Tuesday, May 15, 2007

US Wind and Water Open- Day 3 regatta report

Day 3 of the US Wind and Water Open didn't bring any additional wind and the results stood from Fridays 3- 10 minute races.
Never in the 4 or 5 times Ive races in Corpus have I ever been skunked for that long.
Despite the lack of wind, I did manage to learn a few things from the event about my new sails and better pumping technique. The 70 cm kashy soft fin really has a good grip in the lighter breeze. All you need is some flow to get it going but sometimes the 11.0 just wasn't enough to pump up onto a plane. The top 2 sailors both used 11.8's for more low end grunt to get going and maintain their speed in through the lulls. I managed to hold off Percy and Sylvester but the one time I got lined up with Mike Z he was able to hold a better lane for longer with his new ML 70cm fin.
As we repacked the Hansen Sails van and trailer for the trip home, I began to realize how gear intensive our sport really is. Heres the numbers:
6 west coast racers (Mike Z, Percy, Sylvester, Doug, Steve B and Seth)
7 formula boards
5 slalom boards
18 complete formula rigs
9 complete slalom rigs
25+ fins
+ bases, universals, harnesses, wetsuits, extra rigging, tools, etc...

None of us got the chance to get on anything under our 11.0's and big fins despite being ready for 3 displines and strong winds. Sometimes you can never have enough gear. When in doubt- pack it and take it to the beach!

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