2016 San Francisco Bay Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Racing Calendar Released
With one of the longest running racing series in the world the St Francis Yacht Club has been supporting the sports of Kiteboarding and Windsurfing for many years. In what is one of the best values in sport you too can get in on the action. (pictured the start of the Bridge to Bridge Race – photo credit Chris Ray www.printroom.com/pro/crayivp )
You do not need to be a member of the club to come on down and race. You however will feel like a member with a near full run of the club included in your entrance fee. You can sign up for the whole series or individual races - whatever fits your schedule. A typical night consists of the riders meeting up before racing to get ready. Racing starts at 5:30pm and usually wraps up before 7pm. You are welcome to bring a few guests to the race as well and they can watch the action from the clubs race deck pictured below.
After racing you can take a sauna and a shower and head in to the clubs grill room for dinner. Make sure to check in at the front desk before going in to eat. Just say you are "with the windsurfing racers” and you will be good to go. The St Francis Grill room is located on the bottom floor and features a wall of windows with expansive bay views.
This year features a few options. For the Kiteboards series racing takes place on Thursday evenings while the Windsurfers race on Friday evenings. The Kiteboard racing is all focused on Course Racing while 4 of the Windsurfers evenings are dedicated to downwind slalom. Each year both Kites and Windsurfers meet in three epic events. June’s SF Bay Challenge and Julys SF Classic feature long distance racing. In what is one of the epic sprints in all of water sports the Bridge To Bridge race takes place in September. This race features not only Windsurf and Kiteboards but also the Aussie 18 Skiffs and other high speed sailing boats. Your likely to see some of the latest in foiling boats as well as the entire fleet takes off under one starting line – the Golden Gate Bridge – on their way to the finish line – The San Francisco Bay Bridge. The starting line is a sailing spectacle not to be missed.
The Rio Vista Grand Slam returns after a very succesful year one event. This year event looks to be even better with a 3 day schedule running June 17 though the 19th. With Slalom, Racing, and Freestyle set up in a family fun event format. More Information on the Rio Vista Grand Slam Here.
We have all the events listed on our Events Calendar or you can visit the St. Francis Yacht Club Calendar. Both fleets are very inclusive and stoked to see new racers who want to get in on the action. Your best bet if you are new to racing is to come by and check out a night before commiting to racing. Chat up the guys and gals and get a lay of the land. The season wraps up with one big party at the club.
One more series has yet to publish their dates and we may have saved the best for last. The Criss Field Slalom Series will announce dates shortly and we are sure to update this article as well as posting a special new piece highlighting the series.
While Crissy Field is one of the world’s epic sailing spots its one that should be treated with the greatest of respect. Safety first as they say.
A special thanks to the St. Francis Yacht Club and all of its members for all the support for the sports we love.
See you on the water!
Confirmed Dates (Kite dates to be added shortly)
April 8 Windsurfing Course Racing
April 22 Windsurfing Course Racing
May 6 Windsurfing Course Racing
May 11th-14th National Championships Chorpus Christi Texas
May 20 – Slalom Windsurfing Racing
June 3 – Slalom Windsurfing Racing
June 4-5 SF Bay Challenge Windsurfing and Kiteboarding
June 17 Windsurfing Course Racing
June 17-19 Rio Vista Grand Slam
July 8 – Slalom Course Racing
July 9 or 10th - SF Classic/UN Challenge Windsurf and Kiteboard Racing
July 22 Windsurfing Course Racing
August 12 Windsurfing Course Racing
August 25 - Bridge to Bridge Windsurf and Kiteboard Racing
August 26 – Slalom Windsurfing Racing
September 9 Windsurfing Course Racing
September 17-18 Battle of the Bay Crissy Field - Windsurfing & Kiteboarding will be featured!
September 23 Windsurfing Course Racing