USA 4 Windsurfing Campaign

Baja fog

2012-01-25T23:55:00.000-08:00

It was billed as the ultimate showdown between kiters and windsurfers with 3 events spanning 9 days on the sea of Cortez on southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. While the kiters showed up in numbers, the windsurfers still found ways to keep the bragging rights for another year. At the end of the day- we found we had more in common than what separates us and in hindsight, I’d say it was more a gathering of the tribes- where we all spoke the same language- wind!

After enduring what seemed like a windless (and snowless) fall and early winter in northern California- I made plans for my first trip to Baja California Sur. I hooked up with our local kiting crew who use the events as a testing ground to where they stand in the off season. The Heineken van made the trip down on Christmas eve packed with 6 sets of kiting gear & 4 people. Rock star siblings, Erica and Johnny almost made it only to be delayed on Christmas morning when their front differential fell out and their 4 wheel van quickly turned in a 2 wheel van.

In Mexico- anything is possible and after a 6 hour delay and trading some beer for labor they were quickly back on their way.

I arrived 2 weeks later for the first event skipping the road trip and flying directly into Cabo St. Lucas. Alaska Airlines & Virgin airlines are probably the friendliest airlines for board enthusiast with $50 excess baggage fees per board and quiver bag and no haggling. Part of the reason our local race fleet stopped traveling was the fact that you'd show up to the airport with your board and sail quiver and possible pay $300-500 in excess baggage fees.

The Lord of the Winds Showdown in Los Barriles hooked up with the Travel Channel who was featuring the Sand Masters show at the same time. If you’ve never seen it, these guys create unbelievable works of art in the sand. Their final creation was a huge sand stage for the Lord of the Winds where Johnny ‘Pacifico’ Heineken was crowned Lord of the Winds after taking the long distance race. (Windsurfers 0: Kiters 1)

To say there is a bigger emphasis on fun vs a normal regatta would be an understatement.

We came in from racing with the race staff handing us a Pacifico as our official check in.

The organizers pumped up the the idea a Lord of the Winds showdown in ever way possible.

The windsurfers won the pre-party with Josh Samperio crushing the kiting and SUP crowd in a 42 sec binge under the beer tap bookmarked my double shots of tequila vs a meek 20 secs performance by the kiters. (Windsurfers 1: Kiters 1)

The first day of racing saw over 40 heats of slalom run on a 10 mark downwind course. It was super exciting to see the kiters try to figure this one out as there’s still a mix of sailors using course boards, twin tip boards and even surf boards. The windsurfers looked the most graceful in the 16-22k breeze laying down their gybes and generally staying untangled compared to the kiters. It was Tyson Poor who dominated the slalom with a string of bullets followed by Bryan Perez and myself in 3^rd.I raced with my ML 70 cm wide slalom board, 7.8m2 north warp and 44cm F4 fin for the slalom racing and switched up to a 48 cm fin for course racing. The event had $20,000 worth of prize money- most of which was allocated to the kiters but I ended up covering my entry fee with some well earned prize money!

In one race, we had a humpback whale emerge from the water just at the windward mark as we were rounding it. In other races I was surrounded by small flying fish jumping through the waves as I flew downwind. There was quite a few manta rays and even sea urchins near the shore. Needless to say, by the end of the first event- my feet had taken a real beating!

We followed the next 2 days with course racing and a longdistance race where the wind never really materialized above 15k so the kitershad a huge advantage making it look easy with the course gear and 15m kitescompared the windsurfers who were on slalom gear and 7-8m rigs. I made one brilliant move in the 2nd course race after the wind shifted 30 degrees and caught the rest of the fleet off guard. I was on the only one starting on starboard and planning across the line but the RC called me over early- doh....

In hindsight- its better to be a few seconds late if you've got the room.

Im pretty envious of what the sport of kite racing is doing with the gear evolution and the amount of sailors they are attracting. It’s almost as though history is repeating itself after windsurfing’s peak in the early 90’s.

Several of the world’s top ranked kite course racers hail from the SF Bay and for the past years they’ve progressed as a group- training together & sharing info freely. As a result, the group has raised the benchmark much more than any sailor could do on their own. Next year, I vowed to either come back with a kite or a formula equipment to be better matched.

Next up, we packed the van up for a short trip up the coast to La Ventana and set up camp in the arroyo. It was amazing to see how many wind junkies make the trip down from the northern US and Canada for several weeks or months in the winter. There are literally hundreds of sailors camping on the beach living off the grid in their RV’s or tents and enjoying the sea and the wind in southern Baja. All you really need is some protection from the wind and the sun and you’re set. The food is cheap and the liquor even cheaper. I never once worried about my safety while in Baja. They say the Mexicans don’t enter the water from march to October and its only it’s the crazy wind starved gringos who travel from the northern US that endure the fierce el norde winds.

There are several outfits like Baja Joes or Palapas Ventana that will let you sleep in relative comfort for under $50 a night or on the contrary- several camps where sailors have built elaborate structures for cooking and showing outdoors and most importantly- keeping your sails rigged up and ready and out of the UV.

It takes the meaning of beach bum to a whole new level!
This grasshopper still has a thing or two to learn as I realized a Baja fog beats the SF fog any day of the week.

We started off the racing by joining the weekly slalom series at Playa Central in La Ventana run by the legendary Alex Aguera. It was a no BS event with several rounds of slalom for amateur and professional kiters and windsurfers. I again managed a 3^rd behind Tyson and Bryan getting schooled by my lack of time on the water the past few months. Nonetheless it a great tune up for the La Ventana Classic to follow. It was so nice to sail in powered up conditions. I was lit on by new mikes lab slalom board, north warp 6.3 and F4 44cm fin in a 25-30k breeze.

Tyson Poor and Wyatt ' Miller Time' have stepped up their game recently taking the next step and opening their own resort in La Ventana to maximize their entire waterman experience. 20 hours on the water a week really shows regardless of whether its freestyle or slalom!

The next day we started the La Ventana Classic. This is the first lucha libre Mexican wrestling themed windsurfing Ive ever been to in my 25 years in the sport. On Saturday evening we all gathered in the city's main square for a classic lucha libre wresting showdown. It was way better than any B rated movie you've ever seen and kept us entertained the whole evening. A greased pig catching contest followed with the windsurfers edging out the kiters.
(Windsurfers 2: Kiters 1 if you're keeping still keeping count.)

The rivalry continued throughout the event as the big match up was the long distance race which pitted the kiters vs the windsurfers in an 11 mile reach from the island of Ceralvo back to La Ventana. We packed all our gear on the local fleet of fishing boats for a 8 am transfer to the island and waited for the wind to build around 2pm. I never realized how good a beach fire could feel at 11 am in the morning.

It was probably 15-20k at the start but 20 min later at the La Ventana finish it was a much lighter 12-16k. Tyson Poor on a JP 112l slalom board and 7.8m rig had a good lead built up at the first mark with Johnny Heineken on his 13m kite in hot pursuit. I was way underpowered on my 7.8 and 39 cm fin and in hindsight could have used something bigger like a 9.0 and 44cm fin. . I was a bit underpowered on the 7.8 rig never really getting it lit up. For windsurfers to have advantage- you really need to keep things on the edge of the comfort zone and be totally overpowered. Needless to say, it wasn't happening for me just yet.

Next was a 1.5 mile downwind leg and small reach to the finish. This is where the kiters made huge gains. I rounded in 5th at mark 1 and slipped to 11th at the finish as 6 kiters looped straight downwind in the finish while we had several underpowered downwind reaches eating lots of ground. Tyson and Johnny rounded the last mark overlapped with a final 10 second reach to the finish just in front of the beach. It was Nascar type racing at its finest with Tyson not allowing Johnny to pass him with several aggressive moves to keep him in front and take the bullet by a mere 3 feet. (Windsurfers 3:Kiters 1)

There was even some sailor who made the crossing on a fat pair of water skies and a kite!
The rest of the event had some low wind jet ski tows in giving Byran Perez and Tyson Poor an chance to showcase some their tow in windsurfing skills. In addition, the kiters competed for the Big Air contest.

The windsurfers held on this year but its obvious the sport is changing with kiters outnumbering the windsurfers almost 10:1. We still won the party, the greased pig contest, and the Classic so to say the sport is dying is simply wrong.

We completed 3 more days of course racing where I managed to finally get the top spot at the end of the regatta in the windsurfing course racing. My prize was a huge lucho libre belt emblazed with all the classic mexican mojo you could imagine.

Im not sure I could have had a better time with a better group of people. Except for Montezuma's revenge, the Baja experience is something Im hoping to repeat next winter.

Steve Bodner

USA-4

Last day la ventana classic

2012-01-25T15:56:00.001-08:00

Last day la ventana classic brought more course racing. We nearly missed the 1st race as we
went whale shark diving in morning.
Luckily we got back in time for the 5 min gun and I helped the rest our crew get out on the water while the wind build and the windsurfers started later.

I rigged 7.8 and f4 48 cm fin vs Lyn on 10.0 formula for 5 quick 4 min races.
All in all- the slalom board puts up a good fight vs the formula board in quick racing
My best races finishes were just behind top kiters in 5th place overall in the mixed fleet racing
In my worst races I understood too mark and needed to double tack - DFL!
I switched to Lyns 9.0- super comfortable as wind got lighter later in day!
It powers up sooner and better through lulls than 7.8
I'm learning to play downhaul strap much more to induce more power to lower 1/3 of sail + moving boom height up as wind lowers.
All in all a super regatta!
Muchos garcias to the race organizers and volunteers.

Day 6 la ventana classic

2012-01-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

We had a 7 am boat ride across the La Ventana bay with 98 other wind enthusiast for the long distance crossing. As usual we sat around and waited for the wind to fill in....
By 2pm we were fully lit in 15-20k on a 20 min beam/broad reach across the channel between La Ventana Island- by the way- its for sale!- back to mainland baja California Mexico.
I started low with the rest of the windsurfing fleet and getting some local knowledge to make a big arch across the bay I account for the wind shift as you crossed the channel. Tyson broke out from the pack as Bryan myself an Wyat all took the low route. Meanwhile the kiters took the high route keeping it lot up. Despite giving it everything I had I just couldn't match match their speed. I never felt lit powered like I do in a formula board. A good effort bit I felt out matched. I rounded the first mark in 5th behind Tyson on a jp and np 7.8, Johnny on a 11m kite, Wyatt on 7.8 &; Bryan on a 7.0. The next leg was a deep reach so 6 more kiters caught up as they can go way deeper. Just at the last mark before the finsih we all came together and I edged in 9 or 10th place out of a fleet of 99.
I ran a 39cm fin with the warp 7.8 and ml 100l 60cm wide course slalom board.
The 460 mast is working better in the sail with less downhaul and more tack strap but it's doesn't quite have the 5th gear I was looking for like the 6.3 I had the breeze yesterday.
In the marginal winds the 44cm or 48 cm fin might be a better choice.
I'm hoping we get some more lit up conditions but it looks like the forecast is lighter for the next few days.
Maybe a good time to learn how to fly a kite!

Baja road trip

2012-01-18T09:44:00.000-08:00

Day 5: We packed up & left Los Barrriles en route to La Ventana. The van was packed with 5 racers and their gear.

We arrived and set up camp on the beach and finally hit the water for the 1st lit up session in what seemed like months. The board felt great but 34cm fin may be too small as I seemed to be spinning out some going into the gybes.

I tried putting my back foot back further on the board to carve but it may be better with 39cm for lit up conditions and 44 for regular conditions

So far- the quiver is getting dialed in

6.3m 34cm fin 25k +

7.0m 39cm fin 18-25

7.8 44cm fin in 15-22k

48cm for course Racing

Day. 4 final showdown

2012-01-17T05:41:00.001-08:00

The only thing left was the Lord of the winds showdown long distance race
With only 12-14k it was no match against the kiters on the upwind course.
Johnny Pacifico Heineken took the line honors.
I vowed to either to return next year with a formula board or kite.

Day 3 report lord of the winds

2012-01-17T05:37:00.001-08:00

It was hurry up and wait today as the northerly breeze failed to come in strong like the previous 2 days.
The kite racing on the course gear have a lower wind minimum than the slalom windsurfers so they started and finished the day with 2 races while the slalom windsurfers only got 1 race in.
I was well prepared being the only one starting on starboard as I came ripping in only to be calledOCS while the rest of the fleet sat parked at the other end. The big lesson I learned was in a situation line that it's better to be a few seconds late than early. Nonetheless I think the horn was 2-3 seconds late.
No big deal I rallied back as much as I could to 3rd in a light 14-16k but havnt quite found the grove on the course slalom gear. I tried a 490 mast but the 7.8 sail really needs the tack strap yanked to get any power out of it.
A few more knot of breeze would have been nice but then again it's January and I'm sailing in baja. So far I'm sitting in 3rd place in course slalom behind Tyson & Bryan.

Day 2 LOW- baja

2012-01-14T22:14:00.001-08:00

Day 2 report: Lord f the Winds showdown

1 slalom windsurf heat & 3 kite slalom heats followed by 3 course races.

Tyson continuing to dominate the fleet with another day of bullets.

I tried the mast track a bit more forward to 65-75% and it worked better coming out of the gybes.

In race1 slalom, I managed another 3rd behind Tyson & Bryan and still holding into 3rd with Casey's 2 dnfs from yesterday.

The kites did 3 rounds of final slalom with the best of the fleets qualifying to the final rounds The twin tips just beat out the course boards running smaller 30 fins.

By 1 we moved into course racing.

I want able to get any angle the whole race. I felt I was way underpowered with my 460 mast in my 7.8. The luff curve is set up for the 490 bend & I'm really loosing out in the low end w/ no upwind angle with flat draft. I knew I should have packed the 9.5!!

After 2 races the RC said they were done & I derigged only to have the next men's windsurfing start in 30 min later- doh...

I watched the remaining kite course slalom from shore as the California crew cleaned up.

It's super sandy rigging on the beach with not much protection from the elements.
A tarp is a must have in travelling quiver.

Day 1 lord of the winds showdown, Los barres baja

2012-01-14T22:10:00.001-08:00

We ran 40 slalom heats on day 1 + big air comp for kiters.

Despite being at site for almost 6 hours I raced a total of 16 min.

In the 4 slalom heats for expert men. I finished 4, 3 dfl and 2.

The wind was 16-22k with rolling swell.

The slalom course had 10 gybe marks and almost 1/2 mile downwind.

Race 1 started with me not pulling the trigger thinking there was another 1 min to go.
From there it was playing catch up and trying to pass on anybody making a bad rounding in front of me.

Race 2 started better as I rounded the top mark in 1st but started for the low mark 4 instead of 2 and getting passed I kept 2nd until the 7th mark where I fell on a gybe and got DFL

I'm not coming out of the gybe marks with speed.

Race 3 good speed and rounding only to get passed on the inside at mark rounding on last mark to get 3rd.

Race 4 I arrived 2nd into 1st mark behind Tyson and kept my position the whole race. Good gybes with clean air. No problems.

I used 7.8 north warp with 44 cm Crad fin and mast base at mid. Ill try the mast forward at 60-70% to get going out of gybed better. Not sure yet about why leach is so loose. Maybe less downhaul tomorrow...

2011 by the numbers- a windsurfing junkies recap of useless data

2011-12-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

2011 was a good year when I look at the numbers:

I had a total of 131 sessions this year-averaging a session every 3.5 days or 10 sessions a month.

April & May had the most sessions with 38 for 2 months- averaging a session every 1.5 days. In contrast, when looking at the 1st 2 months and last 2 months of the year- I only got 19 days out of a possible 120- averaging 1 session every 6.3 days.

I sailed at just 4 locations.
87% of my sessions were at Crissy Field- 114 sessions,
Berkeley- 8 sessions,
San Juan PR- 8 sessions
and 1 session at Pinole Shores.

I sailed 84 formula sessions-64% of all sessions.
I used my 12.0 6 times,
my 10.7 28 times,
& my 9.5 50 times- 60% of all formula sessions were used on this sail!

47 slalom sessions-36% of all sessions.
All of my slalom sessions were sailed in just 1 location- Crissy Field.
I used my 7.0 27 times,
my 6.3 13 times,
my 7.8 6 times,
and my 5.8 just 1 time.

I competed in14 total regattas.
64% of which were sailed at The St. Francis Y.C- 9 total,
4 at Berkeley
& 1 in Puerto Rico!

I spent a total of 24 days racing in 3 or more races a day.

Throughout the season, I used a total of 7 sails and 4 boards.
12,0- 6 sessions
10.7 - 28 sessions
9.5 - 50 sessions - 38% of all sessions
7.8 - 6 sessions
7.0 - 27 sessions
6.3 13 sessions
& 5.8- 1 session

While I didn't track what slalom board I was riding each slalom session, I rode 4 boards this season:
ML10 Formula- 82 out of a possible 84 formula sessions or 97%
JP 101 slalom,
ML slalom,
&; ML freeride

And finally, at the time of this writing on Dec 30th, it's been approximately 9 days, 6 hours & 23 minutes since my last session. Through out this year, there were 4 periods of time where there were 10 or more days between sessions with the longest being between 8/31 to 9/18 with 17 consecutive days off the water.

*individual data recorded from @USA 4 twitter feed and graphs created with DAYTUM.

