing in 2012 onwards - All kiters will be able to get IKA boards from all brands & fast fins that fit the regs and will be able to compete with other racers. All of the boards and fins should be pretty similar.

All race kiters will be able to , turn up on day, choose a kite size, fin the board and race at speed that will blow most kiters minds. But the winner on the day will be the kiter who, relaxed, set up early, got the start just perfect, didn't get to aggressive and tangle on the start, use a bit of training and fitness to stay calm, not burn out the back leg, & relaxed after start and lead the race, or hang behind the leaders and wait for the moment to pass on the reach and not blow the last mark, what a gybe, a upwind tack, to cross in 1st palce.
Get this changing combination just right over 3 races that day and you are doing well and having more fun than you would ever had in 10 to 25 knots.... Unless the swell is up and you can get way 2 many waves at Scabrough beach with a kite and a surfboard .... Then Go to the bar with a few buddies and have 2.5 beers and go home.

BUT if you miss a start because you were day dreaming 100m from start, get stuck behind Shaun M as the start flag goes up, stuff an upwind tack .... again .... hit a bunch of eel weed at 20 knots, miss a mark as you decided to gybe 2 early to get to mark, and then limp home last over line ..... and still have way 2 much fun.

2012 racing looks heaps of fun.

Unless you are a total pain freak and want to kite in 6 to 12 knots on your race board. Most times I get a perfectly powered 1 hr session after work in 6 to 12 knots in super glassy Leighton conditions and have a BALL and nothing extreme happens in slow motion, BUT .... in a recently winterish underpowered session, on a 15m kite, the sign I missed was - the kite is dropping out of the sky before I left the beach. Confidently after this sign I cruised out off shore, sort of powered on my 15m, and 1km out from shore the kite loses all power, luffs & falls out of the sky as the wind goes off shore in a moment. I realised I was in 20m of Indian ocean water and 1km from shore, luckly the slow , slow swim only took 45 minutes to get back to tera ferma ..... as I was swimming back to shore I tried not to think of 2 x BIG, BIG white pointer type sharks eating me as I dragged my 15m kite and normally very uber fast race board back to shore .....

Can't wait for October in WA