Kiteboarding's verson of a AC-45

[ktouhey]

I'm soooo coming down to race if that happens Chris!

[Bille]

I'm soooo coming down to race if that happens Chris!

I got a six-pack of Beer or Soda for Ya, if you can stay within a few hundred yards of
them at the finish !!
You don't need to win, just (kinda sorta) Stay with an AC-45 over the entire course
and i'll Pay-Pal you the money for a six-pack, (not to exceed $15 ).

Bille

[Al-Kite-A]

Bille it will not be me
But Johnny, Adam or Burnie might have a chance.

This is one of the 1st race they let kiters into starting back in 2002 or 2003. Chip Wasson got STFYC to let us in. In the the early days we would almost never make it to the finish line cause the wind gets really light at the Bay Bridge.

Over the last few years the kiters always kill everything down wind and crawl to the finish line. Usually the boats and windsurfer can then come in and cross ahead.

Last year Burnie broke the record time that had been held for 6 years. This video starts off with the finish to give you an idea.

[edt]

You don't need to win, just (kinda sorta) Stay with an AC-45 over the entire course
and i'll Pay-Pal you the money for a six-pack, (not to exceed $15 ).

We know the ac45's will be the fastest, but this is not a race about the fastest this is Mad Max on the water, people impaling themselves on cats, capsizes, wrecks, crazy tides and winds, and that's before the race even starts.

Bringing an ac45 to this race is like putting a ferrari in a smash 'em up derby race. I predict the ac45's stay about 500 yards behind the finish so they don't scratch their $2 million dollar fragile light cats. A good bridge to bridge race will only see half of the sailors finish.

My money is on the kites they are getting better at slogging every year.

[Peter_Frank]

Hmmm, very interesting subject - but it seems that noone really hasnt got a clue which is the fastest ?

The AC-45 is the fastest non kiting sailing vehicle then ?

I assume, since this thread started (have no experience or knowledge myself with the AC-45 at all)

But earlier I believe - no other sailboat, not even the most efficient trimarans, were faster than the kitesurf raceboards

That is on a normal upwind and downwind sailing race course


But are the new AC45 outperforming everything else in normal 10 knots wind now ?

(new to me so a serious question)

Seems like a lot of guesses and assumptions are made in this thread - but noone really knows anything, about the kite versus AC45 on an up-downwind race track in relatively light wind ?

That makes it even more interesting now

Peter

[edt]

But are the new AC45 outperforming everything else in normal 10 knots wind now ?

There's no question the ac45 is the fastest sailboat racing class ever built. Multihulls are much faster than single hull sailboats even 49ers, and it's the fastest multihull class ever built. When you spend $2 million for a 45 foot sailboat if it's not fast, you might want your money back.

Kiters and windsurfers are slower than the fastest cats and tris but faster than the fastest single hulls.

This particular race isn't really a good test tho because just before the second bridge the wind drops below 4 knots and all the kites drop out of the sky, and you see them swimming for the finish it's pretty funny.

[Al-Kite-A]

I watched both the AC-45s and a Mike's Lab 70 on SF Bay together a few different days.
I don't think we will know until we put see on the same course

But here is what Johnny says:
"Most people still think of kiteboarding as a sport that needs 15kts and up just to sail upwind, and many of the ISAF folk and sailors were of this mindset. In our own little world we know that we are some of the fastest craft on the water. If I am close to keeping up with Jimmy Spithill and the boys on their AC45 on San Francisco Bay, I can sure as hell knock the socks off the 49ers and Tornados. "

Johnny is a super humble guy and lets his water time do the talking so don't for a minute this he is full of it.

FYI - Never seen anyone swim for the "finish" on the B2B. Swim for a boat, beer or land, never the finish

Full article here.
http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/news/12/0403/

[edt]

FYI - Never seen anyone swim for the "finish" on the B2B. Swim for a boat, beer or land, never the finish

u know what i mean al, right before the second bridge the wind drops and all the kites go in the drink, and a lot of the guys end up body dragging towards the finish, or until they get a puff of air. They are always first too, so it's funny to see the 49ers finally catch up and pass them because they can't relaunch.

wasn't last year the first year there was enough wind to be able to plane all the way to the end.

[experienced1]

actually, the 49ers haven't raced in the B2B for several years now. They were replaced by the aussie 18 skiffs...the kiters have been winning the majority of the races. Damien LeRoy has raced a moth in FL upwind/downwind, as well as the 49er and has come out on top. Should be a video of that somewhere on this forum
steve

[edt]

actually, the 49ers haven't raced in the B2B for several years now. They were replaced by the aussie 18 skiffs

I was sure I saw a 49er finish in the top 10 last year, I must have been mistaken. Those aussie 18's look like they are pretty hairy to ride always on the edge with those enormous wings on the side.