How I almost got ran over by a train while windsurfing.

2011-12-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

I scoped the beach out the weekend before meeting Zaijeck to pick up my new slalom board. The launch looked sketchy. The hike down, the gate, the train track.

I wrote it off.

Honestly, I had more on my mind- with the excitement of a brand new lightweight slalom board!

But the next weekend came and the the SF Bay was still plagued by NE winds.

Crissy would be amok with kook kiters form 3rd ave all looking for on onshore wind.

Granted, Wednesday and Thursday were epic in terms of sailing in some solid breeze again. I saw some gust above 30 and was well powered on my slalom 6.3 and 85l board.

I knew I should have gone early when on Saturday at 10 am it was a solid 20-25k but dying. I thought, maybe just maybe I'd get an early session in.

The lesson I continue to learn-in the off season- the early bird gets the worm.

If its blowing at 10am on a Saturday morning- go for it.

The thermals will not be there to back you up come mid afternoon after a few hours of procrastination.

From march through October this strategy works oh so well.

You can procrastinate ( I mean get other work done) and get to the beach by 5 and still get a solid session in.

I decided to wait and meet some buddies to sail up at Pinole shores - which has been reliable on a NE breeze. After all- we had a score to settle.

Kiters vs windsurfers. The battle never ends.

I made the trek to the north bay against my better judgement- leaving a good wind at crissy for an unknown wind 45 min away and breaking the cardinal rule of windsurfing: Never leave wind for wind!

Upon arrival I checked out the scene.

The wind was dying. 20k+ on the outside but a shlog to get there.

I hedged my bets and made the trek in with 4 kiters to Zaijeck beach.

The sign at the trail head should have been the first warning but went right on by.

A 10 min hike in down an access trail, down a dirt trail, through a locked gate. across the railroad tracks, back up the hill & finally down the bluff to the beach.

At least I had my flip flops!

My gear fit nicely in a board bag that I carried over my shoulder.

Its all about the journey I thought to myself.

I got there and immediately knew I made the wrong choice with my 7.8 rig.

I should have packed the 9.5!

It was low tide and the beach was super clean extending out a few more feet from my previous visit.

What I wasn't accounting for was the walk out in the mud till I could get to thigh deep water and keep my 39 cm fin from from hitting the bottom.

The shlog out to the wind line was like a graph of diminishing returns.

The further I got from shore, the further the wind line receded.

The kiters on their race boards and 11m kites were wizzing past me and I could hardy break onto a plane in 8-10k.

If there was any way to covert me to kiting, this was probably it.

I got going a few times only to have the wind die even more. I decided to pack it up and head back before loosing any further ground as the wind was switch more east. I knew I would be downwind of the launch but there was no real good exit from water.

The low tide exposed some nasty rip rap with exposed rebar, razor sharp shells and oh, I forgot the 10 min minute walk up to the beach in the calf deep mud- sinking with every step

All I could think of was climbing out of a power deep day at Tahoe but this was no powder- just mud and I had no epic runs, Just a shlog.

With the gear above my head I began my exit from the water's edge up the rocks.

The balancing attempt was not working.

I disconnected the rig from the board and made my was up and down the rocks 2 more times.

It looked to be about a 1/4 mike walk back along the train tracks.

I tidied up rig into a manageable package rolling up my mast in the sail and tying it into the boom with the uphaul and outhaul,

The extension fit nicely in the boom head and the harness around the short end of the boom.

Did I mention my feet were already cut up from the climb up and down the rocks.

Now the only way back was along train tracks.

If you've ever walked along the train tracks you know those rocks arnt the smooth polished ones you find at the ocean.

No- they are jagged crushed rock that bruise the soles of your feet with every step.

There had to be a better way.

I looked around- a path of thorny bushes and poison oak to the right or the train tracks.

I opted for the latter and was actually enjoying the trek getting a nice soft massage on my feet with every step on the wooden planks of the rail track.

That was until I head the train whistle from behind and looked back to see an Amtrak train coming around the bend at full speed.

My first reaction was to drop the gear and jump out of the way.

A split second went by and I imagined my new board, carbon mast and boom all getting run over my the train.

I hobbled down the bank with about 10 seconds to spare- rig and board balancing between my arms.

The rush of wind in front of the train nearly knocked me over.

I could see the conductors face looking down at my nearly 2 stories above on the double decker train wondering who in the world is walking on the train tacks in a wetsuit carrying what looks like a surf board and a rolled up sail.

The again, This was Pinole. Stranger things have happened.

I made the rest of the walk back avoiding 2 more trains as the whipped by but by this time I figured out the system.

The tracks start to vibrate and make a high pitched noise about 20-30 seconds before the train arrives so I had plenty of time to jump to the side and wait for the trains to pass before continuing on .

Still some strange looks on those train conductors' faces

Zaijeck met me about 3/4 of the way back and helped me carry my board back while I handled the rig.

We laughed and decided maybe this wasn't the best launch on a dying breeze.

As I waited for the rest of our group to derig and drink an few beers on the deserted beach, I thought - it probably could have gone a whole lot worse.

Cut up and bruised feet sure beat a pile of carbon and styrofoam splinters along the edge of the train tracks.

Ill check that beach off the list of places Ive sailed but probably wont be making the trek back anytime soon.

Friday night fog

2011-09-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

The fog was as thick as mud.
The tide- like a bed sheet pulled tight with its corners tucked- was running flat and sticky.
There was no escape.

I tacked on what I thought was normally the layline- but then again- I had no idea.
There was no reference of land. No sun. Only a white abyss and my starting watch telling me Id been sailing upwind on port tack for just over 2 minutes.
It took me 4 more tacks to get around that windward mark on what normally takes one.

Its a surreal experience, windsurfing in the fog on the San Francisco Bay.
At times, you cant see a single thing.
Just the fog and the sound of your board slapping against the water.

The long drawn out drawl of the fog horns on the golden gate bridge are the only reference to where you are and where you're going.
The south tower has its own pitch- loud and deep.
Almost enough to knock you off your board if your close and not expecting it.
The mid span has another pitch- higher and closer in frequency.
The north tower fog horn has its own horn- set at different timing than the other 2.

I made the last minute decision to run the NP10.7 vs the 9.5 it was really starting to lighten up before the first start. I'm glad I did as that made all the difference in getting around the course quickly and efficiently.
In all but 1 race, I lead around the course- getting in and out of the marks without much hassle as others had to double tack and piled on top of each other at the roundings.
A lot of light wind racing is won before the start of the race.
Getting yourself into the right position in the per-start is essential to getting a good start.
With the flood running hard, you had to position yourself to windward of the starting line with 1 minute to go and drift down so that you had speed and angle in the opposite direction at the gun. Easier said that done.
The one time in race 3 I didn't do that I got stuffed on the start and was ducking sterns to get clear air.
Al got the inside puff and climbed while Tom, Marion and Soheil all got the jump in front of me.
Soheil had tacked immediately after the leeward mark and was going for the bigger breeze outside
Just a few seconds later, Tom and Marion went down in a close rounding as I zipped by going to the inside.
As I tacked back I had Soheil and tacked just in front of him on the layline.
What I ddint account for was the flood pushing me down in my tack when my vmg wasn't high.
That was just enough for him to get me as I had to sail a longer distance to get across the finish line while Soheil shot the line at the pin end to grab 2nd.
With the wind dying at Anita mark, the RC changed things up a bit and ran a course with the windward mark at the H beam.
It really didnt matter as you still had to sail to Anita to get to the layline.

After the wind died even more at the top of the course, the RC decided to really invert things.
A downwind start to X- back to A and B. Down to X and back upwind to finish.

The juniors were holding up well with Marion and Jack getting some consistent finishes amongst the fleet.
Marion was even leading one race as she got up onto a plane sooner than me and reached right underneath me on the reach to B.
Luckily for me a puff filled back in on the run to the leeward mark and I was able to regain the lead and stay in front to the finish.

On the last race of the evening, the fog came in thick.
Im not sure you could even see the windward mark until you stumbled upon it.
We all tacked at the same time hoping we were in the vicinity.
I held onto the lead rounding the leeward mark but wasnt sure that if I finished at the pin end, the RC would be able to see me.
I reached down the line out of the fog just in front of Al who had sailed up the shore and was coming on strong.
Then again- close only count sin horse shoes and hand grenades.

Buy Steve's quiver- formula and slalom windsurfing equipment for sale

2011-08-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Ive got a lot of gear for sale at the end of this season.
Contact me for more info and prices
usa4windsurfing at gmail dot com

Formula gear:

2010 Mikes Lab L10 Formula board- one of the easiest and most comfortable formula boards made.
This board finds its groove easy from 7-25k. Ideal for 9-12.0 sail size, Rides well with 60-85cm fins.

Neil Pyrde X9 formula boom 225-285cm- race ready
complete with adjustable harness lines, adjustable outhaul & easy uphaul

HPL Formula Boom 225- 310cm race ready- reinforced carbon front end w/ maui sails head
complete with adjustable harness lines, adjustable outhaul & easy uphaul

HPL Formula Boom 225- 310cm race ready-

complete with adjustable harness lines, adjustable outhaul & easy uphaul
2010 Neil Pyrde evo2 10.7- great light to medium air race sail. This sail is incredibly light to pump and is very light in the hands. Sails well from 10-20k range

2010 Neil Pyrde evo2 9.5- sold

Slalom gear:

Mikes lab 23-1/2" wide 100l slalom board- This board makes your teeth rattle in 5th gear. Its super comfortable to ride, gybes easy with a narrow tail and flies right over the chop. 5.0-7.0 sail range. 32-39cm fin range. Ideal for medium to high winds. Old school style but new school comfort.

JP 65cm wide 100l slalom board- This board has thicker rails and carries through the lulls well with more volume in the tail. It has lots of power combined with a powerful 42cm fin and 7.0 rig. Ideal for mid teens- mid 20k range. 6.8- 8.0 sail range. 36-46cm fin range. Excellent for bigger guys. It sails more like a 110l board.

F2 68cm wide 105l slalom board- This board does everything well. One of the most friendly all around, lively slalom boards Ive sailed. Ideal for mid teens to high 20k range. 6.0- 8.0 sail range. 34-44cm fin range.

2005 North warp 5.8- this sail has been sailed only a few times. Super stable in op'ed conditions.

2010 North warp 6.3- ideal high wind slalom sail- 18k+

2007 North warp 6.3- ideal high wind slalom sail- 18k+

2010 North warp 7.0- ideal medium range slalom sail. 15-25k

Neil Pyrde 200- 260cm slalom boom - race ready
complete with adjustable harness lines, adjustable outhaul & easy uphaul

HPL slalom Boom 200-260cm race ready-

complete with adjustable harness lines, adjustable outhaul & easy uphaul

HPL slalom Boom 190-250cm race ready-

complete with adjustable harness lines, adjustable outhaul & easy uphaul
North viper 430 mast
North viper 460 mast

Rigging Parts
Streamlined 30 cm mast extension- US
Streamlined 46 cm mast extension- US
Streamlined US universal
Marlow Formulal-ine downhaul line- the strongest and most durable downahul line available.

Techtonics 32cm goldwing slalom fin
Meanline 34cm slalom fin
F2 36cm g-10 slalom fin
Techtonics 44cm goldwing slalom fin
Techtonics 60cm goldwing slalom fin

2011 Ronstan Bridge to Bridge race

2011-08-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

The bridge to bridge race is like no other.
20k+ at the start just outside the golden gate bridge and barely a puff in the air at the Bay Bridge finish line.
There is a race to the finish area and then a race to get across the line.
Racers come screaming downwind from the golden gate only to come to a sudden stop and if your lucky a crawl across the line.

This year the skiffs, kites and formula boards all started on the same starting line set just outside the golden gate bridge. Chaos entailed as we all lined up full speed for the downwind start. I opted for my 10.7 knowing that I would need it at the end of the course but it sure was a handful a the beginning. A few boards got rattled by the skiffs but it was the kiters who jumped out to an early and expected lead. 1/2 way down the course I gybed back and was still looking in decent shape amongst the charging fleet. CRad came flying in from the far side after gybing immediately after the start and finding the flat flood tide to take him down the Bay.

It was still pretty crowded and you really had to look out for the skiffs and kites who all had different downwind angles.
As I rounded Alcatraz the top group was out in front but anything could still happen. I opted to heat it up a bit as the breeze was starting to diminish but inevitable took it too far to the city front and when I gybed back fell off a plane for the first time. Ouch there goes a few precious seconds.
A few pumps and back in the thick of things again.
I had just 1 or 2 options left as fleet was getting funneled into the finish area.
I gybed off before the layline taking a risk and separating from the fleet hoping that the Treasure Island bubble would catch them all off guard. As I looked back one by one they all fell off a plane just a few hundred feet in front of the finish. I over stood the finish almost going below it in order to get the required speed to cross it but alas fell off a plane again as the wind was barely 5k at that point.
Even a 12.0 wouldnt help at that point.

The skiffs came charging in hard and overtook the line of boards.
What seemed like an eternity later I crossed the line around 10th place.
Local SF Bay racer Brain Lake took the win on his kite but it wasnt almost so as he had to practically slalom to the finish to keep his kite in the air. Amazingly he managed to break the course record Micah Buzianis has held for almost 5 or 6 years now.

The trip back home was littered with fallen kites. It looked like a graveyard with everyone waiting to be plucked out of the water. I managed to find a puff and get going but the fog rolled in so thick you couldn't see much at all .

Bridge to Bridge 2011 from Phinneas Photoboy on Vimeo.

All photos & videos via photoboy at pressure-drop
GoPro video by waterhound
Results

Summer stoke factor

2011-08-03T07:59:00.001-07:00

If I missed out on the polynesean sailng canoes entering the SF Bay, I certainly found the stoke alive at the south tower yesterday. It absolutely went off.
Huge ebb, south swell and a 18-22k NW seabreeze.
The best day of the season so far...but thats what I said Monday!
I've been a bit burnt out on windsurfing the past few weeks doing 3 back to back to back 5 day events. My energy level at last Fridays race was at a minimum. No motivation.
But alas a good ebb tide will change everything!

Getting there was worth its weight in gold as I had to come back and fin down from 39 to 32 just to cope my way through that minefield of voodoo chop east of the gate. I've only seen the bay get that frothy a few times. Wicked sets of disorganized chop throwing in every direction but once up to the golden gate bridge it all changed.
.
I did the circuit between the south tower and ft point for 90 min before I was absolute mush.
More gybes yesterday that the entire season.
The standing wave just outside the south tower was just epic.
3-4 sets would line up and carry down past the tower. I had some double and triple dip rides getting me deeper than Ive ever gone before. A few times I looked over my shoulder to see Bowen or Erin on their kites a few sets back but their kites in front of me. It was all good through as the stoke factor was way high and everybody was killing it out there.
The ml slalom board and north warp 7.0 were perfect getting me in position every time.
The sheets of velvety smooth silk water were unreal at fort point with the water moving so rapidly but the surface smooth as silk. You couldnt ask for a more perfect compliment to the standing wave just to the south of the tower.
My last ride I got greedy and tried to go for my 4th gybe at the tower shooting the eddy and pearled the front of my board in 5' steep face. I got shot out so fast and before I knew it I was water starting at the red nun. The friction on the water was so strong that it was almost impossible to get the leach of the sail free for a waterstart.
At the end of the day I was like a little kid returning to the beach after his first day in the straps or discovering what planing is all about. This sport will never grow old as long as there are days like these to keep me going. US M9 was certainly smiling down on us today!
Thank you world for lining it all up.
Sb

techno 293 world champs- San Francisco Ca

2011-07-21T23:02:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I really got involved in helping out with an event but it only seemed right given the scale and importance of the Techno 293 World Championships being held in San Francisco from July 19-24 at the St. Francis Yacht Club. Its been 20 years since the last major world windsurfing championship has been held in the US at the St.FYC for the 1991 Mistral World Champs. From the early stages of designing and developing the event, I knew it was going to be big but it didn't strike how big till I got back to Crissy field last Sunday after a few weeks away and saw almost 100 windsurfers out on the San Francisco Bay getting ready for the event. The place rivaled the likes of Lake Garda or the South of France with beautiful sunshine, brilliant water and the flicker of hundreds of windsurfing sails on the water.

The sheer joy and excitement that the kids are getting are worth their weight in gold. Im so stoked to see so many kids enjoying the sport on the San Francisco Bay.

There are over 180 competitors from 24 countries taking part in this years world championships with 5 different fleets: under 17 boys, under 17 girls, under 15 boys, under 15 girls and finally a combined open techno and race board class. The 2 courses are set up on the San Francisco city front with the west course set just off cissy field and the the east course starting further down near Fort Mason. Each fleet will race 2-3 races a day for a maximum of 12 races over the 5 day event. Despite starting at 11 am, racers are taking the full beating the SF Bay has to offer, but these kids are tough. I was on the rescue boat today and despite being totally worn out, exhausted and not able to stand, some kids refused a ride back after the racing was done as they were flooded down past Fort Mason. Win, lose or draw every one of the kids will come out a stronger sailor having more respect for the natural world and the conditions thown at them.
After 2 days of racing, Im super excited to see local Marion Lepart at the top of the under 17 girls fleet with 4/5 bullets. She's been sailing brilliantly and nothing seems to phase her. This kid's going to go far!

