good call Neil!
Good thing we didn't go for it or we would have all been walking for a bit. We did get a few of us to Matheson to do some small course races. The wind was even a bit light for this. We did 3-4 windward leeward races and then the wind died. It was interesting to see just how light we could go up wind on our equipment. I would say that with a CB3 or SB3 and my course racing directional board that I have a very good upwind angle in 8-9mph. Basically just after I can keep my kite in the air I can make headway.
There are some very good options out there for course racing boards. While down wind races are more common on this coast, I assure you that course racing will start to come to the forefront. To start, at least hop on a surf board of around 5'6 to 6' and give it a go. As you learn more about going up wind you can start to decide on which race board you might want to go with.
There will be at least 2 very high profile races coming up in 08. The first will likly be in Corpus Chrisit, TX in May. This will probably be the Nationals if kite racing is ratified by ISAF and the second will be in SF Bay during the summer. This has a great chance of being the world championships. As things start to progress we will be hosting a series of racing clinics at Adventure Sports Miami to teach kitesurfers a bit more about racing and tactics.
Kent
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