TAMPA BAY KITEMASTERS RACE

[ricki]

Here is the latest update from Jay sent out today on the race:

Hello Everyone!



I just wanted to contact all the non-local riders, media, and boat captains and give them an early update on the race. As of Monday at noon it appears we may get some great wind out of the NE for this coming weekend.



If this holds true then we will be a go for this weekend (feb 25th/feb26th).

Right now its too early to call but hopefully it will show up on Saturday although our fronts historically are a day behind the official forecast. If this is the case the race will be on Sunday.



This is a pre notice for out-of-towners so you can begin thinking about making plans.

I will send out another update Wednesday. The final decision will probably be made late Thursday.



Keep your fingers crossed and pray for wind.



Thanks

Jay

[ricki]

Jay's original post (less images) about the race:


February 3rd through February 19th, 2006

"The Inaugural TAMPABAY KITEMASTERS RACE kicks off in early February as 20 of the top kitesurfers attempt to conquer the blustery waters of Tampa Bay, Florida. Riders will navigate a tricky 20 mile downwind course from the Gandy Causeway to the South Skyway rest area. The race will be followed the next day by the TAMPABAY BORDERCROSS at the North Skyway riding area.

This event requires riders to maneuver around a set course while at the same time jumping obstacles in their way.

FAQs


How do I sign up?

Go to the registration page and copy all the required questions. Send your information back to: tampabaykiterace@yahoo.com

Be sure to enclose a picture of yourself and brief blog about your riding experience. Registration will be limited to the first 20 competitors.

When does the event take place?

The event window is schedule for February 3rd thru 19th, 2006. This allows for three weekends on which to hold the event. We will make every attempt to hold the race and bordercross on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday but may need to switch to a weekday if required by weather conditions.

Are there age requirements?

No, anyone may compete. If you are under 18 a legal guardian must accompany you to the kickoff party and sign the release waiver. All riders must be experienced enough to stay upwind, jump obstacles, and be confident in there abilities to traverse open water in difficult situations.

Do I need a rescue boat?

At this time a rescue boat is not required but is HIGHLY recommended. Several vessels will be staged along the course and will trail competitors throughout the race. However, these vessels are under NO requirement to provide you with assistance. You will be required to sign releases stating that you are fully responsible for your own safety.

How do I know when it the event will start?

Registered riders will be notified via email of an expected starting date 2 days prior to event kickoff. The event will kickoff when winds are from the North or East of at least 13 mph. The event will not be held in winds over 25 miles per hour or if the organizers feel there is a substantial risk to rider safety.

When and where is the preparty and afterparty celebration

The preparty will be held at Grace O'Malley's Irish Pub 250 75th Ave , St Petersburg Beach. The expected date is Monday January 30th but stay tuned as this time may change. Riders will have the chance to meet other competitors and fill out necessary forms and waivers. Rider's race jerseys will also be issued at this time.

The after party celebration and awards ceremony will be at Jayson Orkins house in Pinellas Point after the Bordercross Event is completed."

[ricki]

Checkout images from the Boarder Cross Race in high winds at:

Part 1
http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=1169

Part 2
http://fksa.org/viewtopic.php?t=1169

[Urfer]

Wind for Sunday

All the reports are saying thunderstorms and north to northwest wind until 1. Is the race still a go? I must know cause I can not afford another to come down for another cancelation. If any could please email me back at kitesurfer@earthlink.net id appreciate it.

thanks
broke college student with 3 test this week.

[ricki]

Wind for Sunday

All the reports are saying thunderstorms and north to northwest wind until 1. Is the race still a go? I must know cause I can not afford another to come down for another cancelation. If any could please email me back at kitesurfer@earthlink.net id appreciate it.

thanks
broke college student with 3 test this week.

I won't be able to make this one unfortunately and had to call to find out the status. I just spoke with the organizer, Jayson by phone. He says the race for tomorrow is a go.

There could be some storms from what I have heard to have a care out there. It would stink to have problems with squall gusts. I would checkout the color radar, realtime winds and warnings (if any, they don't catch everything).

[ricki]

This just in from Jayson ...


"2006 TampaBay KiteMasters

Thanks to everyone who made it out to another SPECTATCULAR bordercross held by Neil Hutchinson of X-Rated Kiteboarding. This was the best one so far with exciting action throughout the day.
The LeRoy brothers showed amazing speed and control taking first and second. Local kitesurfer Kevin Reali represented St Pete for 3rd and Alex Bloechinger followed in fourth.