As expected the euros are leading in most of the other fleets as the class is especially strong in mainland Europe as is windsurfing in general. We could really learn a few things from their programs like fleet building, investment in youth sailing and regatta preparation. To see the organization of some of the teams is simply amazing. They are still kids but nothing is left to chance when it comes to winning. Coaches, team meetings, special diets- its almost as serious as the Olympics.
But lets not forget- this is windsurfing. No blue blazers allowed.

Enjoy the videos from Patrik Pollak at SVK-1
Results so far http://www.sailingresults.net/site/event/11/
Offical website: http://www.techno293worldchampionship.org/
Photos and stories by waterhound

Friday July 22 update:

video via SVK1
3 more races in today for all fleets- a busy day on the water.
We rescued a few more kids as the flood tide and container ships keep the RC on their toes today.

Local SF rock star Marion Lepart stepped it up today with another 1, 4 on the scoreboard. Unfortunately the light wind got the best of her but lucky for the throwout. Shes sitting in 1st after 3 days of racing with 4 more races to go in the series.
Some great photos by SVK1 Patrik Pollak

Also Shawn Davis' impeccable eye- photo link here

Day 4 video from SVK-1

2 more races today for all fleets- right on schedule as the SF Bay winds always deliver. This time however it was much lighter 12-14 building to 14-16k.
The girls fleet was sent out first for a back to back races and Marion was about to face her biggest foe- lightwind. SF Bay sailors typically do much better in the breeze as its just a matter of time before it fills in. After a deep 1st mark rounding she hustles back to 7th in the first race and must have had some major revelations as her lead in the 2nd race was over 3 min at the finish. Ive never seen such a huge lead on a short course. Great sailing by one of the best junior windsurfers in the world. Going into the last day- she's got a 4 point lead with 2 races remaining.
Also on the schedule for the last day is an unofficial official long distance race with a rabbit start off the beach and one big trip "around the rock" to Alcatraz and back. Im pretty sure the junior windsurfers will be talking about this race for years to come. The start will be off crissy field with a gybe mark just off Anita rock and another gybe mark in front of the StFYC and the around Alcatraz and back to the beach with the finish line up the beach requiring the racers to ditch their rigs and run up the beach to be scored.
Waterhound photos from day 4
SVK-1 photos
Shawn Davis photos

Day 5 report

Well the dogs didnt blow off their chains for the final day of the event and sailors had a pleasant 14-16k breeze to showcase their racing skills. That was just enough for Marion's British counterparts to seize victory despite Marion leading the entire regatta in the u17 girls division. In fact, the UK team swept most of the classes. A great testimony to their country's commitment to sailing programs. Im sure we will see more of them to come.

Also on the course sunday was the unofficial official long distance race around Alcatraz and back.
The Netherland's own Joris van Essen (NED 1111) took the victory with Sara Wennekes (NED 203) leading the girls around.

I was really stoked to see the windsurfers at crissy field again. It seems we are seeing a resurgence in the sport again. I cant help but grin knowing we had a part in it. In fact- 110 volunteers took part in the past 5 days in some part or another- a huge tribute to the dedication of the StFYC and local windsurfing and sailing community.
As usual- Shawn Davis was on the water shooting some great shots.
You can find his gallery of images here.
David Wells of Waterhound was there every step of the way as well with a unique recount of each of the days events. Full story at waterhound.com

Thats a wrap...

Digging deep on the last day of the US Windsurfing Nationals

2011-07-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Going into the last day of the US Nationals I knew what I had to do:
Up my game in order to get back the 4 points I lost to Sylvester in Friday's long distance race.
It wouldn't be easy as the clock was ticking down to the last possible start at 4pm and the possibility of only 2 races.
The setup couldn't be more ideal- a chance to race in light wind after having raced in mostly powered up conditionals all week.
At 2:45 we hot the water. I was ready- armed with my best light-medium air set up of a NP 10.7 and Z super soft fin.
I got rolled at the start as Schurman and Phil sailed under and on top of me. No where to go but tack off. I was still in the pack rounding the top mark with Steve, Mike, Soheil and Eric rounding in a tight group as the leaders got a good jump on the fleet. Maris was sailing a great race in 4th- finally getting his gear tuned up for the bumpy conditions the SF Bay offers
I sailed down the right side of the course with Eric as the others gybed off for more pressure near the pier.
After rolling Eric to leeward downwind with better speed, I saw that we had made significant gains on the boards inside. I kept the pace upwind sailing back to the outside where although it was a but lighter, I was able to optimize my upwind VMG. I rounded the top mark in 5th trying to real Maris in but he was flying with his 11m rig. The usual suspects rounded out the top 3 with Phil just edging out Wilhelm for 2nd and Paulo taking another bullet.
I looked back and saw Sylvester had not recovered well and got stuck in 8th.
The gap was down to 2 point. All I needed to do was put one board between us in the last race and I'd move back into 5th overall.
GBR-451 didn't fare so well breaking a mast in the opening moments of race 1 and hustling to get back to shore to get on his 10.7 for the next race.
Making sure I got a good start, I really got off the line well and played the outside with Schurman as the other tacked back for pressure at the pier.
We tacked back and looked really good. I rounded in 3rd just behind Paulo and Wilhelm.
Downwind I sailed conservatively trying not to loose anything although Phil was catching up.
We split tacks again on the upwind as Phil tried for more pressure at the pier and myself on the outside.
This time it was his turn and he just edged me out getting to the top mark a few seconds before me.
I held onto 4th looking back to see a few boards between S3 and myself.
I was super stoked. I had a goal for the day, sailed my best and met the goal.

But it wasn't over yet- S3 filed for redress in race 1 as the RC safety boat made an abrupt movement right into his path causing him to stop and loose some time.
How much time was the key factor that the jury would need to decide.
I was one point ahead so any redress points awarded to him would affect me.
As a result I was invited into hearing as an interested party.
I made sure the redress was filed correctly and listened to make sure the detais were correct.
Then, when I got the turn to speak, I made the case that S3 should be awarded average points for the day vs average points for the regatta as today's conditions were an unique set of circumstances we hadn't seen earlier in the week. If S3 was awarded average points for the regatta he would surely beat me. If he was awarded average points for the day, I would remain ahead.

The Jury decided between the 2 and gave him an average of 6th place which put us in a tie for 5th overall.
Looking at how the tie breakers are determined in windsurfing with appendix B , the sailor with the best throw out wins. I had a 7th vs S3's 8th.
I learned a lot in this hearing seeing how jury weighs their options for redress and how you need to present your case well.

At the end of the day, Steve and I were both pretty amicable about the whole thing. Its hard to let these things get in the way of the racing but it's all part of the game

Top 5:1- BRA-333
2- BRA-999
3- KA-7
4 GBR-451
5 USA-4

Full results
More event coverage from waterhound
Shawn Davis Photos:

Berkeley pier race: Day 4 US Windsurf Champs

2011-07-15T18:35:00.001-07:00

On the schedule today for day 4 of the US Windsurfing National Champs was a long distance race 2 times around the Berkeley pier for 3 upwind and 3 downwind legs. At the start it wasn't clear by all sailors that the race had started. The leaders got out to a big lead as most weren't familiar with the rabbit start by the RC. I was one of them so it was playing catch up the whole race. Sylvester managed to sneak ahead of Xavier and I so I'm down 4 points at the end of day 4 for the 5th overall.
The leaders sailed beautifully. In fact, it was a photo finish after 20 mile + trip 2 times around the berkeley pier for BRA999, KA7 and BRA3333.
Conditions were from 16-24k and lumpy seas. I'm not sure I could have done anything differently except pay a big more attention to the top guys around the start and try to to get any separation.
1 more day to finish strong. Saturdays forecast looks like more marine layer so maybe a chance to bring out the big guns and race with the 10.7.

Berkeley delivers

2011-07-14T22:52:00.001-07:00

Day 3 of the US National Champs saw the Brazillians dominate both the formula and slalom courses in classic SF Bay conditions. 3 formula races were run in 18-24k followed by 3 rounds if slalom in 20-25k.
Paulo Des Reis collected another string of bullets as he's on par to sail a perfect regatta, something that I'm not sure has ever been done at the US Windsurfing National Championship. Not to be outdone, Wilhelm Schurman collected 3 bullets on the slalom course followed by a string of 2nds on the formula course.
The first race started off with the breeze filled in and most on the 9.5-10m rigs.
There wasn't as big advantage to the right side today as previous so most continued to the corners to maximize their VMGs which Paulo seemed to have the best of. He simply sailed away from the rest of the fleet. Schurman played the 2nd fiddle while McGain and Ferlet battled it out for 3rd and 4th.
Sylvester managed a consitstant day closing the gap on me and we remain tied at the end the day for 5th. In all but one race he was clearly ahead and finally I tried to wear him down in race 2 when he left the door open on a wide leeward mark rounding. The next upwind I inched my way matching his speed and angle and evern rounding in front of him at the top mark only to have him call the better lay line to the finish.
The lesson to be learned is play your last move well. It doesn't matter if your ahead or behind just make sure you don't blow it before you get the finish.
After 3 races we switched to slalom but at that point I gad to listen to my body after having been in race mode for the past 16/17 days. I gladly made my slalom gear available to Paulo as he currrenly wasn't entered in the slalom comptition and showed he's pretty solid around any race course. I'm not sure I've ever seen my gear go that fast! He gave Wilhelm and Phil a run in the 2/4 races but called it quits to save strength for tomorrow an saturdays long distance and course racing.
3 races were run in 20-25k with the San Francisco city front and golden gate bridge in the background- an amazing backdrop for sla.om racing.
Schurman clearly dominated with better gybes around the course even if Phil was ahead. PRO Darren Rogers ran the fleet till 6:45 when the last race was run and racers returned to BYC for dnner and a screening of Wind and Water, a film by Bill Wier.
On the line up tomorrow is more course racing and the possibility of anlong distance race or more slalom. The freestyle competition will continue to be run from his lordships at the bottom of the basin.

TKO by the Berkeley weed on Day 2 of the US Windsurfing National Champs

2011-07-13T23:15:00.001-07:00

Day 2 of the US Windsurfing Nationals saw 2 more rounds of formula course racing in the early afternoon & 3 rounds of slalom finishing at 6:30 pm in the South Basin off the Berkeley Pier.
Racers were greeted to a lighter than normal fogged in Bay Wednesday morning. PRO Darren Rogers made the call formula course racing at 1:30 when Paulo Des Reis continued his domination with 2 more bullets to add to his already perfect score. Australina native Phil McGain was noticeably in the mix today trading places with BRA999 Wilhelm Schurman for 2nd & 3rd while Xavier Ferlet put in another solid performance sealing his position in 4th. I managed 1 decent finsih sneaking into 5th by some efficient out of the harness pumping downwind as the wind dropped to 15k and the 9.5 just wasn't cutting it. Time for some grunt work.

While the wind was slower to fill in today, it was the weeds on the course that got most competitors frustrated.

Every leg of the course I looked down to see a trail of weeds behind my fins.

Race 1 started with the top guys on port tack. I got a good jump and shot the pier finding a narrow slot to sail through and searched for the breeze on the normally favored right side. Unfortunately when you sail to the corners calling the lay lines can be a real risk. I underestimated and got the short end of then stick as the leaders sailed by. 2 more legs was enough to catch up to 5th putting a few positions between my nearest competitor behind and myself.

Race 2 saw the top guys get off the line well again on port as the RC moved the pin end down 2 times.

I got hosed from the start with a big trail of weeds from the begining wondering why I couldnt point or get speed. Local knowledge paid off for Sylvester and Percey as they sailed a solid race seemingly avoiding the weeds putting them back in the hunt.

We had a 90 min break on the beach as the RC switched from course racing to a gybe downwind slalom course. Having gotten skunked so many times before with slalom at Berkeley, I made the risky call to run the slalom course in my formula board, 9.5 rig and 60 cm fin in the 18-22k breeze. While it didn't quite get the job done pretty it did put me near the top in the first 2 races. By the 3rd race, it was more if a liability as I laid down the rig at the first mark to gybe only to have 3 sailors under neath me get crushed as well as my battens in the 9.5. McGain wasn't so lucky in race 1 as he sailed the wrong course after leading.

Sometimes you need to take a risk to win, other times you need to eliminate them.

At the top of the slalom rankings after 3 races, Brazillian Wilhelm Schurman maintains a solid lead. Tomorrow's forecast looks more of the same so expect formula course racing in the early afternoon followed by either more slalom or long distance. Friday and Saturday sees the return of freestyle so racers should get a needed rest but I'm fully expecting a full series of racing to continue through the weekend.

A big thanks to the RC for setting up and tearing down 2 courses on the water today.

Steve Bodner

USA-4

Day 1 regatta report US Windsurfing national championships

2011-07-12T23:03:00.001-07:00

Day 1 of the 2011 US Windsurfig national championships took place in the San Franciso Bay off the Berkeley marina on Tuesday, July 12 with 39 competitors from the US, Australia, Brazil, England, Finland, Latvia and New Zealand.
4 course races were run in winds from 12-28k with the foreign sailors taking the top 3 spots. Paulo Des Reis, BRA-3333 walked away from his comptition by taking the 1st four bullets of the regatta with Wilhelm Schurman, BRA-999 holding on for 2nd in all the races. Xavier Ferlet, GBR-451 holds onto to 3rd place with myself in 4th as the top American.
Race 1 was delayed until 2:30 when the wind was not quite filled in but rather dead on the left side and building to 18k near the pier. Many sailors were caught off guard including myself as we found the big holes around the course and an unstable shifting wind. The lesson is to never give up. You never know what's going to happen to the guy in front of you.
Finally by race 2 the breeze built to a solid 25k with BRA-3333 and BRA-999 taking an early lead. I followed S3 & GBR-451 around the leeward mark and was able to carry it a bit further at the pier & managed the windward beat in 1 tack while the other 2 had to double tack at the windward mark. A lot of racing has to do with finding the right agles around the course so you can set a course to the next mark most efficiently. From there I stayed ahead taking 3rd.

Short break back on shore and another 2 back to back races in 20-25k the dying down to a managable 18-22k for the last race.
GBR-451 stepped it up adapting the the conditions with a 9.0 & 61cm fin while the rest of the fleet was on 10.0 and under. KA7 was noticlbly abscent missing the race. I managed a close race in race 3 just finishing 1/2 board behind Xavier at the finish of the 18 min race for 3rd place.
Finally in race 4, Sylvester Got a great jump at the start as I got rolled by Xavier who spritzed off the line for a great start at the pin end.
I had to fight my way through the fleet one board at a time rolling Percey upwind and Soheil off the breeze as I was able to call the better lay line at the bottom mark just before the shirt rexh to the finish. Unfortunately just not enough time to catch Sylvester and Ferlet who rounded out the top 5.

Tomorrows forecast looks similar with slalom on the agenda in the afternoon in the breeze builts enough.
Full report at www.waterhound.com

Day 5 formula wondsurfing world championship

2011-07-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

The last day of a 5 day world championship is always the hardest. You need to dig the deepest to find the energy, will and determination to keep it going, knowing that in just a few hours it's all going to be over. In most cases your fate has already been established, you're throw-outs taken and it's just a matter of not dropping any deeper in the fleet. For the sailors at the top with lower scores, there’s an opportunity to gain or lose significantly.

Going into the last day, both the men’s and women leaders only needed another bullet to secure their place on the podium. Antoine Albeau got it done with 3 races to space as he was 15 points ahead of his nearest competitor. Local San Francisco prodigy Marion Lepard, however kept the excitement going letting the number 2 girl, FRA 59 get the first 2 races then finally took the 3rd race of the day and securing her spot as the youngest girl to win the formula windsurfing world championship.

Up at top of the men’s fleet Arnon Dagon from Israel showed that he had what it took taking the last few bullets of the regatta and securing his spot in 2nd place.

Gabriel Brown, another young 19 year old from Brazil sailed an impressive last 2 days and managed to take the final place on the podium.

I'm consistently reminded of a Gary Bodie article in sailing worlds several years back about 'avoiding the big bummers.' This regatta that really struck home as I saw the guys at the top of the fleet sail consistently while the rest of the middle and back of the fleet sailors had scores all over the place.

With the approaching storm, I though it would be best to take the 9.5 in the 3rd race but it turned out it wasn't enough middle of the fleet sailed right over me on the down winds. On top of that my boom slipped right out of hands on the first gybe.

Ouch.

One more race to give it my all. I got off the line well on starboard tack. Steve Allen and Michael Polanoski just to my leeward certainly didn't help. I guess in this case I was the marshmallow. So be it, I charged on, holding on for the short upwind and rounding the top mark in the top 20. Downwind, I held on well going strong on my 10.7. I rounded the leeward mark on the outside of the pinwheel and tacked off early despite knowing the shore was favored. Sometimes clear air is king, so I charged the the left side of the course. The reef comes in a little closer on the low end of the course but this was the last race so I was committed and still doing relatively well. The timing couldn’t have been worse. The breaking wave over the reef had reached maximum height just as I was about to cross over it. A 6' wall of vertical water smacked me so hard I think it popped my eardrums. Somehow as I went through the face of the wave I came out if it haging on in a water start position but pretty shaken. I took me about a minute to recover as I has to really give it my all to waterstart the 10.7 as the tip submerged. Not much I could do at that point but hang on as I already reached the lay line and it was just a short reach thefinish.

