Update As speeds increase remorselessly many riders also now utilise
‘half straps’ as opposed to full foot straps, reducing the risk of foot, ankle and knee injuries. Carrying the foil itself is the ‘mast’, with an average length of
1m or more. The small ‘fuselage’ at the bottom connects the mast to the wings and is heavily optimised for best hydrodynamic flow over the lift-elements. Now 29, Johnny Heineken is a multiple world champion who
dominated the discipline for many years. He likes what he sees in the equipment evolution and is keeping a close eye on some of the emerging young talent, offering advice where helpful. Heineken was 22 when he brought home his first foiling kit from Puerto Rico in 2011. ‘It was a crude, recreational set-up with a spade-type front blade, not very effective, but it did give me some- thing to play with! It wasn’t til ‘Bernie’ [Bryan Lake] brought over a racing set-up from France in 2013 that the locals decided “Aha, this is something we can actually race with”.’ In 2024 Johnny will be 35, ancient by kite-foil standards, but he
does not exclude the possibility of competing. ‘As long as it’s still fun I’ll continue to race, but I do have full-time employment these days that might be an issue… Plus these younger sailors are coming in at exactly the right time – the gear is much better and this means the learning curve is less steep than a few years ago. These guys are going to be very hard to beat, plus there’s time for another new generation to come through before Paris.’ The US development team’s immediate focus is on refining the
techniques as well as the equipment. It’s still early days and if you watch today’s riders you’ll see big differences in stance from rider to rider – some of the top young guns like Great Britain’s Guy Bridge go with a compressed crouch while many of the ‘older’ guys stick with a more upright posture. ‘We will be looking closely into the best technique to transfer the power of the kite through the rider to the foils,’ says development coach Robbie Dean. ‘And not only for effectiveness, but for fatigue and injury reduction. ‘That said, it’s interesting that the switch to foiling kite from the
large formula boards of a few years ago has been showing a dramatic reduction in stress-related injuries.’ Meanwhile, the St Francis YC deserves recognition for its role
in the development of kite racing in general. They were first to accept kite-boarders to race in 2003 at the Bridge to Bridge race, when it would take the kiters nearly an hour to get to the starting area, and few finished. They were first to host a kite racing series with the Thursday Night Kite series in 2005 and they held the first
US Nationals in 2007. ‘The club’s contribution has been huge,’ says Johnny. ‘The race office and committee have gone above and beyond in helping promote the sport, providing support and making the right calls on courses that work for kite-boarding and now foiling.’ That tradition will continue with the club’s commitment to the
new Olympic centre at Treasure Island, the Facility for Advanced Sailing and Technology (FAST), which will be hosting development clinics in the weeks, months and years to come. ‘The US Sailing Team see a great opportunity for our young sailors
and the powerful potential of our kite-foilers and we are investing heavily,’ says Robbie Dean. ‘We’re very determined to lift some serious metal in Paris…’
SNAPSHOTS Brought to you in association with q
Daniela Moroz was an instant pick for US Sailing’s kite-board development programme... Started kite-racing age 13, Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year age 15 and current kite-foiling world champion. As a fuddy-duddy yacht racing magazine we’re pretty excited about this likely addition to the Olympic sailing line-up...
14 SEAHORSE
l Ooh…so close l Neither…Pete Burling (Brunel) nor Blair Tuke (Mapfre) pulled off the triple this time l Olympic gold…America’s Cup and Volvo, dumb-ass l Squaring…the circle l American…Magic are building their two AC75s at the former Hall Spars factory on Rhode Island l A vendre…Luna Rossa’s new TP52 l Panic not…this was always the plan for a one-year pre-AC75 programme l Helluva…buy for someone l In at the top…no pressure then... l Appropriate…Grant Dalton has been awarded the Magnus Olsson Prize for making an indelible contribution to sailing l We…approve l Hmm…no French Cup challenge from Groupama l No…other big project from Groupama l Fire…burns down Groupama base in Lorient l Old…Jewish joke l Manny Manny…sorry to hear your factory burnt down l Shut up…you fool, it’s tomorrow l We’re not…saying anything l Winning there…not at Auckland 2021 but winning in foiling cats at the Extreme Sailing Series l That’ll be…Alinghi with two wins on the trot this year l Nail…in the coffin l Of…any last slender chance of an Aussie Cup team l As…Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen and Joey Newton join Ineos l Seahorse…strikes again l After reading…Peter Harken (issue 457) on the need to ‘make boating easier’ l Self-docking…technology is trialled by Volvo Penta l Doubt us…at your peril l A less…known side to Bernard Moitessier l Yes…he did indeed wander off mid-race to cruise the Pacific l But he…also smashed up three yachts through tantric navigating l Including…the Joshua itself l Trifle…careless, oh spiritual one l Sardinian…update l Will there…be that Cup challenge? l Yes…Adelasia di Torre have entered l No…at time of writing the cheque is in the post l Next rumour…Norway? l Jeez…these are certainly wild times in boatbuilding… l Dangerously…close l But…the wonderful Brooklin Boat Yard has survived a million dollar fraud by its former CFO l Seven years’ bird…plus a further five years’ ‘supervised release’ l Farewell…this month to John Roome, a lovely man, a distinguished yachtsman, solicitor and former RORC Commodore l Good stuff…at RaceBoatsOnly l Good (daily) stuff…at ScuttlebuttEurope l Bloody marvellous stuff…right here l Always…we try l PS…thank you, really
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