Tomorrow we are set for the final part of the TampaBay KiteMasters. The downwind race will begin from the Gandy Sunday morning. All riders and boats need to be at the causeway by 9 AM. We will hopefully be starting the race at 10 AM sharp but may delay the start to wait for any rain to clear. The forecast is for 17-25 knots from the NNE. Be prepared for possible extreme conditions. The tide is low around 7 AM and filling all day. This means much of the race course (especially the second half) will be shallow, flat, and fast.
A BOARD LEASH IS HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
THE TIDES WILL BE STRONG IN AND OUT OF THE COVES AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET BACK TO YOUR BOARD WHEN YOU LOSE IT AND YOU WILL LOSE IT ...GUARANTEED!

Good Night Everyone... see ya in the morning.
jay"

[ricki]

Here is the latest update from Jay:
"Good morning everyone.
Looks like this rain will pass through around 9 to 9:30 this morning. Hopefully once this front passes the wind will switch more northernly.
We will be at the beach around 9:30 am. Expected race start will probably be pushed back to around 11:00 AM.
Please arrive at the beach no later than 10AM.

The wind is expected to be strong and gusty. Please be prepared for challenging conditions.

See y'all at the Gandy soon
jay"

[ricki]

I just did a check the NWS site at:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tbw/html/tbw/

for the Hazard forecast which follows:

"HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
509 AM EST SUN FEB 26 2006

GMZ830-850-853-870-873-261600-
TAMPA BAY WATERS-TARPON SPRINGS TO SUWANNEE RIVER OUT 20 NM-
ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON SPRINGS OUT 20 NM-
TARPON SPRINGS TO SUWANNEE RIVER OUT 20 TO 60 NM-
ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON SPRINGS OUT 20 TO 60 NM-
509 AM EST SUN FEB 26 2006

...GUSTY NORTH WINDS BEHIND A STRONG COLD FRONT TODAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE GULF WATERS WEST OF
TAMPA BAY THROUGH FORT MYERS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS: A LINE OF SHOWERS AND STRONG STORMS WILL CROSS THE
WATERS SOUTH OF TAMPA BAY BETWEEN 5 AND 8 AM THIS MORNING. SEE
MARINE STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS FOR MORE INFORMATION.

WINDS: WINDS WILL SHIFT TO NORTH AND INCREASE TO 25 KNOTS AND
GUSTY FOR A TIME LATER THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. GALE
FORCE GUSTS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY ROUGH CONDITIONS AS WELL AS SEAS
UP TO 10 FEET BY AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN SOMEWHAT
HAZARDOUS THIS EVENING BUT BEGIN TO IMPROVE OVERNIGHT AS HIGH
PRESSURE QUICKLY BUILDS IN."

Color radar shows the squall line at the leading edge of the front to be passing south of Tampa currently:

http://radblast.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/radar/WUNIDS_map?station=MLB19&brand=new&num=0&type=N0R&frame=0&noclutter=1&t=1140962179&min=2&delay=30

The regional sat. image:

http://www.wunderground.com/data/640x480/2xse_ir.gif

The ikiitesurf wind record for the Skyway Bridge showed a classic 90 degree frontal wind shift a bit before 9 am with a wind spike to just over 30 mph:
http://www.ikitesurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=149&siteID=812

Pass-a-grille showed the same thing at about 8 am with close to a 20 mph gust spike:
http://www.ikitesurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=149&siteID=1428

Checking a bit to the north at Clearwater Beach the wind spiked to around 35 mph+ gusting to 38 mph.
http://www.ikitesurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=149&siteID=1428

with similar for Dunedin
http://www.ikitesurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=149&siteID=321

The squalls seem to be passing by current info, keep a weather eye out. The wind is going to be STRONG and gusty. It may change throughout the day.

Proper kite size selection particularly in C kites will take some thought. Be careful upwind of those boats. It would be smart to discuss with the captains where you would like them to be relative to you and the wind. It would not be great to be lofted into one of them. Experience and good judgment are going to count in this one to avoid problems.

[C. Moore]

The race was fun and a great learning experience for me. The forcast called for 25 to 30 mph winds. I put up a RRD 10m kite and I was way under powered and ended up making it an endurance race. I really had a great time and I know next time go with the gut instinct and not make my judgments off second hand forcast.

Sorry you couldn't make it out and we will see you next time.