Overalll, a rewarding experience to sail at another world championship. Each time I try to do just a little better than the last and despite not making my goal of the top 25, it's all good. 28th is the best I've so far and still happy to be racing windsurfers for over 20 years.

Final results, photos and live ticker from event at www.formulawimdsurfong.org

Formula world champs day 4: charging the reef

2011-07-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

Another day of up and downs for me on the racecourse today.
Despite looking like a major front was going to park itself over Peurto Rico today, we actually got 4 races off in 14-18k. Most we're in either their 11 or 12m rigs.

The big change at the top of the leader board saw Gabriel Brown jump from 6th to 2nd with a solid show of 1,3,2,3. Antoine is still dominated with a 15 point lead and 2 bullets and a 2nd & (10th) to show for today. There was plenty of action on the course with the Dutchies continuing their unfortunate streak of bad luck. After Caspers unfortunate injury on day 2, Dennis Littel got clobbered at the windward mark today as Arnon ran right over him as Dennis tried to make a quick tack at the top mark.
Sean Obrien was the other unlucky one who got taken out at the start of race 3 in a rather large collision just after the start.
Here's a view from the boat end of the start of race 11

I had my moments today but the rest of my scores seem to have balanced me out and have kept me firmly planted in 28th for the last 2 days.
Race 3 today saw a rather big mid line sag in the starboard tackers so I jumped out in front of the fleet and charged off to the port lay line blasting right over the reefs And rounded the top mark in the top 10. Talk about an adrenaline rush. I managed to hold on loosing Jesper on the downwind and a few mlre boards at the leeward rounding as I rounded behind a big pack.
Back upwind I charged to the left side again after getting knocked at the shore.
The rest of the was breathing down my neck the whole downwind and I managed a clean rounding just behind Victor Melo from Brazil. 2 guys got inside my lane but I timed my last 2 tacks perfectly cutting them off at the last rounding and finishing 15th.

Here's the video from the finish of the 2nd race of the day with the last tack at the pin end of the line towards the finish
My other races were a bit off as I couldnt quite find my groove around the course, nor did i have the confidence to charge the reef again full speed on a borrowed board. I stuck with using the replacement starboard hwr as my repair on my ML10 didn't pan out as I thought.
(I'll leave that to the expert when I get home.) I sailed the 10.7 in all races with the 70 kashy and Z fin in the first race. It's not often you get the chamce to change boards in the middle of a regatta but after my board got a hole in ,one of the organizers lent me his spare board. Very cool!
In the girls fleet local SF junior Marion Lepaed is holding onto the slimest of leads with a 3 point lead over her nearest competitor from France. Huge props to her at her first formula world champs. I think she'll have what it takes for her big event of the season in 2 weeks at the techno 293 world champs.
I cant say enough about the hospitality of the event with shade, food and water every day.
There's a big scaffolding with an announcer on the boardwalk in front of the beach and loud music pumping all day. Several of the event sponsors have set up booths on the boardwalk with samples of all their products for the public and competitors.
One more day of racing left and if I remember how Bruno runs things, it's going to be all the racing we can fit in before the last possible starting time.
Results, photos and full ticker of the event at www.formulawindsurfing.org

Big changes for the formula windsurfing class

2011-07-07T21:06:00.000-07:00

We just finished the annual general meeting for the formula windsurfing class. Some difficult decisions were made in favor if cutting cost for the amateur and traveling sailor. The decision to limit the class to 2 fins and 2 sails was debated and finally voted on with 9-8 vote in favor of the reduced equipment. The thinking behind the proposal was the sailors still might buy and race 3 sails but only be able to register 2 fins and 2 sails at any regatta. This will hopefully reduce the barrier to entry for new sailors intimidated by the cost if putting together a full formula quiver. It also allows sailors traveling to regattas by airlines to fit within the current airline excess baggage limitations (or at least closer to it.) Consequently it will force the sail and fin manufacturers to make their products more efficient. On the flip side, it makes the choice much harder and might favor the heavy weight sailor with the 12.0. Looking into the future, wind maximums might be the next necessary step. Im not sure it will stop the people who have the $ from buying 3 sails, but now you'll have to register 2 sails per regatta. In places like SF, this might cause some interesting debated given the current mindset but in all honestly I've been doing well with a 9.5 and 10.7 quiver for the past 2 years. On the flip side, lightweight sailors in europe might need a 12.0 and a 10.0 to cover the range while heavier sailors might choose a 12 and 11.0. The biggest burden will be put on the the manufactures how to best develop this into their new lines which are already into r&d and ready to be put into production. Maybe they can have a later release date or maybe the solution will become from the sailors with 2 sets of battens (one for heavy air and one for light air) to fit within the rules. whatever the case, it's going to take a new midset to solve the problem. Before we could have 3 sails to fit within the wind range of 6-30k. Now we must fit 2 sails to cover the same range. Traveling to events will be easier with 2 rigs. Sean O'Brien and Sergio from Argentina even the sailed the with 1 sail in their quiver.

I was pretty torn on how to vote as the US had 2 votes but I voted in favor of trying to reduce the cost given the global economic crisis we are in now. I've always been in favor of an open development class but I think thus will force the sailors and manufactures to be more efficient. It also will allow new sailors to come into the class easier.
We also voted on class dues for sailors and manufactures to promote the class and sailors. How this is achieved is yet to be determined but the idea is that a sailor doing 1or 2 events on the tour would nor have to pay as much as a professional doing all the events. A sub committee will be formed with details to follow.

Hurry up and slow down

2011-07-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today had its series of ups and downs.
1st race saw a big rain squall move through and kill the wind leaving me in the cheap seats with my 9.5 as the wind died down to 12k.
The 2nd race I recovered well getting my best finish of 20th with my 10.9. I started well in the mid line sag just ahead of the pack getting a jump on the fleet.
I sailed right out to the layline and rounded in the pack but still feeling a bit slow downwind as I'm probably giving up some in the double chicken strap but the 10.7 was pulling well so I went with it. 3 windward /leeward laps later I had some good legs keeping my position with Micah and Schurman in the top 20. The biggest gains came from rounding the leeward mark by hurrying up and slowing down. By getting a good rounding and getting a lane to windward, I was able to climb and gain significantly.
Video from the pin end boat at the finish:

Race 3 had an hour break giving us a time to recover but it was all to much as I went from good to bad. I made the worst mistake I have ever made trying to cross a starboard tacker and failing miserably. I put a huge hole in mine and his board. I immediately retired from the race and tried to find POL 10 a board to use for the next race. I've never felt so bad racing boards knowing I was at fault but in the end that's all part if racing. We all make mistakes but it how you recover that determines the winners. I made a decent effort to race the last race on a borrowed board but the my performance just wasn't there.

Video from 3rd race start:

Video from the 4th race finish:

After racing I had a major repair to do and ended the night exhausted after adding filler and epoxy to the big gaping home in the side of my board.

Tomorrows another day so I'll give it my all and go for it all trying to break into the top 25 for the regatta.

Formula worlds day 1 report

2011-07-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

Day 1 at the formula world champs was brutal with 18-20k on the course gusting up to the mid 20s. 3 races were run all 3 lap windward leeward finishing with a short reach around the pin end to the finish set to leeward if the starting boat. The fleet is 50 strong. The course is set up between shore and a reef a 1/2 mile out with some mini reefs in between for good nature.
The starts were insanely port tack favored so the fleet was charging in each direction. Carnage followed with some pretty close calls on the line. I narrowly avoided disaster as a port tacked POL-10 plowed into me on race 2 on the starting line putting a hole in my board but I was able to hustle back just enough so that redress wouldn't matter.
I'm sitting in 26th but it feels like I should be doing better as the fleet is one of the toughest I've ever sailed in with almost all the top pros here and just 1/3 amateurs. I'd reckon it's the closest thing to an Olympic regatta that I will ever sail in.
Everyone is making some mistakes even the guys at top so its going to be who sails the most constant that wins. So far that's Antoine, Jesper and Polanoski at the top after day 1.
You gotta love POL-10 on starboard in the video below- about 45 sec. in as he knocks in 3 port tackers with his boom and yells- "Dont fuck with my starts!"
This is from the same guy who got out of my protest and a rule 69 hearing .
Classic!

Ron Kern ran into the reef and basically broke his board in 1/2 hinging just in front of the fin box. Casper got sliced with a fin and consequently got taken hospital for stitches. Nicholas from
France for t-boned by victor from Brazil rendering his board useless for the rest if the regatta. That's why you bring a spare !

The course is set up so that there's a reef and a shore limiting both sides of the course forcing most sailors tacking and gybing up the middle of the course and a more crowded race course.

To say people are running into each other would bean understatement.

To top it off, the shore is the favored side on the windward beat as you can get the geographical shift off the land after the first tack. Consequently, port tack has been favored on the starting line causing even more chaos!

I sailed the 9.5 all races with a 70 cm fin adding more downhaul than I've had before. Good upwind but a bit off the pace downwind. Maybe less tomorrow. Most others were on 10 or 10.7.
The key it seemed was to sail in clear air with the narrow course. I tacked early a few times just before the reef or shore and came back across with a good lane and gained.
Tomorrows forecast looks to be windier so hopefully a chance to move up.
More later.
Hitting the sack after a long day.
4 more days to go!
Steve
USA-4

Results and photos at www.formulawindsurfing.org

Formula windsurfing world champs pre regatta update

2011-07-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

A quick update from Puerto Rico where the Formula World Championships start next week.

The venue is awesome. Crystal clear warm bath water and a constant 12-20k breeze and so far some rain squalls almost every afternoon.

A lot of the top pros have been training here for some time and many amateurs like myself have been showing up steadily all this week. It looks like at least 50 sailors for the event with Marion and myself from the SF Bay and a 1/2 dozen US sailors from Florida. A great turn out for the first formula world champs held in north America since the inaugural worlds in 2003.

The breeze is side shore and there is a breaking reef 1/4 mile offshore so it should make for some interesting racing putting a premium on tacks and gybes just like the Friday nite series. Outside the reef there is big swell but I'm not sure we will be racing out there as there's only a few places to cross through the reef with out going over the handle bars.

It's definitely shallower than a 70cm fin! Ive lined up the last few days with some fast sailors but anything can happen on race day. I'm ready for anything with a 9.5, 10.7 and 12.0 in my quiver.

The organizers have been super helpful arranging to pick up all the sailors and their gear from the airport.

Sunday we have a practice race. Monday is registration & measurement and racing starts on Tuesday and configures through saturday. I'll update my blog and tweet @usa4.

More updates can be found at www.formulawindsurfing.org

Steve

USA-4

San Francisco Bay Challenge

2011-06-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

While the Ronstan SF Challenge is always billed as the SF's Classic baby brother, this year it lived up to beyond anyone's expectations and was one of the windiest long distance races ever run on the SF Bay. With gusts hitting 37-39k on the way back from Berkeley, it was not only a survival outing but a winner takes all drag race between the kiters and the formula boards.
For the first time, outside the Ronstan bridge to bridge race, the kite and formula windsurfers lined up against each other for the ultimate bragging rights on the Bay and it came down to just 14 seconds. One mistake at the end of the race was all it took for kiter, Adam Koch to edge out Xavier Ferlet on his formula board for the top spot. Analyzing the results, neither the kites nor boards dominated like one would thing but the standings showed a well matched battle between the 2 crafts with the boards taking 6 of the top 10 spots and the kites taking the victory but placing another 3 kiters in the top 10.

Thanks to Chris Ray for the photos

This years race was not for the faint of heart. The Bay was full of white caps as far as they eye could see by the 1:10 start. We started off with a quick windward leg with the fist mark set even with the presidio shoal buoy. I got a clean start at the boat on starboard knowing it would just be a quick beat before needing to flop over to avoid over standing the top mark. I arrived with Seth just in front of me and Adam on his kite just behind me. We turned the corner and were off blazing downwind through some of the ugliest, gnarliest voodoo chop the Bay could serve up. I realized it was going to be a tough race when I was spending most of the time in my leeward strap just to cope. Below Alcatrez and somewhere above the Berkeley pier I blew my gybe and Percey, Eric and Xavier went blazing past. The front of my board completely pearled into the set in front of me despite gybing like a total sissy. I guess it serves me right. 5 min later another rouge set knocked me right off the back of the board but luckily I was able to water start out of it and only let Ben get by. As we made our way down to the bottom of the Berkeley pier the kites had a good lead but I could see Seth holding on to the top formula position. Suddenly he stopped and was just drifting downwind completely out of the race. It was only later that I found out our best potential for the win had broken his boom and was forced to retire. Time to step it up as this race was only 1/3 over despite already taking a huge mental and physical load on my body.

As I rounded the leeward mark, there were 3 boards and a few kites in front of me as we began our port tack beat up towards Angel island. I decided for some separation and tacked back crossing the pier and going as far as the leeward edge of TI. I managed to find some flatter water but as soon as I broke the point of TI the port tack beatings began again. It was almost straight into the square chop. I was getting worked but needed to settle things down for the long beat ahead.
I just couldn't find a comfortable position as I borrowed a harness from Seth just before the race after realizing my harness bar was going to break. Harnesses are such a personal thing. Ask any of the top racers and they all have a different harness and swear by its ability. I was just trying to cope but realized my form was just not cutting it. With these long distance races, its essential you can find a comfortable position to take the rapture the SF Bay serves up.
I scanned the horizon only to see a white frothy mess the whole way up. I had doubts at even being able to sail back upwind as I was getting stalled out trying to depower and pinch the board up into the wind for control. The wind was gusting well into the mid 30's and the chop was just brutal. I found a nice little eddy around the southern edge of Angel island that scooted me up and worked the shore the rest of the beat up. I knew there was a strong flood on the city front so I wanted to avoid that area at all cost. The gust were strong there and I could see the guys in the lead really having trouble. Unfortunately I took it a bit too far and overs tood the finish. Trying to sail a formula board on a beam reach with a 67cm fin in 30k+ is probably the most uncomfortable position yu can put yourself in. No amount of sheeting out works. To top it off their was a second kiteboarding event that just started. 70+ kiters were on their way downwind directly through our finish line. These guys were not to most accomplished kiters by any means but just looking to have a good downwind run before their charter bus would take them back home from Berkeley. I guess it just adds to the accomplishment of finishing but I was cursing some of those kiters out trying to duck between their lines, boards and flogging kites in the water.
At the end, I managed a respectable 6th place overall with a final time of 1 hour, 23 min and 15 sec but was well off the pace finishing 4 min behind the top finisher. All and all I was happy to survive this race knowing it took most of the fleet well beyond the normal 1':20 min to finish. The last finisher clocked in a 3 hours and 34 min- a unbelievable time to have spent battling the Bay. Final results here

Support your local board builder

2011-05-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

I got the beach late last week only to have Mike Z hand me my future board.
Mind you I hadn't ordered it yet but I made him promise he'd build me one as a prerequisite for giving it back.
It was seriously the most impressed Ive been with a piece of windsurfing equipment in the 20+ years Ive been involved in the sport. I hesitated on even writing this piece because like a good thing, there's only so much that can go around.

Getting my local board builder to build me a new windsurfing board has been like pulling teeth the last few year. He's been endlessly creating prototypes that eventually led to the world speed record being broken by Rob Douglas on a Mikes Lab kite board. Then, all of a sudden, since the kite racers discovered his talents, hes been building and involved in the rapid paced evolution of the kite race boards. The boards have gone from twin tip, to surfboards to something now that more resembles a mini formula board with 3-4 50cm carbon fins. And like the windsurfing fleet, his boards are always found at the top of the fleet. Heineken has been shutting the door on the rest of the kite fleet this year at the local Thursday night race series at the St. Francis Y.C.
His latest creation- a thin shell of carbon and foam seems to weigh 1/2 as much as its competitors. But that's not so unusual with kite boarding these days as things are changing so fast. Racers show up with a new set of canted fins that makes last weeks podium finish obsolete.
Watching kite racing grow is similar to what happened to windsurfing in its peak of the late 80's and early 90's.
I was hoping or maybe dreaming he'd be able to incorporate some of the same ideas back to a windsurfing board.
What he did was nothing short of brilliant.
This sensation was more like flying than windsurfing.
The board glided effortlessly over the water with control and speed.

If you've ridden a Mike's Lab board, you'll know its the equivalent of sitting on the couch with the remote in hand. Pure comfort. His boards are built for the San Francisco Bay where the voodoo chop, ferry wakes and container ships can just about eat any normal windsurfer. One doesn't have too look far to see what I mean with nearly 100% of the local windsurfing racing fleet riding some version of his board. The boards are built to last with solid construction that's hard to find anywhere else.

As I took off from crissy field in 15-20k, it felt like there wasn't even a board beneath my feet. The north warp 7.0 rig and 39 cm fin were attached effortlessly. I looked down to see a board beneath me but I'm really not sure it was even there. At 12 lbs it felt like there was absolutely nothing there as the board flew over the chop with out even the smallest disturbance.
The board was built with his new "kite" construction using a lighter weight foam.
The result is a board that rides and feels way lighter than its competition.
Who would have ever thought Id be thanking kite boarding but that's how development works- full circle.

