Surf Cat

by Sacha van der Wouden 10 Aug 07:12 PDT 20-23 February 2020

Theo Demandez kitefoiling in Saint Martin © Sacha van der Wouden

The speculations about the future of Caribbean kitesurfing are over after today’s announcement. In 2020 from February 20-23, kite foil racing will have an annual event in the Caribbean called the Caribbean Foiling Championships!

When World Sailing revealed that kitesurfing in the form of kite foil racing will be a permanent Olympic discipline after its debut at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, the organization of the Caribbean Foiling Championships decided to invest in the future of Caribbean Foiling.

A (hydro) foil is almost like a mini airplane, which is connected to a very long fin under a kiteboard. Once it gets up to speed, the foil will make enough lift to hold a surfer’s weight and that is why the surfer will be able to lift the whole board off the water continuing riding only on the submerged foil, going as fast as the surfer dares to go. Besides the spectacular looks of surfers flying over the water the foil also has a practical advantage: it allows racing in all weather conditions. Even with the slightest bit of breeze the foil gets up to great speeds.

In the beginning of 2020, Saint Martin (Orient Bay) will be the main hub of activity for all the wind and kite foiling fanatics.

Maxim van den Pol (founder of the Caribbean Foiling Championships) says,’ The action sports industry has been an increasingly growing sport segment over the past decade, resulting in skyrocketing participation rates and escalating popularity especially among Generation Y consumers. The same is happening in the Caribbean but there was no platform for them to show their talent. Now they can show off what they can during the first Caribbean Foiling Championships in 2020. Let’s hope this will be the start of something great for the Caribbean future!’

Fitting perfectly in the yearly kite calendar even European kitesurfers can skip the European winter and join some Caribbean benefits; great weather conditions, crystal clear waters and an average temperature of 26 Celsius.

‘Everyone is welcome to join this one-of-a-kind event and let’s be honest who doesn’t want to come to paradise and join the fun?’, says Sacha van der Wouden (founder Caribbean Foiling Championships).