-Chris

[ricki]

The race was fun and a great learning experience for me. The forcast called for 25 to 30 mph winds. I put up a RRD 10m kite and I was way under powered and ended up making it an endurance race. I really had a great time and I know next time go with the gut instinct and not make my judgments off second hand forcast.

Sorry you couldn't make it out and we will see you next time.

-Chris

Glad it was an interesting experience although an underpowered one. This front resembled the one that came through with the last boardercross. You remember the forecast and what the winds did then, stayed high pretty much all day. In this case, the wind changed direction, spiked way up and eased off instead of staying up per the NWS forecast. Depending on when you started checking realtime winds upweather or to the north might have indicated some softening of the wind. The Skyway record stayed up more than others, is this an artifact with the sensor or is it just windier there?

How many riders were in the race? Who were the folks that came in first?

[ricki]

The race was fun and a great learning experience for me. The forcast called for 25 to 30 mph winds. I put up a RRD 10m kite and I was way under powered and ended up making it an endurance race. I really had a great time and I know next time go with the gut instinct and not make my judgments off second hand forcast.

Sorry you couldn't make it out and we will see you next time.

-Chris

Glad it was an interesting experience although unfortunately an underpowered one. This front resembled the one that came through with the last boardercross. You remember the forecast and what the winds did then, stayed up pretty much all day. In this case, the wind changed direction, spiked way up and eased off instead of staying up per the NWS forecast. Depending on when you started the race, checking realtime winds upweather or to the north might have indicated some softening of the wind. You can receive this stuff on quite a few cell phones these days. if you are away from a computer. The Skyway record stayed up more than others, is this an artifact with the sensor or is it just windier there?

How many riders were in the race? Who were the first group of kiters to come in?

[C. Moore]

That sensor at the Skyway sucks, it always reads high. We were going to have an instant win for who ever takes the sensor out while riding in the race. :)

The race consisted of 30 riders and we left from the Gandy Causeway at 11:00 am. We had two local guys placed first and second. I don't remember who was first but Kevin Reali placed second. Stacy Fonas was the first girl who crossed.

I am still waiting on people to post pictures.

BTW, they place the slider (AKA, The Bone Crusher) out at the Skyway late yesterday and had a couple of guys get messed up. ouch. Look for the video on kiteflix.com, I am sure George taped it.


http://flkitesurf.com/viewtopic.php?t=1498&start=0

http://photos.colinmackenzie.net/Kiteboarding/Tampa%20Bay%20Kite%20Race/

[ricki]

WOW!!! What can you say besides this was an awesome weekend!

The 2006 TampaBay KiteMasters was completed this weekend with nearly perfect conditions. Saturday provided wind for another exciting bordercross hosted by Neil Hutchinson of X-Rated Kiteboarding. Strong northeast winds on Sunday propelled 33 kitesurfers across Tampa Bay to complete the first ever kitesurfing race in St Petersburg, Florida.

There are many persons I would like to thank but first and foremost are the athletes who competed. Some were faster than others but NO ONE quit and EVERYONE was at the finish line safely. The riders listed below all deserve recognition for their efforts. For many this was there first race and for some.. their first downwinder ever.

2006 TampaBay KiteMasters RACE competitors
(in no particular order)

DENNIS YEROKIN
JOHN HAUS
CHRIS MOORE
H TRIMBLE II
STEVE SADLER
BRYAN MAIERITSCH
MIKE HIGGINS
MIKE HALL
TOM STOCK
NEIL HUTCHINSON
KENT MARINKOVIC
RAUL ARGILAGOS
ANTONIO MARTINHO
PJ MAUGHON
GENE LIKHTEREV
JOSH TAYLOR
MATT GARETT
SHAWN WARMOUTH
ROB MCCLANAHAN
JEFF URFER
CHRIS BARRS
RANDY RADCLIFF
STACEY FONAS
BARB DRAVES
ALLEM WIINAMAKI
COLLIN MACKENZIE
DEMIAN THOMAS
ALEX BLOCHINGER
ANDREA ESNO
KEVIN REALI
GARY MENK
TY LUCKETT
CLARISSA HEMPEL


Several local kitesurfers and friends donated their time and use of their vessels to ensure the safety of the competitors. Thank You to all boat captains and crews for making this a safe event for everyone.