This could really change windsurfing again in a really good way.

We haven't seen a huge evolution of windsurfing equipment like this since the development of the carbon fin 10 years ago. Its the equivalent of riding a G1o blade vs a full custom carbon race fin.

There's no going back now!

Once I found the right weight placement, (more forward than I thought) it gybed very beautifully. The board tracked effortlessly across the swell.
The tail feels small but it reality it was 20.5" measured one foot off the trailing edge.
The board itself is somewhat odd looking with a wide nose, thin rails and recessed deck but hey. I'm not complaining -what ever works!

Here's the full specs from Mike:
226 x 73 x 52
estimated volume 110-115l.
12lbs before straps.

Strength- same as normal!

Like all MLab boards, you can order any size you want and now with the the new lightweight construction! This particular board was for Sergio in Miami- a smaller lightweight guy interested in getting his slalom kit going at the same time as his formula kit. Now that's a big order!
After only 15 min on the board, Id go as far to say that Mike Z has uped the game for all windsurfing manufactures. Ive already put my order in for a new formula and slalom board.
The wait is going to kill me.

heavy air rapture

2011-05-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

If Friday evenings onslaught of heavy air racing is any indication what will happen today- then bring it on! We started the 3rd Friday night series of the year under what waterhound described as "a cauldron of frothing foam and 25 knot gusts." Easy for him to say as he was on the race deck doing race committee for the evening.
In all actuality it was blowing 15-30k with some huge swell coming in the Bay and a 2-3k ebb tide to stir things up even more. In races like these, its easy to wear yourself out so you've got to maintain control at all times and not let the conditions get the better of you. Even so I was barely hanging on- hoping to duck out after 4 races and take my throwout while sitting the last race out. Not a chance as I went down hard in race 4 at the gybe mark just barely avoiding CRAD.
Race 1 started and I got a nice jump on the fleet. I wasnt in my usual position winning the B buoy but rather down the line a bit in order to get some more control in the hairy conditions. I overstood the top mark and let CRAD slip in and chased him down the rest of the downwind and upwind leg only to finish a close 2nd while he took the bullet.
Race 2 started with Seth showing up and taking control from the get go. Although hes still doesnt have the angle I had, his transitions and speed more than made up for it as he took the bullet in race 2 while CRAD rounded the leeward mark just in front if me. I stalled and tried to pick and lane outpointing him but no luck, so I put the hammer down and drove below him- determined to get past him before the finish. Sure enough, I just got past him as we approached the sea wall to tack and got the quicker transition to take 2nd. Nothing like a little adrenaline to get you going!
Race 3 saw the wind up even more to the upper 20's and although the course was flattening out, it still made for some very challenging conditions. I made the mistake again of overstanding the top mark again and gave Seth some extra breathing room. Unfortunately for him, he sailed some extra distance on the downwind rounding A and then back to B while I sailed the correct course just around B. In the lead, I approached the leeward mark with caution as it was my race to loose. I weaved my way through the big boats who were starting their series off the GGYC and made it around without incident to take the bullet while Seth and the trailing fleet got caught up in a hairy rounding forcing some sailors in the water.
One more race, I thought to myself as I tried to calculate the points in my head to see what I would need to stay in 2nd or even more to 1st for the night. I guess I got a little bit too ahead of myself as I went down hard around the A buoy as CRAD and I gybed overlapped and I went down at the last second to avoid a collision. The ebb was so strong at that point and I could hardly get around the mark. Ouch 6th place. Time to dig deep for the last race.
Thomas jumped back on his formula gear and was in the hunt battling it out against Seth while Tom Purcell sailed a brillant race showing what it takes. I was sitting deep in 5th just behind Al and knew I had to pull everything out on the last leg as we were overlapped. I got the better tack and just got the horn in front of Al as we crossed the line overlapped. Talk about tight racing!
That was good enough to take 2nd after beating CRAD on the tiebreaker. Remembering from last week's racing- every point counts while racing boards.

Light air patience

2011-05-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

The second Calcup for the season kicked off in Berkeley this past Saturday under what looked like dismal conditions. A late winter storm was moving in and causing some abnormal patterns to the regular SF Bay sea-breeze. Nonetheless we got an up and down 12-14k of breeze and 3 races after several abandoned attempts when the breeze died off to below planning conditions. As with most light wind racing, patience was the key to finding success.

I had forgotten my race watch so I was relying on how the fleet lined up for the start to judge the time. I kept Xavier to leeward near the pin knowing that I had a bit better angle and the puffs were coming in from the right tending to veer. Inside board always gains on the lift.
The 2 of us got a good jump on the fleet and I gained some separation to windward climbing by keeping my rig upright and holding the uphaul with my front hand. This technique works great when you need to add power to the rig and takes some pressure off the front of the board. It also allows you to control the angle of attack better by making it possible to bring the entire leading edge of the rig to windward and climb. Having a very powerful fin also helps in carrying the momentum. I was using the Z 70 - much softer than any other kashy I have sailed. The NP 10.7 with high boom and a tight tack strap ensured my rig was as powerful as it would get.
We both tacked at the same time with Xavier nailing it and me coming down with speed.
The course added a new twist with 2 immediate gybes required just after to top mark. I realized the inside of the course near the pier was the lightest area so it made sense to try to avoid that area as long as possible. I carried my 2nd gybe out as far as I could to make it on the required side of the starting boat and went just a bit deeper than Xavier ensuring I could round the bottom mark with speed and power. Sure enough, on our approach the leeward mark, Xavier was forced to go deep and slower while I made a clean rounding and off to the 2nd upwind. I sailed to the left corner again making sure to nail the lay line as Xavier tacked off in search for clear air. I had to duck Chip on his kite just near the top mark but managed to squeeze back up and round in a puff and was gone. Wasson and Koch both motored downwind on their big kites while and took the line honors while I hung onto the top position for the formula boards.

Thanks to Lyrah Colvin for the photos..

As the flood increased, it made it harder for most of the fleet on their 11.0's to get going. The key was to stay near the starting line at all times making sure you could get a good approach run for the start to built up the necessary speed required for light air racing. The kites were right in there on the first beat but had a hard time making any moves to windward given the space they required to fly their kites. Xavier tacked first but I held out knowing the wind was lighter up top and the flood was building. Never underestimate the flood tide- especially in a light breeze.

I got around the windward mark in 1st and stayed there played my cards right ensuring I stayed in the breeze the entire race. The kites fell out of the sky near the pier as the wind dropped below 10k. On a formula board, that no problem. You shlog, pump and get going again. For the kites, it was game over and a long swim in. While I have a lot of respect for the kite racers who are pushing the limits of the sport with new technology and hard training, it seems their biggest pitfall is still light winds. When they fail, they fail big. Xavier finished 2nd while Sylvester and Marion were
battling it out for 3rd.
The 3rd race started after a big set of dark and stormy could rolled by and eventually killed the wind. S3 and I made it up to the top mark shlogging the last few minutes. Downwind S3 got the jump and was off but fell off a plane again near the bottom of the course. The race was abandoned at that point and restarted.

A big starboard tack knock on 1st beat gave Xavier who was most leeward board a big advantage as the rest of us got driven down below his stern. With only 1 lap, it was going to be hard to catch up. I saw a chance on the last beat to windward as I saw Xavier underestimate the layline to the finish and as a result, he had to double tack. Even though I carried my line further than him, I still struggled to make it across on port tack and had to tack just at the line and barely made it across in front of S3. Luckily starboard tack trumps everything else and Steve had to duck below me to finish.
A 1,1,2 gave me the top spot for the day and some confidence for the rest of the season. Light air used to be my biggest weakness but now it’s become strength.

Lessons from the Berkeley circle

2011-05-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Its been 2 weeks already since the first Calcup in Berkeley.
A but fuzzy on the specifics but I do recall a few valuable lessons.

The first is- its not how well you do, but how well you recover.
After the first race, I looked down to see my harness bar collapsed.

Game over? Not so fast.
With with quick improvising, I was able to secure some line from the RC, make a few hitches and be ready for race 2.

If you're on a mission- don't let anything stop you!

The second big lesson was to race as if there's no discard.
Because if you're tied at the end of a series, its the sailor with the lower discard that breaks the tie breaker under the RRS and appendix b.

We started off with 2 general recalls and then under a blag flag. I didnt push it and got buried at the start of the first race. I footed to get clear air but it was a quick first beat with all the fleet going left on starboard tack. Xavier tacked first jumping into the lead. Digging my way back through the fleet, my speed and angle felt fast but there's only so many opportunities to gain on a short course- even moreso if you're underpowered and behind. In most cases, its a parade to the favored side. Xavier, Steve and Thomas took the top 3 with Al and Chris just behind an me in 6th.

Race 2 saw Thomas foot right over the top of me with amazing speed off the line. I couldn't hang and got rolled. Although I had better angle I couldn't use it when I needed it. Luckily Xavier tacked early for the top mark and had to double tack. Thomas was out to a strong lead but Chirs and Al were in striking distance- I just needed them to make a mistake. Not a chance. They sailed perfect to the finish without letting up. 4th place

Race 3 saw the breeze build more to get the 9.5 powered up. Chris and I swapped positions at every mark and me just getting the final move to take 2nd. When you really want something. you've got to fight for it. I was out of the harness downwind pumping to make the bottom mark and jumping around to make the last tack just a bit quicker. Xavier sailed fast not letting up one bit to take the bullet. Thomas, unfortunately wore himself out too soon and took a big catapult around the first windward mark and never recovered.

Race 4 & 5 saw the breeze bump up to 18-22k. The 9.5/67cm fin felt at its best in the short steep Berkeley circle chop. I still didnt have the speed of Xavier but was able to hang onto 2nd both races. Comparatively against the rest of the fleet my speed and angle were really good as I got out of some tight situations. In this fleet, you've really got to be aggressive and not leave any opportunity for the fleet behind to catch up. This means shutting the door at the leeward mark and not letting anyone get in a lane above you. I almost let S3 sneak in as I recalled from previous races- if you give him an inch, he'll take a foot.

Now just to find a way to step it up a notch....

At the end of the day it was Xavier taking the regatta with me in 2nd and Steve and Chirs tied for 3rd. The tie breaker goes to the sailor with the better discard.

Race like it counts!

Results

2011 Elvstrom/Zellerbach regatta

2011-04-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

70+ dinghies and boards packed the San Francisco city front course for 2 days of racing at the St. Francis Elvestrom/Zellerbach regatta. The 5 fleets saw a building breeze and foggy conditions both days with racing in 15-25k and a raging ebb tide along the San Francisco city front.
The lasers saw a big turn out in prep for this season's masters and 4.7 World Championships in San Francisco.

With just 6 board sailors in the formula windsurfing class, our fleet saw the core racers in action but it was Seth Besse who showed the most consistency to walk away with 6 bullets.

Race 1 stated just after noon on Saturday in 14-16k. Both Seth and I sailed with our 9.5's while C-Rad, Al and Tom raced with their 11.0 rigs. Size didn't seem to matter through as I led around top mark catching a great puff and riding the ebb up while the rest of the fleet had to double tack the first mark. I kept the lead for the next 2 legs sailing smart to the laylines and it wasnt until the next downwind where I failed to cover the fleet that they got ahead. I gybed back outside to get more breeze while the fleet behind me sailed to the shore with a puff. Crossing at the bottom of the course again both Seth and CRAd were ahead. CRad and I rounded the bottom leeward mark in a pack of lasers on the outside of the pinwheel. Despite the dirty air, the formula boards are traveling so fast compared to the dinghies that it only takes a few seconds to clear and get through any bad air. We both tacked on the layline and I got a quick jump and was overlapped to leeward heading to the finish. It became clear that I would need to give him room at the finish as the RC boat acted as an obstruction. CRAd was able to shoot the line at just the right moment and edge me out for 2nd in a very close overlapped finish while Seth took the first bullet.

Race 2's sequence started after the dinghies giving Al and chance to rig down and help out Tom who had broken his fin. We realized with just Seth, Crad and I on the line, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the fleet so we asked the RC to postpone while we waited for them. The RC obliged and we got Al back on the line but despite his best effort, Tom wasn't able to get back in time for the 2nd start. CRad led with some great speed off the line as we all started on port tack and charged the right side of the course. His momentum quickly stopped as he plowed directly into the offset mark in a spectacular crash leaving Seth and I to battle it out for the rest of the double windward leeward course. Despite having better angle I wasn't able to capitalize on it. I tacked just below him on the 2nd beat up thinking I would be able to squeeze him out but he had enough speed to roll right over the top of me.
Ouch! Speed kills. No strategy required.

In the high speed racing we do on formula boards, its not often you get more than 1 or 2 chances to make a move on the course. You've got to see it coming and when it happens capitalize on it immediately. When racing is tight, you've got to be able to utilize your best asset otherwise its waiting for the guys in front of you to make a mistake.

Seth took the bullet with me in tow for 2nd and Al in 3rd.

Race 3 started off in a building breeze but not before CRAd got the chance to rig down. Now the fleet was all on either 9.5's or 10.0's in 18-22k and a strong ebb tide. There were still some holes on the inside of the course but not enough to Seth to loose his edge and speed away to another bullet. I kept things in check putting some distance between me and the rest of the the fleet but sailed comfortable to another 2nd. Consistent!

Day 2 saw 3 more races for all fleets + the chance to sail in the flood tide before the ebb really kicked in strong at 2pm. The fleet went for a starboard tack start charging the left side of the course and trying to get to the inside first to take advantage of the shore lift. Despite the lift, it was actually better to tack early or else you overstood the top mark. In some cases, that actually worked out in your favor as we had to sail through the lasers fleet approaching the windward mark. The usual pecking order established itself quickly as Seth got out to an early lead again with great speed. I had 2nd all but wrapped up again in front of Al coming into the finish line but had to duck below 2-3 lasers and barely eeked out across the line salvaging 2nd.

Race 5 saw the tide switch and the committee board swing from straight downwind to straight upwind despite a fresh 18-22k breeze I realized what was happening but failed to take into account the relationship of the starting line. It was now a slalom start and I was over early. Clearing myself I decided to get some separation from the fleet to get any advantage I could. When your behind, you really don't have too much too loose and your risk can be bigger. I sailed to the right both upwind legs as the fleet hit the shore and was clawing my way back on the last downwind just about to pass CRad for 2nd but got a little too carried away and went swimming on my gybe. Total yard sale!
No composure the rest of the race and I used a ton of energy flailing in the water.

Well at least there was a discard coming after 5 races!

Race 6 started in 22-25k and a big ebb. All of the fleet was on either 9.o's, 9.3's or 9.5's and 64-67cm fins. Anything else was just too big to handle in the chop and breeze. I though for sure I was over early again getting a great start with no one to windward or leeward and actually ducked a few sterns heading back to the line to clear myself but no horn. I kept going despite the bad air and made my moves when I could. Taking lessons from the previous race, I picked up Tom and Percy on the 2nd upwind by calling a better layline and letting them overstand. It wasnt until the last downwind leg that I could go over the top of CRad with better speed and get back into 2nd. I made sure to keep my composure focusing just on the task in front of me and making my last gybe and sailing through laser traffic at the leeward mark. The finish was another hairy spot with 3-4 lasers crossing the line as I approached. Luckily I squeezed through with out incident to seal another 2nd.

Overall a super weekend of racing on my favorite body of water in some very challenging conditions early in the season. I made some mistakes like failing to cover and not being able to use my strongest asset but nothing too major that put me out of the top 2-3 boards. Obviously keeping a heads up on the startling line during the pre-start is a wise idea!
I'll credit the 2nd it to good off season training and being familiar and comfortable with my equipment. 4 out of the 6 guys in the fleet were sailing on new sails still trying to find their sweet spots.

Full results

Charging full spring ahead

2011-04-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I've posted on this blog as Ive taken the winter off from racing to focus on a few other things but fortunately the San Francisco racing season has begun again with ourvfirstvTwilight series at the St. Francis YC.

Things kicked off after an amazing week of wind on the San Francisco Bay. We saw 2 days of 30-35k breeze where I found myself completely wound on slalom gear that was way too big for the occasion. However, anytime on the water is good for your racing as I found a few settings on 5.8 and ML slalom that gave me great control in the 6' square voodoo chop and rolling swell under the golden gate bridge. This years increased snow pack in the sierras has left rivers of ebb flowing out the golden gate. It seems, even in the flood tide, its ebbing and causing some great upswelling and turbulent waters along the city front. Combined with a late spring swell, it has been a unprecedented spring for windsurfing in the San Francisco Bay. Its mid April and I've already gotten 30 days on the water + 10 days in the Sierras in some of the biggest powder days Ive ever boarded.

So yes- a great year so far!
My back has been improving greatly with the help of PT, yoga and some winter and spring paddling on a SUP board. Im getting the confidence back to fully charge again.

Ive switched to a waist harness this year in attempts to gain some additional lower back support after almost 20 years of using a seat harness for racing with little or no lower back support.

It took a few weeks to finally get things dialed in- especially on the formula gear but I reduced the length of my harness lines and learn to wear the waist harness a little bit looser so that I could rotate and hike out to windward. The technique works pretty good so far and leaves your legs much freer to work the board and fin.

