Has anyone ever raced a skiff (or other fast boat) on a kite?
I imagine the kite would win on flat water but in some degree of chop it would be a good race?
Would be great to see a video of:
kite vs skiff vs poley vs supermaxi vs foiling 90foot trimaran
If you troll Youtube you can find lake races in frace that half all the above racing together (orma's, Open 60's, windsurfers, kite's)
As for the skiffs the Bridge to Bridge in San Fran is raced every year with 18's, windsurfers, and kite's - think the current winner is a windsurfer
Agree, it would be cool to compare! Though, the skills of both pilots (boat and kite) can obviously make a huge difference: see how many people get disqualified in kite racing because they arrive over 20 minutes after the winner... on a race lasting, say, less than 60 minutes, the last ones are at least 1/3 slower than the first one!
From my experience, it seems like the overall upwind perf of the average dingies at Botany is better than us... and it is hard to compensate that by the faster riding speed. That said, we must be able to catch up on the crosswind and downwind tacks!? So I would say the result of the comparison would largely depend on how you set up the race / how much upwind is involved...
bye
Jacques
Read an article a few years back comparing skiffs, windsurfers and kites. Specifically the Bridge-to-bridge.
The winner depends on the strength and angle of the wind.
High winds and a 120 degree angle the windsurfers win.
Light winds and you can't compete with the sail area of a skiff.
Kites can go dead downwind.
Something like that.
Quick google search returned:
www.windsurfingmag.com
