It turned out to be a Heineken three-peat at the annual West Coast Open kiteboarding event.
The sibling tandem of Johnny and Erika Heineken snagged the top male and female riders respectively after three days of racing at the 麻豆社国产Spit that concluded on Sunday (July 28).
Johnny finished first in all but two of the 12 races and said playing it smart helped him succeed in the waters of Howe Sound.
I was trying to be really cautious out there, get good starts and make good decisions, he said. The conditions this year were amazing and it was a lot of fun for us out there.
He said he enjoys racing in 麻豆社国产and the world champion kiteboard racer said it's always fun to return to one of his favourite places on the globe to ride the waves.
We could be in Italy this weekend but we love coming to Squamish, the California native said. It's very special for us. There's a really good group of racers up here and I always have a good time.
Erika was the top ranked female in all 12 races and was ranked ninth overall out of the 37 racers competing. She said it was another enjoyable weekend of action.
This is always an awesome time, she said. I sailed pretty well all weekend and kind of conservatively. My dad always told me to get a good start and just go in the right direction.
She echoed her brother's statements about their enjoyment of the kiteboarding scene in Squamish.
We can travel all the way around the world but this is a nice short trip with awesome competition, she said. It's always lots of fun.
Bryan Lake from San Diego placed second overall and won the two races Johnny didn't conquer. In third place overall was part-time 麻豆社国产resident Stefano Rista, who also was the top ranked Canadian.
It was a battle, he said. The conditions were world class, the competitors were world class and this was by far the most exciting year for this event.
He praised event organizer Andrew Wong and said it's an honour to be racing against top competitors like Lake and Heineken.
It's so great to have those kind of guys here, he said. They raise everyone's game and it really shows the potential we have in 麻豆社国产as a racing facility.
Rista edged out Kyle Touhey and Adam Vance for top Canadian, with Wong placing fourth. Ontario native Jessica Sickinger placed second amongst all females and was the top ranked Canadian woman, beating out Catherine Dufour and Rainbow Monds. Eugenia Gueorguieva from Bulgaria also made the podium, finishing third overall in the female division.
The next big race for the Heinekens, Rista and several other competitors will be the Pingtan Kiteboarding World Cup race in China in November. The next event locally will be the freestyle Kite Clash event starting on Saturday (Aug. 3) and lasting until Monday (Aug. 5).
For complete results from the West Coast Open and Canadian Championships, visit www.squamishwindsports.com/events/2013/2013_WCO_results.pdf.