For slalom gear, Ive added the north shox downhaul and base to my kit and wow- what a difference it makes. The Shox just eats up the chop and lets you keep the rig stable even in the gnarliest of tidal lines on the San Francisco Bay.

This season, Im going to be trying a different strategy for racing. For the first time in almost 15 years, I wont be buying any new sails and taking half the year to tune them up but rather- relying upon my settings from the previous year to build upon future successes. Im sticking with the NeilPryde RS Evo-2 9.5 and 10.7 for my formula quiver. I use the severne redline 530 mast on the 10.7 to get some additional low end vs the NP 530. For fins- Im sticking to what I know works: 70 Z soft for flat water and light wind; 70 kashy for my go to 14-20k fin and a kashy 67 for when the wind and water come up to where I need additional control. Ill be using the same ML10 formula board this season. The only thing different Ive done is to add lighter foot straps that don't absorb any water. Its a stock hull and practically a one design fleet on the SF Bay.

The first race of the season went well with 5 quick sprint races around the buoys on the San Francisco city front this past Friday in 14-18k. As with most races, getting a good start is critical. I always like to get the inside position right next to the B buoy so you can climb and get the inside lift along the shore. Its rare that more than one person will win the buoy so you really need to fight for it. This means being comfortable in the the pre race - stalling your board and putting yourself in a position where you've got some room to accelerate and punch out on the starting line.

The friday night series is also about knowing the tides. Understanding or overstanding the marks can put you in front or leave you behind in just a few seconds. This was quite evident on the first layline as Al and Chris tacked early to catch the ebb up while I overstood and came in with speed. There went any gains I had made on the first leg. I managed to stay in the breeze and maintain a lead all the way to the finish. Great way to start the season with a bullet!

Race 2 saw Al get the jump off the line as Marrion struggled to get going at the B buoy and left me waiting and waiting. Sometimes racing is just keeping clear of the other boats and having an escape strategy if things dont go according to plan.

David made big gains off the breeze as he came powered into A buoy passing Al and myself - who both understood the mark and came pumping in against the tide dead downwind. I stayed buried in 3rd on the last beat to windward with little or no options left to play.

Race 3 saw me getting a good start again and popping out in front to maintain the lead around the course. Sailing in the front of the fleet is easy as you've got clear air and all the options. It's when your behind that things get tough as you are more than likely sailing in bad air and your decisions are being determined by the fleet in front of you.

Race 4 saw some additional traffic on the course as I got pinned down below a sailboat rounding the last mark in the lead while David and Al snuck into windward of the boat and made some gains on the last beat to take the top 2 positions. The lesson here is to keep your eyes on the big picture and dont get trapped. I should have rounded up hard at the leeward mark and tried to squeeze around the sailboat. Sometimes its just bad timing and there's not a lot you can do.

Going into the last race, I knew it would be tight with David and I for points. The first beat to windward saw David, Al and I all get off the starting line well. David tacked first calling an aggressive layline while Al and I continued sailing. I split the difference between them and was right on the money. A good rounding and a quick gybe got me back to the breeze and down to the leeward mark in front. From there, its just making sure you don't make any mistakes.

Thanks to Soheil and Eric on the race deck for doing RC.

Full results here.

Next race is less than a week away with the Elevstrom-Zellerbach regatta at the StFYC this coming weekend.

clearing winds

2010-11-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

Every so often, things line up just right.Sunday's clearing NW winds were totally unexpected.
Combined with a big winter swell, it turned out to be one of the best days this fall.
You couldn't peel the smile off my face Sunday evening!

Video via the french connection!

I woke up and like habit checked the wind, explo cam and forecast.
By 11am, there was a solid breeze building and short boarders on the water.
Its Sunday. Change of plans!
By 1:30 I was headed out the gate in 15-25k on my favorite mikes lab 8'-10" slalom board and north warp 7.0 in a 5k ebb. I got the chance to try to the north shox for the 2nd time and wow- what a great tool. It dampens the load and lets you keep sheeted in longer to maintain full power. I had to sail through some viscous San Francisco Bay voodoo chop on the way up and the never felt like I was out of control. I set the SHOX at 80 mm so that it would give me the maximum amount of play in the steep, short SF chop.

Once up at the south tower, the swell was pumping. 10-15' sets breaking just outside the golden gate. Gomes had the place to himself on his surfboard and his purple kite. With the NW wind, its possible to ride the swell all the way into the rocks at Ft Point. I got a few runs with 5-6 bottom turns as the ebb was sucking the water right out beneath my feet. No doubt due to this weekends full moon!

The standing trough at the south tower was sick- just asking for big carving lay down gybes. I did the cycle- gybing every 20-30 seconds between the Ft Point and the South tower for at least an hour before Wells and Darcy joined in.

You can see how big Ft Point can get by the photo above. A few years ago- on a similar day, there was a spectacular wipe out and sinking of a Santana 22 that tried to go through the slot. Enjoy the full photo sequence at Wayne Lambright's page.

By 3pm, there was a full circus of kites and boards and you had to be a bit more selective on where you charged into or face the consequence of wrapping yourself in someones kite lines !

I took the opportunity to explore some other parts of the Bay that were going off.

The north tower had huge swell as well but was covered with a frothy 2-3' boiling voodoo chop as it was on the vortex of the ebb tide's peak. I usually avoid this like the plague when Im sailing formula gear but went in full throttle knowing I had a small board and small sail.

Even in the steepest of chop, charging downwind, the SHOX gave me more control allowing me to go faster. I usually have to let up a bit on the slalom gear knowing that it will take you faster than you can control but not this time.

The only disadvantage I can see is that its a bit heavy and with only a 4:1 downhaul purchase, getting the sail block to block was a challenge but with the integrated ratchet- it's possible. I did rig 2m higher because of this. Notwithstanding that fact, this piece of German engineering seems well built and totally worth any inconvenience. Now for the durability test! Lets see how it holds up over time!

Golden Gate Surf

2010-11-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

I knew it was going to be a good day when the fog horn woke me up Wednesday morning.

Like an old familiar friend, I recognized its voice cutting through the cold damp San Francisco morning.

The chill hit me when I walked to my van and packed up my board for the day.

Work came and went but my mind was on the water.

By 3;30 I was rigging up at crissy field as the sun peaked in beneath the layers of fog.

The ride up was as smooth as butter. Flat water and 12-16 knots straight from the west.

Perfect conditions for formula windsurfing.

Soheil and I disappeared into the white, dodging incoming freighters, outgoing ferries and this season's first crab boats masking their way in the San Francisco Bay.

Wells and Rathle were already on call paddling their SUP boards in the outer line up- just beyond Fort Point.

In sets of 3s and 4's, the incoming swells would punch through allowing for a decent run up and surf down their faces. At the last critical moment you could gybe off, accelerating as you carved down and shoot off to the left as the wave peels right and enters a windless zone just west of the fort point.

Its a fine line of either or...

If you gybe too late you get sucked into a windless vacuum with the next set looming and the surfers taunting.

Soheil wasn't so lucky and had to swim his gear out twice.

I played it cautious but scored on my first run catching of huge wake of a crab boat and surfing it it for almost a minute into the Bay.

David and Jean were catching wave after wave on their SUP boards and caught a few runs on camera as Soheil and I gybed around them.

Good Times!

We got great runs for at least another 30 min in 12-16k gybing between the south tower and Ft. Point catching the incoming swell. Every so often, a set would come in a surprise me as I looked back to see wall of breaking water.

Time to gybe...

November Bay Crossings

2010-11-15T19:59:00.001-08:00

It was one of those rare November days in northern California. 75 degrees in the city and just enough wind to tempt me out on the water for a tour of the SF Bay. By 4pm I launched from crissy field and was planning across the Bay towards Yellow Bluff just below Ft Baker in the marin headlands.
With 10-15 knots and a relatively week flood tide, my light-wind formula set up was well powered in the flat water.
The ML10 finds an edge with a relatively soft fin in those conditions and is easily railed.
The NP 10.7 EVO2 is feather weight light and an ease to handle. 2 pumps and you're off!
I set my base further back in the track - 43" from the front fin screw.
Booms- 100% up in the cutout.
I try to feed the rig as much power in the lulls to keep the drive going until the next puff.

Sebastian Kornum- DEN-24 shows a similar technique for light wind railing.

Luckily it pays off and I'm mid span planning under the golden gate bridge blasting back towards Fort Point. The sun is peaking out from beneath the bridge casting a long shadow as I cross the Bay again.
The flood tide pulls me back inside the Bay- so I decide to run with it.
Bearing off, I immediately accelerate and onto the surging swell.
@buoy46012 says its NW but I swear there's some south in there.
I gybe back and forth- keeping in the windline and the swell as I work my way down the Bay.

The extra 1-2k of flood tide makes gybing in the flat water almost effortless and fun.
I throw the rig around, keeping my speed through the gybe and immediately continue on a plane on the other tack.
No need for any chicken strap today!

I continue downwind making my way towards Fort Mason on the San Francisco city front where things lighten up.
A quick gybe back and I'm back in the windline for one last charge upwind.
This one's a long one.
I make it worth my while as I may not have another for some time
A few minutes later, I make it back to Anita rock where I shlog the last hundred feet into shore.
As if today's crossing wasn' t enough, the sunset set was absolutely epic.
click to enlarge...

changing seasons/changing gears

2010-11-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

Daylight savings kicked in today meaning that if your going to score a session, start making excuses by 1:30 and be out of the office by 2:30 at the latest...
Its the time of year, that if its blowing you need to go now as it might not be in an hour or 2 like the summer months where the thermals provide a reliable seabreeze every afternoon on the San Francisco Bay

I actually scored some decent formula session the last 2 days with the westerlies kicking in 10-15k and even 10-20k at the bridge and was quite stoked to see another day where I could get out on the water. After a windless October, I had even considered some SUP to hold me over for the winter months O_o

I got the chance to paddle with the crissy crew during game 1 of the World Series.
Enjoy the video from waterhound

It was dying as I arrived at 3 and actually kicked myself for forgetting my 7.0 as everyone was headed out on slalom gear but got the best session fully lit on formula/9.5 at ft point as everyone shlogged in on their 7.0s. The 5k ebb made a huge trough at south tower but with only 12-16k I managed just a few runs tempting fate. The 6-10' swell was stacking up nicely just outside the gate at the south tower with a few rolling sets making their way through the slot. I got flushed out of one gybe and ended up swimming for my gear past the red nun.
Next stop- farallon islands 12 miles out to sea.
Time to play it cautious!

I made the run back downwind against the 5k current which felt like I was dragging a sea anchor. 20 gybes later I made it back to crissy field where it was already getting dark by 4:45.
Hopefully more of the same later this week...

the fog chronicles...

2010-09-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Wednesday's midweek after work session on the SF Bay @ crissy field was about as San Francisco as you can get. A chilling reminder that 4 days of summer heat was more than enough and the curmudgeon - aka the marine layer - was back in town.

Summer in San Francisco from Michael Winokur on Vimeo.

The fog was deeply embedded through the golden gate- leaving only the San Francisco city front and Marin headlands to the north exposed to the brilliant sunshine trying penetrate through thick chilly pacific fog.As I drove into the city from Sausalito, the mid span was a fully engulfed with wind and fog. My van shifted in its lane with the each gust.
The iwindsurf app on the dash was reading 20+.
Peering down to Ft Point before I got the the toll booths, I saw nothing but white.

As I pulled into Crissy field, Tom & Soheil were already rigged their 10.0's.
I followed suite with my 9.5.
3 identical mikes lab formula boards sit aligned ready to take on the Bay.
No chatter. Suit up and hit the water.
Its September- don't forget the winter hat!

A few pumps and we were off blazing downwind at 20k+ in the flat water flood near shore towards the imminent fog bank lurking a few hundred feet away. Once at X- the tide line was amiss with square voodoo chop and random breaking swell.
The sheep were out of the paddock !
I flew over the backsides of the chop and waves with my back foot deeply planted in the double chicken strap for control. A quick scan of the chop in front of me let pick a decent face to carve back on.
Effortless is the only word that comes to mind when gybing a MLab in these conditions. Soheil and Tom are engaged in a gybing duel down the city front as I come fully lit in from the fog bank. Crossing ahead, I gybe in the butter smooth flood and sunshine washing the waters just in front of the GGYC.
The gods are smiling with 15-20k.
We work our way down past the harbor, past marina green and past Fort Mason in the time it takes to down a shot.
Painful but pleasant!
We arrive at the aquatic park which is bathed in a illuminating pink and orange glow as the setting sun peeks in below the fog.
30 seconds later overlapped and grinding upwind on port tack we are back in the fog.
So thick- you cant see the guy next to you 25' away but rather listen to hear if the chatter from his board is getting closer or further away.
I look over my shoulder to see Soheil clearing a set of chop with his 70 cm fin fully out of the water. Tom is pulling to weather with his BB (aka big boy fin) from F4.
I hike harder and rail the board to get an edge and the kashy 70 I am riding finds a 5th gear- matching the angle and pulling ahead with speed.
The fog horns penetrate the marine layer from somewhere to windward.
Time to tack.
We line up again on starboard tack heading back towards the city front and out of the fog.
The voodoo chop is tamer the further we go until we reach the seawall where the flat flood tide is smooth as silk.
It quickly becomes apparent that shifting gears and standing the rig up in the lighter winds becomes advantageous. Soheil and I gain as we switch to our front hands on the uphaul vs the traditional 2 handed boom grip.
10 seconds later it's time to tack.
The last 2 minutes of hard work and extra 2 board lengths of ground that you gained can be wiped clean if you blow your tack.
I'm a bit slow to make the transition and Tom flawlessly flops over to take advantage of the leeward position and is putting the pressure on again.
I dont have the room it takes to wind the fin up so I duck below Tom and begin with clear air.
Its not until we reach the fog bank again that I catch up with speed and angle.
Time to tack!
Our practice continues until we loose one another in the fog.
Tom bails and Soheil and I do another lap down to the aquatic park trading gybes and tacks along the city front while ducking in and out of the fog and tide line.
It doesn't get much better for a wednesday.

The Unseen Sea from Simon Christen on Vimeo.

Enjoy the hd fog video

POV

2010-09-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Despite trying to escape the temptaion of the constant wind that the SF Bay delivers on a regular basis from March to October, and taking a non windsurfing vacation for the past 2 weeks, while letting my back recover, I get this video in the mail...

The locals score another epic session @ the north tower while Im away.
Enjoy the POV action from long time waterman Ian Boyd

Maintaining control in 25-30k

2010-08-28T15:34:00.001-07:00

Its no secret- you're only as strong as your weakest link.
Despite having the best equipment this season, its been my body that's been holding me back this summer. Our local fleet has really stepped it up since the North Americans last month and if you don't nail that last tack on the last beat, you can be assured someone will be there capitalizing on your own weakness.
That's exactly what happened Friday in the latest twilight series.
I had to listen to my body and slow down a bit making sure not to overdo anything I might not be able to undo. The doctors advice was to significantly cut back but with 2 races this week, I just had to just maintain and not over do it.
Race 1 started with a good start off the line and leading around the course.
There were some big gust to deal with but for the most part if you've got your equipment dialed in, it isn't too overwhelming- even in 25-30k and big seas.
I lowered by boom and had good control upwind, not getting stood up at all.
Most of the chop you can absorb with your legs- making sure to keep the sail over the center line of the board upwind and not letting it open up.
It was just on the last tack on the last beat that Besse snuck in there grabbing the bullet form me.
Race 2 started in 25-30k and Al, Besse and I got out to a good lead on course B. Heading downwind after the gybe mark got a bit hairy as Al just about blew up and collided with another yacht starting their sequence at the leeward mark.
I saw it all happening but with just a few board lengths between us there wasnt much I could do but let it unwind. I made the quick call to bear off and narrowly avoided a big collision. In the meantime 2 or 3 board snuck in there and got a decent rounding as I struggled to get back on course and finished 4th.
Race 3 saw Wells eagerly trying to make the windward mark despite understanding it and getting plastered up against Anita Rock. Somehow he made a comeback and squeezed me out for 3rd, again making a faster tack on the last beat. Besse took the bullet!
Race 4 saw some great pre- race tactics between Seth and I as I lured him into the windward spot just above me and drove him right over the line for an ocs. Meanwhile, Tom and David got out to a nice jump and maintained control around the course with great speed.
Race 5 was payback time as Seth was determined to drive me back in the fleet. I hung out near the shore till the last 20 seconds and did a dip start down the line with Seth in hot pursuit. I managed to out run him until the last seconds of the beat when he came down hard on me to windward. We were deeper than usual rounding in 5th and 6th so time for a comeback. I dug deep but the front of the pack had really extended their lead and not much chance.
Sometimes its a race against yourself while the other sailors prove to be obstacles around the course.
Taking 4th place, I think Ive got the series wrapped up with 2 more races to go over the next month so it looks like time for a break.
The radio silence probably means Im laying low and doing my best for a recovery- despite the torture of being off the water.