TOBY WILSON
CHRIS SEDIVY
GARNER KOONS
ALYSSA HIGGINS
BILLY PARKER / TIFFENY SCHRADER
PAUL FOX
TIM CHASE
DOUG from GALATI Yachts

Bryan Eagle and Mira Miccio also deserve many thanks for their efforts. Unfortunately they encountered rough seas near the pier and had to make and emergency landing. Bryan and Mira were registered to race but unfortunately could not due to their dedication to making sure this was a safe event for everyone.


There are many companies who donated time and money to make the TampaBay KiteMasters a success. Without the support of these organizations an event such as this would not be possible. Please support them in the future as they have supported us today.

X-Rated Kiteboarding / Neil Hutchinson.
X-Rated showed up at their expense to hold, not one, but two unbelievable Bordercrosses. Their help in organizing and supporting the riders was critical.
http://www.xratedkiteboarding.com/

Watersports West
Steve and John from WaterSports West donated many of the prizes and countless hours of time. They also helped in getting vendors to donate swag for the competitors. Please remember to support this local kiteshop in TampaBay!
http://www.watersportswest.com/shopcart/agora.cgi

KiteFLix.com
George Saunders from KiteFLix is becoming a regular on the beaches of Pinellas County. Once again he made the trip from Delray Beach to film our events. Check out the best kitesurfing website at:
www.KiteFLix.com

Best Kiteboarding
Best Kiteboarding generously donated the first place prize and other swag. They also sent Stacey to compete making for several exciting events.
http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/

Waterboards
Lloyd of Waterboards is building a custom board for Alex Blochinger, the winner of the TampaBay KiteMasters Bordercross. Lloyd is currently building custom boards for the kitesurfing community. Contact him at:
http://www.waterboards.net/

KiteBillboard
PJ and Antonio went above and beyond in the making of the jerseys. Next time you see them on the beach be sure to give them props.
http://www.kitebillboard.com/

SilverFish Sunwear
Polarized Sunglasses for contestents and organizers
http://www.silverfish.com/

Jason Hahn Photography
Wanna look like a pro rider? Hire this guy to shoot your next session and you won't believe it's you ridin. Jason spent 6 hours in knee deep water and 35 knots of wind to get some of the best kitepics to date.
http://www.jasonhahn.com/

KB Magazine
Calendars
http://www.kbmag.com/

No Fear
T-Shirts and swag
http://www.nofear.com/

Red Bull
Thank them for your Wings!.... and your hangovers!
www.redbull.com

Bongos Beach Bar
An awesome place to party and celebrate.

Tom Stock
Website design and hosting
www.FLKitesurf.com/race

Chris Moore
Banner and Printing services.

H Trimble II
Video Projection equipment and expertise, Generator, etc. etc.

Catch47 Television
http://www.catch47.com/Home.html

Lori Argillagos / Van & Ashley (sorry I never got your last name)
Thank you to these individuals for stepping in and saving the day at the last minute. A local kitesurfer, who had committed to monitoring the finish line, bailed on us at the last minute. Lori, Van, and Ashley raced to the finish line and were there to check everyone off when they arrived. Our main concern was making sure that everyone was accounted for. That was always our first priority. I apologize for not having everyone's finish placement. Lori, Van, and Ashley deserve major props for selflessly helping during a critical moment. Thanks again.


The one thing I kept hearing from the non-local riders is how great we have it here. They were not just referring to the amazing beaches and kitesurfing conditions but the camaraderie between the riders. Many couldn't believe how well everyone in Tampa Bay worked together and helped each other.
Many kitesurfers have made very good friends while riding together and while hanging out on the beach waiting for wind. I am very grateful for the wonderful people I now consider close friends that I have met through kitesurfing. I could never imagine living my life without being able to kitesurf, but I think the most treasured thing this sport has given me is not the rush and thrill of riding but the people it has brought into my life. As our community grows I think it is important that we continue to support each other the way we have in the past.


The results for the 2006 TampaBay KiteMasters RACE:

1st Place: Chris Barrs (Tampa, FL)

2nd Place: Kevin Reali (St Petersburg, FL)

3rd Place: Demian Thomas (Ft Lauderdale, FL)



Top 3 Female riders were:

1. Stacey Fonas (Delray, FL)

2. Clarissa Hempel (Miami, FL)

3. Barb Draves (Bradenton, FL)


Best Effort Award

PJ Maughon


The BONECRUSHER Slider award

Gene Likhterev


Thanks again to everyone who helped put TampaBay on the map. Attached are 2 photos of the start. Anyone with pics or video they wish to share please forward them to me so we can put them all together.



til next year..............

jayson and julie orkins