The conditions weren't ideal but 17 kiteboarders still took to the gusty waters of Howe Sound Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 21 and 22) during the West Coast Open and Canadian National Championships races.
Race director and competitor Kyle Touhey said he was disappointed by the weather conditions, but overall felt the weekend was a positive one for local kiteboarding.
"I thought the entire weekend generally went pretty good even if the weather was kind of a s**t show," he said. "The wind was coming from the wrong direction for much of the weekend and it was quite gusty. Luck really became a factor for riders this weekend."
The poor conditions cut the weekend races to five, whereas ideally 12 would've taken place.
Nonetheless, Touhey said, those who participated enjoyed the event.
"We did have a lot of riders not show up because of the forecast, but those who did were really happy and thought a lot of Squamish. We thought we did a great job as far as organizing and running the event, but you unfortunately can't control the weather.
"Even despite a 'worst case' weather scenario, 麻豆社国产truly proved its potential as a hosting venue for events of this and higher calibre."
Day one saw riders take to four racecourses while fighting less than ideal conditions.
Touhey won the first race after a battle to the wire with Adam Vance. According to Touhey's blog, it was his local knowledge that helped him edge out Vance. Vance recovered nicely for race two, beating Touhey and Stefano Rista to first place.
The third race brought challenges with many riders fighting extreme wind shifts and holes. In the end, Vance again took first with Touhey in second.
Winds became even more extreme on the final race of the first day, as it became difficult for riders to remain on their board and maintain a straight line. Vance again placed first, with Germany's Sebastian Bubmann taking second.
Day two saw even more miserable conditions. A sideways downpour of rain and gusty winds led to the first race of the day being delayed by one hour. Riders struggled with unpredictable winds throughout, but Rista persevered in the end. The winning ride on this day of adverse conditions was 45 minutes, a stark contrast to the average winning time of 15 minutes on day one.
Vance placed first overall for the weekend, collecting a total of $500 for his efforts. Touhey won $325 for second and Rista was third with a $175 prize. On the women's side, Rainbow Monds won a Cabrinha Nugget kiteboard for her overall first placement.
Touhey said he hopes to build on this year's event and get the community involved more in 2011.
"We want more of a festival atmosphere next year," he said. "We're thinking of possibly moving to a more fan-friendly venue like Nexen Beach and having beer gardens and live bands. We'd also like to get freestyle riders involved and make this a four of five day event."
For a full list of results, visit www.squamishwindsports.com/regatta2010.