2010 Ronstan Bridge to Bridge race

2010-08-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays Bridge to Bridge race can be compared to launching yourself full speed down a mountain stacked full moguls- only have the finish line at the bottom of the mountain- 1/2 way across the gravel parking lot!
For 99% of the race, skiffs, kites and formula boards were fully wound in 18-24k and steep ebb chop, screaming downwind across the San Francisco Bay- only to come to a screeching halt 100m from the finish line- set just in front of Treasure Island at the base of the Bay Bridge where the wind becalmed the leaders and a river of ebb tide flowed, making it nearly impossible for nearly half of the fleet to get cross the finish line.
In fact only 33 of this years 57 entrants were able complete the race- but not for lack of skill. It was just that hard of a race.
It all unfolded with the last moves of the game as the skiffs came powered in from the city front and the majority of the kite and board fleet sat in the bubble just west of Treasure Island.

Actually the skiffs had it from the beginning.
All they needed was to avoid disaster and it would be theirs to lose.
And they did exactly that- sweeping the podium with the top 3 positions.
In 4th was local Chip Wasson followed by Steve Sylvester in 5th taking the top board spot- and edging out a pack of boards and kites- all trying to inch their way across the line in the opposing current and light wind.
The chaos even started before the starting gun as sounds of crunching carbon could be heard as 2 skiffs got tangled up in the run to the starting line.
With no protest being heard, per the sailing instructions, everything was going to be settled on the water.
The start was pretty chaotic with kites, skiff and boards all running at different angles and speeds across the line. I made a few quick calls to duck the port tackers (yes- duck the port tackers)in exchange for staying upright and full speed.
There's nothing as slow as being skewed on the front of an Aussie 18's 12' bow sprint.
Port or starboard.
You lose!
I was able to ride some big puffs down the city front before it got too light and gybed back to the outside for pressure. This is where things really heated up and Sylvester and I were still neck and neck. He eventually was able to pull away with better speed on his 60cm kashy, north 9.0 and ML10 as we went past Alcatraz in a a wild array of voodoo chop and swell. I think the difference was just being able to put the hammer down. With a smaller fin in the big chop, you can get more control with less drag.
Even with my back foot fully on the leeward rail in the triple chicken strap, I was barely able to hold on -flying across the backsides of 3-5 swell and chop in 20-25k of breeze. I confess, the 67cm kashy that I was riding was more than enough. Pushing as deep as I could, I plowed right over the top of Soheil- not knowing he was even there until I cleared him. Fortunately just a few seconds of delay but when I gybed to make the layline for the finish line a kiter went down just in front of me - spreading his kite, lines and board in a tangled mess. Another few seconds lost going upwind to clear myself and around the kiter.

Things were looking good with the guys in front not making the line and falling off a plane. I came planing in making my way through a graveyard of downed kites, trying to body drag their way to the finish! A few pumps and the lucky puff and I might have it but then in an all too sudden anti-climatic finish, I fell off a plane and was faced with a river of current pulling me away from the finish line. It took another few minutes of real struggle to make it across the line.
I had to settle for 17th overall in what was a disappointing finish but sometimes it's more about the race than the finishing order.
That's all part of the game.
Win or Lose.
It keeps me coming back every time!
Yhanks to Jean for the head cam video

Thanks to the St Francis Yacht Club and Ronstan for the excellent race.
Photo credit: Eric Simonson @Pressuredrop.
Be sure to check out the video footage of the race @ the i-deenfoodas site
and the additional surfcity photos @ http://surfcityracing.smugmug.com/Boats/International-Skiff/13496364_6EJq7#983054237_nH7yG

Friday Nite Racing @ the St. Francis

2010-08-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Friday Night racing at the St Francis Yacht Club is a summer tradition for me over the past 10 years. The fleet size is sometimes up to 20. Sometimes down to 5 or 6. But all the time you can bet its going to be a race against yourself- seeing how fast you can make your transitions, calling the lay-lines and nailing the start.

Sometimes you get it.
Other times its like shooting in the dark.

This past Friday was the latter.
But somehow most of the fleet made even more mistakes than me and I was consistent enough for 2nd behind Besse who took another string of bullets.

Video by US 13 Tom Purcell on the race deck
The conditions weren't ideal with a gusty 10-22k shifty breeze and a building ebb tide kicking up some big chop along the outside of the course but everyone was stuck doing the same course D for 3 out of the 5 races-Thanks RC!
Course D takes sailors upwind around Anita Rock, inside to gybe at B, outside to A and then rounding X to starboard and back upwind to the finish. Plenty of opportunities to gain or lose.

With slow starts, slow transitions and sloppy rounding, I wasn't doing myself any favors yet the NP 9.5. ML10 and 70 kashy still wanted to go fast. I had good upwind and downwind speed to get me back in the game. I tried out the north formula boom for the first time.
Its amazing how much difference it makes the whole rig feel. The body and outline are much narrower than the HPL or NP booms so I had to extend the boom out another 2cm beyond the recommended settings to avoid the sail draping over the boom. The body was much softer and think it should probably work better for the north sails with a shallower draft.
Nonetheless some very cool features with an adjustable tensioned head and quick rigging feature on the back end. The clips are also very ingenious. Rather than the tail end sliding in the front end. The wide tubes slide over the body of the booms and the clips are moved independently.

Full tour of the SF Bay

2010-08-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

It was a full tour of the SF Bay today with Soheil, Aurilien, Xavier and Sylvester outside the gate for flat water formula training then down for some windward/leeward training between stfyc and red nun.

Shawn Davis was on the bridge to capture some great shots.

http://www.shawnrdavis.com/2010/08/formula-windsurfing-overhead-view/

After lap 2 we headed downwind for the fully monty- riding the double chicken through some gnarly SF voodoo chop off Alcatraz and finally down to Treasure Island where Xavier and Sylvester kept going back to Berkeley and the rest us sailed back upwind to Crissy via a long port tack under Alcatraz and over Angel Island right into Richardson Bay where we parked and waited for the breeze to fill back over the Marin headland. A quick minute to take in the view as the fog was just starting to fill in through the golden gate and Sausalito was fully engulfed in the summer sunshine.

A few minutes later near Harding Rock, we were fully lit heading back across the Bay in a full flood tide with the waters full of dolphins.

A very grateful Jerry Day indeed!

O_0

Day 5 US Windsurfing Champs

2010-07-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

5 days of full on racing finally took its toll on me.
Despite wanting to keep going, the body said no more and I wisely listened.

I sat the final 3 slalom heats out after swimming around the first slalom marks- totally out of energy. Sometimes, when the body talk, you need to listen.
Earlier the day, we got our final 2 course races in.
Determined to get Al and Crad who were just a few points in front of me, I went out early again to get prepared and feel comfortable around the course. I had the 10.7 dialed. The flood tide was ripping and everything felt great. Unfortunately I pulled the trigger 1 second late at the start as CRad got the jump from below me and shot out. I was buried in the 2nd row. With bad air the rest of the race, I never was able to get it going.
For the final race, the wind was up to 16-22k and the chop an ever increasing factor on the course- especially downwind. I got off the very well and was the first to the shore taking advantage of the lift right to the top mark. The guys that started above me all over stood and I was looking in good shape rounding in the top 5
Downwind though was another story. With the marks almost 2.25 miles apart- it was going to be a long ride. The w-end bot traffic was out. The course was crowed with ferries, container ships, fishing boats and pleasure boats. I was already starting to get overpowered with the super soft Z fin and had my foot firmly planted in the double chicken for control until I ran into what seemed like 5 sets of voodoo chop right after another.
On the last one my nose plowed into the final set and I went down hard.
It took me another minute to get it all back together and I fought back on the next 3 legs like I never have before and was just able to overcome Eric a few meters before the finish. I thought I might have gotten S3 as we were overlapped at the finish but he had the advantage being to weather. It came down to the last point and I was able to squeeze S3 out and make the top 10 overall.
Chris and Al both sailed excellent races and got me in the end. I really admire the effort they put into their programs the past years building a brand new fin company from the ground up when they didnt have access to good fins in the limited world of high performance windsurfing parts.
They may not have it all right now but they are certainly doing something right.

A bit further up in the fleet, Seth was battling it out with Aurlien for 4th place overall.
They were practicably match racing up the final beats throwing in tack after tack and totally forgot about Fernando behind them who slipped in front of Seth and Aurlien and eliminated any chance Seth had to pick up 4th place.
Even in the hardest fought battles, you cant forget about the big picture.
And finally at the top, McGain took the final bullet after Paulo sat out the last race knowing he could use throw out and still win. A very impressive regatta by both never out of the top 2 exuding their throw outs!
Final results
Paulo dos Rios crowned the course racing champion.
Phil McGain crowned the overall Formula North American champion and overall champion- placing the best in all 3 disciplines and winning the inaugural Bill Weir memorial trophy.
Finally it was Wilhelm Schurmann taking the slalom after Peter Bilj had an OCS in the 3rd slalom final.
A superb week of sailing hosted by the StFYC.
Thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors and RC that made it happen.

here's some video- about 1/2 through the slalom racing start...enjoy!

Day 4 US Windsurfing Nationals

2010-07-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

I finally got things going my way on the 4th day of competition after struggling to find my groove earlier in the week. A few mistakes always put me back in the fleet around 10th place but Friday's 6th place in course racing was due to some good preparation. I got out the the water 30 minutes before the 1st start and sailed the course, tested the line and fingured out a strategy for the day.I knew I wanted a mid to pin end start and to get to the shore first to take advantage of the inside life.
With the wind still light, I choose my NP 10.7, and Z fin for maximum power.
Sure enough I popped off the line well with a good lane and speed squeezing off my competition to weather by holding onto the uphaul, standing the rig upright and getting better angle.
From there, it was just making sure I didnt make any big mistakes and stayed with the top pack. Paulo and Phil were well ahead but the rest of the pack of Wilhelm, Seth, Xavier, Aurlien and Fernando all showed the speed and consistency that's gotten them to the top of the score board.
I really wanted this one and worked so hard to get it, passing Xavier on the first downwind then having to line up behind Aurlien and Fernado at the leeward mark. There was no way I was getting my nose in to find a lane to windward so I just footed off and went for speed, gaining a few board lengthes the 2nd upwind. Finally as the 2 tacked inside me , I held out a few more board lengths to account for the building flood tide. I made it around while the other 2 had to double tack and then downwind concentrated on the next 2. Seth and Wilhelm were in a tight battle but it seemed I had better speed and was catching up. Wilhelm immediatly tacked after the leeward mark so I followed Seth up to the starboard tack layline at the finish and just as we approached the last 30 seconds of the race, Wilhelm came in to plant a good cover on me to get 5th. Migual managed a small comeback after sitting out the last few races die to injury and placed a very respectable 3rd.
With that I gained the points I lost in yesterdays long distance race and now its even closer between Al, CRad, Sylvester and myself. It looks like Saturday's last 2 races will determine the top 10.

Around 3 we switched to our 2nd day of slalom racing and got several more rounds off but not before the freestyles had their expression session. This years freestyle exhibition had bothan old school and new school division.

I honestly had no idea of half the moves they were attempting with names like poncho villas, willey skippesr air gratchos. I think everyone was stoked we included the new discipline this year as it increases participation + got loads of people interested on the beach.
Slalom racing was the most fun Ive had in a long time. A 2 minute heat brings as much adrenaline as racing a 20 min course race. Every mark, I was overlapped and rounded full lit.
Having the 130l board with the 7.0 allowed me to squeeze out of a few light spots and almost qualify for the finals but on the last gybe- having 2nd all but locked up, I let Jean and David slip by and beat me across the line for the final spots.

Thanks to Shawn Davis for the great photos.
Be sure to check out the rest of his photos here

Day 3 US Windsurfing National Championships

2010-07-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of the US Windsurfing National Championship in San Francisco saw racers spread out across the San Francisco Bay in a long distance race to Treasure Island and back to Crissy Field before 6 heats of slalom were run in gusty but reasonable conditions.

Consistency was the name of the game for Phil McGain who took the long distance race after Paulo des Rios mistook the mid course gate for the leeward mark and started back upwind.
It wasn't long ago that McGain gave up one of San Francisco most famous long distance races- the SF Classic by sailing right passed R4 and let the local fleet slip by. This time, he had his notebook for reference with course diagrams, tides and weather info.
The long distance race started and restarted and finally restarted again under the black flag with the outgoing ebb tide pulling sailors across the line and over early. Finally in the last start, I decided enough - and I would start on port ducking the fleet- making sure to get out the the right side but the inside lift finally paid off at the beach with the majority of the starboard tackers getting upwind first.
From there it was a slow but steady downwind run in 16-22k through multiple lanes of ferry traffic and fishing trawlers and over some short steep chop along the city front that had racers gybing multiple times through some rough waters and then through 2 gates: one stationed in front of the StFYC and the other off Blossom Rock on the north east side of the city and finally down to a leeward mark stationed north of Treasure Island before heading back upwind- in reverse order through the Blossom Rock gate and to the finish in front of the StFYC.
The pecking order was pretty much established with the top 10 staying pretty much in that order.
Finally with an hour rest break, the slalom fleets were established and 6 full rounds of slalom were run in 12-18k before the wind diminished too much on the inside of the course- set just off Crissy Field. I had a 6.0 and 7.0 north warp ready to run with 3 boards to choose from: ml 95l slalom, 105l JP slalom and 125l F2 slalom. After a few practice runs it quickly became apparent I would need the biggest board and most powerful sail to keep the drive in the light patches near shore. I quickly rigged up to the 42cm fin and 125l board and had enough power to keep it lit the entire course just behind Phil McGain take to take 2nd in the blue fleet.

Other winners included Peter Bilj, Wilhelm Schurman. After 5 rounds, the top 2 sailors from each of the 5 - 8 man heats will advance to the final round. Hopefully by tomorrow, we'll have a better opportunity to get through the qualifying rounds and into the finals.
Friday is also the start of the freestyle discipline with old school and new school heats starting as soon as the wind is up.

Racers can expect at least another 3-4 course races and several rounds of slalom over the next 2 days of the event.
Slalom photos
Long Distance photos
Results
Waterhound report

Day 2 US Windsurfing National Champs

2010-07-21T23:25:00.001-07:00

Despite the persistent marine layer and winter like temps in SF, the 2010 US Windsurfing Championship are getting some quality racing in after 2 solid days on the water.
7 races have been run testing sailors' abilities, tactics, stamina and most importantly- warmth retention.
The 5/3 winter wetsuits came out on day 2 as most sailors found staying warm all day long between was priority number 1. There must be enough warm blood in Paulo Des Rios Brazilian body because he hasn't let up taking a 1, 2, 2 and staying on top of the scoreboard. He did prove to have some human characteristics after all- switching down to the 10m rig for the last race after dominating on his 12m thus far.
Phil McGain is sailing as consistent as ever- even with a 6 year old starboard 159 and proving experience counts in this game!

