Kitefoil action to light up the foreshore

Rockingham is to welcome one of the world’s most prestigious high-performance arena-style sailing events in November, with the spectacular hydrofoiling kitefoils to take place in WA.

Racers are powered by the wind and can reach speeds in excess of 65km/h as they seemingly glide on turbocharged magic carpets.

The racers’ high performance marks them as clearly the fastest sailing fleet in Australia around an Olympic-style course.

The popularity of kiteboard racing around the world has resulted in the sport being included in the 2018 Youth Olympics, with a recent request by the International Olympic Committee for World Sailing to look at options for including kitefoils in the 2020 Olympics.

Rockingham has been selected as the venue for the final event of the Hydrofoil Pro Tour, alongside the Australian KiteRacing National Championships.

The Hydrofoil Pro Tour began in Mexico earlier this year, with riders from 24 nations attending and was won by Maxime Nocher, a double world champion from the Monaco Sailing Club.

San Francisco and Mauritius will host the next two stages before the tour arrives for the final leg in Australia.

The global tour attracts the world’s best hydrofoil racers, many of whom are world and/or national champion sailors and top sailing personalities.

The two back-to-back events, hosted by The Cruising Yacht Club of WA and supported by Rockingham-Kwinana Chamber of Commerce, will deliver six days of action-packed racing from November 24 to 29 along the Rockingham foreshore.

The event will be free and allow the public to enjoy the action from the Rockingham beach and foreshore area.

There will also be a selection of beach entertainment and activities for all ages, including a Red Bull beach village on the weekend.

For more information, contact Alan Pierce at the TCYC on 9527 5468.