Formula Windsurfing Day 1

Day 1 at the 2008 Formula World Championship was filled with anxiety waiting for the first race to happen. With a first possible start at 3:30, the girls fleet raced 2 back to back races, then the men headed out- having to suffer through 2 general recalls before the Black flag went up on the 3^rd attempt at starting. At nearly 6:45, the 85 board formula fleet got off a clean start with just one sailor over early. The fleet was bunched up at the boat end so I had no choice but to duck them and head for some clearer air down the line. Unfortunately, not many holes to find but I was able to find a lane and round the top mark in the top 20, staying in the breeze. Downwind, there was a few pockets of breeze near the shore that you could really gain with but I was just on the edge- not fully taking advantage of the limited breeze. Back upwind, most of fleet in front of me headed towards the shore to take advantage of the shift off the land. I tacked a few seconds too early as I was trying to get myself a clean lane for the beat back upwind. The difference was huge as the 3 boards inside of me all got lifted while I sat on the edge of the puff- still better than the guys who tacked early and went left upwind.

One more lap to go and I was sure to gybe early to take advantage of the limited breeze near the shore but the timing just wasn’t right as I had to wait for the puff to really get going. A few guys passed me here and I rounded just in front of a big pack at the last mark. With the finish boat just a few meters beyond the leeward mark, it was a bit anti-climatic but I was really happy finishing in 25^th. The F2 Z board really seemed to be flying well in these conditions with good performance. Im stoked I made the decision to register the board for the regatta.

Up in front was Gonzolo taking the bullet.

Full results at www.formulawindsurfing.org