The US Sailing National Wingfoiling Championship Returns to San Francisco Bay in July
There are so many ways to sail, and San Francisco has it all. Last weekend saw 100-year-old boats racing in the Master Mariners Regatta, and coming up this summer is St. Francis Yacht Club’s F4 Foils Summer Wingding, happening July 30 through August 2. The event is co-hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC) and US Sailing, and is the third national wingfoiling championship hosted here on the Bay.
The action all happens off Crissy Field, where San Francisco kiteboarders became world leaders before leaping up onto foils, which then led to the advent of wingfoiling. One of the great things about the Crissy Field foiling world is the energy that congregates on the beach as foilers assemble their rigs or rest from their blitzes across the Bay. The beach feels like the base of a ski mountain where skiers are high-fiving after a run or just gathering to hang out after a great day on the slopes. It’s fun.
It’s hard to say when the roots of these West Coast sailing pioneers took hold, but Hoyle Schweitzer’s creation of the Windsurfer was a significant milestone on the way to the tremendous boom in wingfoiling. It all comes from creative minds and great winds. As we wrote in the August 1983 issue (sorry for the hard-to-read scans) about the Windsurfing National Championship held on the Bay, “Word is getting out that, if you want wind, San Francisco Bay is the place to go.”
“This will be the third consecutive year that we have hosted this event, and that consistency shows that St. Francis Yacht Club and its dedicated volunteer team are playing a leading role in the development of wingfoiling in the United States,” said StFYC race director Felix Weidling. In addition to world-class events that draw top talent, the club hosts weekly wingfoil races throughout the summer and offers wingfoil classes as part of its junior sailing program.
The weekend championship event will include multiple races daily plus one long-distance competition, the S.F. Bay Challenge on August 1. This event is open to kiteboards, parawings and windsurfers in addition to wingfoil competitors. More than just a competition, the wingfoil championship is but one element of a weekend-long festival of foiling for participants, family and friends. The Thursday before competition will feature a foiling demo, such as parawing or freestyle, and throughout the weekend event sponsors and board sport companies will have gear and demo opportunities available on Crissy Beach. Non-competitive foilers who may not be gunning for the podium are encouraged to register and participate.
For wind-seeking, thrill-seeking foilers and boarders it should be a fantastic event to test their skills and for everyone to see who rises to the top of the wingfoiling national championship.