The Victorian Kite Foil fleet will kick off its 2019/20 season in October with a big fleet expected at the Sandringham Yacht Club’s launch event for the season, the 2019 Sail Sandy Regatta.
Hosted on 12-13 October, Sail Sandy will see a fleet of more than 10 Kite Foils as they prepare for a big season ahead, which includes the National Championships at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club from 17 January to 21 January next year as part of the Sail Melbourne event.
Victorian Kite Foil racer Zac Pullen is one of the top contenders in the fleet this season and in the lead up to Sail Sandy said he was excited kiteboard racing was starting to see more inclusion at local sailing events.
“Aside from the great racing we have the opportunity to be involved in, racing at events such as Sail Sandy really promotes this new and exciting discipline,” he said.
“Sail Sandy is one of the first events for the Australian summer season, it is going to be great to see how everyone has progressed over the cold winter and to see what the current standard is heading into the coming season’s events.
“Having this format of racing is also a great training tool as it lets us practice in a real racing environment that we struggle to get over winter.”
Pullen went on to say being such a new sport, Kite Foil racing really needed to see more people getting involved, especially the youth.
“It is such a thrilling and tactical racing environment that I hope more and more people will have the opportunity to get involved in,” he said.
“It is also much more accessible than many people may think and very addictive.”
As one of the first of the state’s major interclub off-the-beach events, Sail Sandy brings together hundreds of sailors and kiters across a range of classes, many of which use the event for their first hit out of the season ahead.
Last year’s event saw strong fleets in a range of classes with more than 190 entries, however with the excitement around this season and the major events Sandringham is hosting, the club expects numbers to get close to 250 this year.
“Sail Sandy is always a great event to kick off the season with big fleets on the water and a great atmosphere around the clubhouse over the two days,” club Sailing Manager James Sly said.
“It’s the first major event of the season and is a great opportunity for juniors and seniors alike to dust off their kites and their boats and get involved.”
Sail Sandy is open to all classes and is encouraged as a great way to launch into some quality racing to kick off the upcoming season.
For more information about Sail Sandy, and to enter into the event, head to the event website.
For more information about how to get involved in Kite Foil racing, contact Kiteboarding Australia general manager Declan McCarthy via the Kiteboarding Australia website.