The rest of the professional fleet are sailing in a league of their own but the SF locals are mixing it up every so often. Seth Besse is finding his groove and is now with in striking distance of Aurien le Matayer in 4th place.
Fernando Martinez of Spain and Xavier Ferlet of England are also sailing a great series- never out of the top 7 in a very competitive fleet.
Just behind the top pack, the rest of the SF fleet is battling it out amongst themselves with Al Mirel, Chris Radkowski, Steve Sylvester and myself all within 3 points of each other.
I've found myself sailing very fast this series but just havnt been able to keep it together to the finish where it counts.
The first race of the day, I got off the line well and was in the top 6 going downwind, trading gybes with Besse downwind and keeping the pressure on until disaster as i stuck my nose into the chop and had a total yard sale downwind. Taking some advise from my sometimes training partner, Seth, I got mad and sailed faster! One by one I picked off the boards in front of me and finally grinded off Crad on the last upwind leg to finish 9th.
Sometimes it's all about the recovery.
Race 6 saw me overstanding the top mark and letting Crad and Al get me at the finish.
Finally I said, enough mistakes and decided to go for it all in race 7- getting off the line super well by taking advantage of the mid line sag of the approaching starboard takers and finding a clear lane on FRA-105 leeward hip and making our way to the right side.
Downwind I practically sailed with my head looking backwards for the puffs coming down the city front. In great shape, I rode a personal puff right into last chance beach- east of the StFYC only to be stuck there for a good 30 seconds in a completely dead zone as the next 6 guys went blazing past with the puff on the outside. That's the price you pay for sailing to the corners! I wasnt able to recover from that one despite my best efforts and finished 11th.
On a more positive note, I did manage to win my protest and get some redress points- only to have Sylvester move in front of me as my throw outs are as consistent as the rest of my scores. With that in mind, it looks like the new strategy is to take some more high risk moves in order to gain as Ive the room in my scores for at least another throwout if things dont go well.
Looking at the forecast thurday morning, I wonder if its possible to have too much fog in San Francisco as we're stuck with the marine layer overhead again for Day 3.
Results: http://www.stfyc.com/files/2010-US-Windsurfing-Nats-Results.pdf
Photos: http://www.shawnrdavis.com/us-windsurfing-nationals-2010/

Day 1 US Windsurfing Champs/Formula North Americans

2010-07-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

phot0 credit: Shawn Davis

Day 1 of the 2010 US Windsurfing Championships in San Francisco started in overcast SF skies with the breeze never really filing into its full potential.
4 races were run in 15-20k and a flat water flood tide.
No voodoo chop just yet but some spectacular racing in very tight competition among the 46 man formula fleet.
Paulo Des Rios from Brazil took control from the start capturing 3/4 bullets while on his north 12.0 while the rest of fleet sailed on 10-11m rigs in the building breeze
Phil McGain stole the 2nd race as BRA333 took a flyer to the shore off the leeward mark and gave up the race.
Aurlien Le Metayer- racing on a mikes lab formula board after good results this w-end- looked like he was going to take race 3 after a commanding lead from the windward mark but took the puff right into shore with out a another puff to bring him back out to the leeward mark. BRA333 and BRA999 took advantage of the more consistent wind in the middle of the SF Bay and passed him to finish out the top 3.
With a small break between race and 4 many sailors took the opportunity to scale down their kits to a smaller fin and rig. I went from the NP 10.7 and Z fin down to a NP 9.5 and kashy 70 but it just wasnt enough as the flood tide got the better of me at several marks and I had to double tack to make the top and bottom marks.
SF sailor Seth Besse is putting in the best local performance - sitting in 5th after the days racing.

phot0 credit: Shawn Davis

Crad and Al are both 1 point in front of me but hopefully with some redress points after tomorrows hearing- things will look better for me. Xavier and I got tangled up in race 4 at the windward mark but both felt we were in the right- so it's up to the jury to decide!
I felt really fast with good angle in 3/4 races always passing the guys in front of me but got set back by some sloppy rounding and bad laylines. It wasn't until the 3rd race when I got pretty OP'ed on the 10.7 and super soft fin that I couldn't really put the hammer down.
So far the fleet has been split on the starts with the port tackers charging the line not backing down for the approaching starboard tackers running the line. I didnt have that much confidence knowing a simple collision could take me out for the regatta- so I ended up ducking most of the starboard fleet but getting off to the right side- which seemed more favored.

phot0 credit: Shawn Davis

Downwind- it's all about staying in the pressure as things got lighter inside but occasionally the gods would be smiling and send down a personal puff taking you right to the mark.
I had some good battles with ESP- 71 but he always seemed to come out on top.
Now- it's just waiting for the breeze to kick in and applying the local knowledge that works so well.
Results:http://www.stfyc.com/files/2010-US-Windsurfing-Nats-Results.pdf
Photos: http://www.picyourshot.com/event/2010-US-Windsurfing-Nationals
http://waterhound.smugmug.com/Windsurfing/2010-US-Windsurfing-National/13013014_Yw6Jr#942038368_kZUab
Waterhound report: http://www.waterhound.com/us-windsurfing-national-championships-and-formula-north-americans-day-1-report.html

Friday night racing July 16

2010-07-18T23:04:00.001-07:00

Strange evening of racing as big breeze never showed up but was
present around parts of course.
Big lulls. Big shifts...like Midwest lake sailing all over again.
I rigged Np 9.5 with base at 36cm and 3.5" downhaul. Mast track at
45" from fin screw. Booms 85% up in sleeve.
Kashy 70 xs.
Fluekey and shifty racing in 10-20k
Missed a few key puffs otherwise good performance. Sometimes it's all
about timing as I rounded top mark in 2nd or 3rd in light breeze and
gybed to outside for breeze while 20 sec later guys from behind get
big puff straight to gybe mark.
That's racing! You try to eliminate the variables but sometimes it's
beyond your control.
I overstood top mark in race 1w/ strong ebb and lost out Al. Bra999
sailed much faster and better angle.
Ocs in race 3 as I pulled trigged too early not accounting for ebb.
Crad and al on f4 going consistantly well. Wells sailing better w/
ML10 and north 10.0.
Others were up and down in the shifts.
I finished strong 2nd behind bra999 in last race when I really put my
mind into it. You've got to really want it to get it!
Speed good.
Still need angle as bra999 was going higher but good on rest of fleet.
Should have had 10.7 in hindsight.
Always rig for lulls!
Finished 4th behind al crad and bra999.
Good prep for upcoming us nationals in SF starting on 20th.

Steve
USA-4

2010 SF Classic/UN Challange

2010-07-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

What can be said about the SF Classic and Ultra Nectar Challenge that hasn't been said before.
The longest running long distance windsurfing race in some of the toughest conditions imaginable!
A 40+ mile distance taking the formula boards and kiters out the golden gate and 8 times across the SF Bay, down to the bottom of the Berkeley pier for the SF Classic and back the the StFYC for the UN Challenge.
Seth Besse dominated both races in the 25 board formula fleet with an elapsed time of 1 hour and 46 minutes while kiters Johnny Heineken and Joey Pasquali each took the upwind and downwind portions of their race respectively but still were well off the pace of the top boards with best elapsed finish time by Chip Wasson in 2 hours and 2 minutes

The wind graph off Angel Island pretty much sums it up.
35k at Point Blunt.
I did not sail to win.
I sailed to survive.

Multiple blow ups on the way downwind and upwind had me thinking about about stopping to retire at Treasure Island at least a few times as that was our designated safe spot- guaranteed for a ride back to SF with the RC.
Each time, however, I was able to dig a bit deeper and hang on a little bit longer.
It was a respectable 5th for me in the SF Classic and just happy to have made it back home across the finish line for the UN Challenge.
Ive sailed in 8 or 9 SF Classics and can say this was one of the windiest and most challenging Ive ever done.
My muscles are still sore thinking about it.

Anyways- here's my recollection of how things staked up.

With a 2pm start- it still looked manageable with 15-20k at the start set just off Crissy field.
I lined up prepared with my fastest set up- NP 9.5 rig, ML10 and 67 kashy fin.
I'd been running the top half of the course the last few days and felt comfortable - even fast but wasn't pushing 100% with my back still recovering from over training a few weeks back.
I got off the start brilliantly on port tack- getting almost up to the bridge only to realize it was a general recall. I high tailed it back and just made the restart- getting a decent position off the line on starboard tack.
I flopped over taking advantage of the shore lift and set up for the long the first of many grinding legs. Ben Bamer was gunning from the start but over stood the top mark while Seth called it perfectly tacking under the bridge and straight out to the red nun buoy set west of the south tower of the golden gate bridge. I lost Xavier here over standing as well but was in the hunt in the top 4 with Wells, and Purcell in hot pursuit towards the next mark- set just inside the north tower. We gybed in a messy stew of vodoo chop, current and boat wake and in no time were off to the presidio shoal buoy set just off the old coast guard station in from Ft. Point.
This can sometimes be where the race is won or lost as there's a huge opportunity for separation as the wind is much lighter set in the lee of Presidio just out from the wind line.
I was able to overtake Xavier as he showed a moment of weakness coming into the mark high as the rest of us put some money in the bank and heated it up as it got lighter
Seth wasnt able to make a break yet but had a good lead as we headed back upwind to the red nun for the 2nd time.

photo credit: seirra photos

Xavier and I were batteling it out for 3rd grinding upwind as Tom Purcell held his own in 2nd with Well and Bamer not far behind.
Once more out the gate and across to the north tower saw things stay heated up and finally we were off downwind to Anita rock with Seth in first, Tom in 2nd and me holding onto 3rd with Wells and Xavier breathing down my neck.
I let the 2 of the get by me the next leg as Xavier went high Wells went low to Harding rock set across the Bay on the western edge of Angel Island.
As we gybed and made out way down to Blossom rock, things really heated up
The swell below Alcatrez was big and the breeze building to 25k+
I went from running in the double chicken strap to running with my foot in the leeward strap just for control. The next thing I knew I was blind sides by a wave the took my feet out right from under neath me. A quick water start but Wells was able to slip by.
Blossom Rock was a feat to maneuver around with my cams still fully inverted fighting for control as I made a conservative gybe trying not to explode
The next leg was pure hell with no comfortable way around it.
Somewhere between a beam reach and a close reach on a formula board is pretty much the most uncomfortable position you would ever want to piut yourself in. Add 4-6' breaking swell and the wind now gusting above 30k.
I made it around Point Blunt only to encounter more of the same on the way to Blossom Rock set west of Treasure Island.
At that point it was a blur of some of the hairiest sailing I have ever done on the Bay.
Im not sure when Eric went past me as I didnt even see him till we got in.
I tried to reel David in on the way down to R4 and R2 set below Alcatrez and Angel Island but was fighting just for survival. I missed the opportunity to gain more as David extended his lead by sailing well past R2 before gyning and finding some flatter water for better control.
I gybed immediately and stumbled upon the top of the pier.
At that point I was hurting but had enough momentum to keep pushing as Sylvester was now with in striking distance behind me.
I held on the last 2 legs going to the Olympic circle X mark and finally down to the bottom of the pier unable to catch Wells for 4th as top 3 squeezed in a good 2 minutes in front of me. Besse, Eric and Xavier took the honors.
There was a bit of confusion as the finish boat that's normally at the bottom gap in the pier was stationed in the middle of the pier but in any case we were back grinding upwind for the long beat home and the Ultra Nectar Challenge.
With Sylvester hot on my tail and slowly gaining I looked down to see a good patch of sea grass trailing from my fin. A quick back down let Steve get by me but the real test was coming ahead.
Port tack seemed an eternal punishment for all the bad things I had done in my life.
I was getting pounded never able to put the hammer down.
Wave after wave- the board was flying well out of the water across the top of the 4-6 swell.
In hindsight its easy to look back and say- yea another 1" forward on the mast track would have quieted things down. Picking the right direction upwind and staying out of the big stuff would have been another step in the right direction but I was getting all the punishment that was coming to me.
Just as I was making up some distance on Wells in front of me, I got slammed several times and ended up in the eddy behind Alactrez fighting against myself as I got too close to the shore.
50' later it was blowing 25k and I couldn't even get to it.
The fishermen around me must have though I was quite a spectacle, cursing the gods above, uphauling and falling in multiple times in the swirling eddy.
I thought to myself- keep it together and just finish the race.
10 minutes later I made it across the the finish line but well off the pace of the top boards who made the journey in 41 minutes.

Sunday was a blur with my head never in the game for course racing.
Choosing the right sail would have at least got me in the top pack but I struggled with a hangover and being underpowered with the 9.5 rig in what seemed like a mild day of racing in 12-17k.
Besse pulled another string of bullets.
I came ashore and collapsed after 4 races.
1 week to recover before doing it all again for 5 days of racing on the city front for the 2010 US Windsurfing National Championships.

Friday Night Series- July 2

2010-07-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what was worse these past 2 weeks- no time on the water or lower back pain every time I bent from the waist. My recovery was going well and I decided to give it a shot for Friday night racing at the St. Francis YC.
I was still feeling stiff but manageable.

Conditions were 13-17k and gusty so I rigged NP 10.7, ML10 and Z fin.
Most of the 14 board fleet was on 11 with a few on 10's expecting the breeze to fill in.

I got lucky and sailed smart tonight taking 3 bullets.
Race 1 saw Soheil fall just at B leaving me a nice lane to go upwind with no pressure from above. Eric called weather lay-line first and we rounded close and rode a puff 1/2 way to beach. I gybed sooner and got going again as the breeze was steady outside. The NP 10.7 really accelerates well off the breeze from a standstill. I left the other guys behind and rounded the leeward mark in front carrying in to the wind line just shy of the wall and having to make 1 more tack to the finish. Eric finished a close 2nd with Al, David and Crad finishing out the top 5.

Race 2 saw Crad and myself well matched upwind off the line. He had angle while I had speed. I'm finding the Z fin is faster if you let it sail it's own course.
Fins like the cut down F4 BB with a wider chord (that Crad was using) have more upwind grunt and seem to be very well matched with the wide ML10.
After rounding Anita rock just behind CRad, we both gybed and headed to the outside
I got the jump on Crad downwind by calling the layline to the leeward mark and just sailing in enough towards the sea wall to make finish in 1 tack while others has to double tack.
Rounding out the top of the fleet was Crad, Wells and Soheil.

Race 3 - Ebb was increasing so I made my approach with enough room below the line to get going at 2-3 seconds and not be over early. It was a good start- winning the pin end and climbing on those below me with the inside lift. I rounded just behind Crad in light breeze.
We both immediately gybed only to have fleet sail over us and finally get going.
As we headed out to the middle of the Bay- it was apparent we were going higher and higher just to keep in the fading pressure so I looked behind and saw Wells riding a nice puff down the middle. A quick gybe to get back in the pressure and that was enough to send me deep in the puff right to the mark and take the final bullet.
Racing called for night as things lightened up too much.
A wise call by JC on the race deck.
5 minutes later there was no wind at Anita but the fleet took off for some upwind training.
Below is Al video from post race training.

2010 US Windsurfing National Championships

2010-06-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Waterhound.com is the official website for the upcoming 2010 US Windsurfing National Championship and Formula North American Championship.
The regatta will be hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club from Tuesday July 20th to Saturday July 24th.
Disciplines include course racing, downwind slalom, long distance and freestyle all at Crissy Field on the San Francisco waterfront.
Registration, NOR and a who's coming list has been posted.
Don't say we didn't warn you....
It's gonna be EPIC!

I remember my first US Nationals like it was yesterday-1994 Lorain Ohio- 2nd place in the IMCO heavyweight division. A right of passage!
Every year, a different location.
Always a great time.
Ive always tried to make as many as I could- each year gaining a few spots in the ranks
We had at least 1 Nationals in Georgia in prep for the '96 Olympics- huge swell as I recall.
Kent with his flaming booms! Long-boarding was still king
'98 was the first year I sailed in SF at the Nationals.
Rounding Alcatraz in the long distance race seemed like a huge feat!
3 years later I was here permanently!
After 2003, the formula class gained momentum with some unbelievable racing at the nationals in Corpus Christie, the Gorge and SF.
2004 saw 80+ formula boards on the line in SF with classic conditions.
2005 was epic in the gorge. Slalom at its best!

2006 saw the US Nationals In Maui in 30-40k. 5 of us ran formula in 30-40k w/ 7.0 slalom rigs. Somehow I took the bullet

2007 was the last time we had the nationals in SF. Besse cleaned up. I held onto a respectable 2nd.

2009 saw great racing in the Gorge with local Bruce Peterson claiming rights to his river!
2010 is shaping up to be huge with several top international pros coming to SF for the first time.
Freestyle is back on venue with Wyatt and crew putting on the show at the beach.
Doc Doolittle will be back as the announcer.
You wont want to miss this one.

Day 2 Ronstan Challenge

2010-06-14T14:21:00.001-07:00

Day 2 of the 2010 Ronstan Challenge saw another day of epic San Francisco conditions for the the 16 board formula fleet and 12 board kite fleet racing on the San Francisco city front.

If racers felt cheated from the lack of a full long distance race on Saturday, the course more than made up for it on Sunday with the windward mark set near the presidio shoal buoy and the leeward mark set off Pier 39.

3 races were run for each fleet with no throwouts- meaning everything counted!
That didn't bode so well for me as I came barreling into the first start only to land in a heap above Al Mirel as the gun went off. Not a fast way to start the series!
Al however recovered quickly and followed the fleet left to the shore and caught the inside lift up the course and kept 2nd to the finish.
After spinning my circles, I reviewed my options and went right concluding better odds than following the fleet from behind.
In the middle with 3 other racers, the water was clearly greener- a clear sign of the flood tide. Not somewhere you want to be when going upwind.
9/10 times when racing on the city front you want to take advantage of the lift at the shore when you've got the chance. When there's an ebb there- you go there no matter what!

The video shows the example well with the ebb tide starting near shore and building later in the day in the middle of the Bay.

Looking back I made the mistake all weekend while the leaders constantly played the inside.
Downwind was a wild ride through the tide line as the breeze freshen up to 20k+.
Seth had a huge margin of victory in race 1 extending his lead around the course with Al and Crad putting in solid performances in the top 3.

Race 2 saw the breeze building even more with most of the fleet on 9 and 10m rigs
This time though, a more conservative start on my part in mid line.
Unfortunately sandwiched between Besse and Crad.
The speed demon and the pincher.
I found myself immediately ducking below and going for speed to the wall.
The NP 9.5 and 67 kashy fin seemed to go well in the breeze but I never really managed to put it all together this weekend. For one reason or another I was out of the top pack.
Choosing the wrong sides of the course- certainly doesn't help!
The rest of the fleet has sure stepped it up a notch with Eric, Sylvester, Crad, Al, Besse and Purcell all going extremely well in the big breeze.
One mistake and you were shot out the back.
The long down winder was brutal flying over the short steep chop at 25K+.
If you could just hang on it was all good.
I kept the pace with Sylvester deep in the double chicken strap all the way to sea wall near the Pier 39 making the last gybe and the final beat to windwind. We were well matched upwind but I let him tack and take advantage of the inside while I worked the outside.
Even with 2 more tacks, he came ahead proving the inside was the way to go.
I rounded out the top 5 with Besse taking another bullet, Al in 2nd, Eric in 3rd and Sylvester in 4th.
By race 3 the wind was up to 25-30k with most of the guys on their 9.0s or 9.5s.
Upwind on port tack was viscous going right into the chop.
If you could settle things down for the long haul you could make some gains.
After the first tack at the seawall, Crad, Sylvester and myself all were lined up well.
It wasn't until the last minute of the beat till I was able to pull ahead squeezing them out but at that point, we were at the layline already.
If you're going to put the kabosh on someone- do it early in the leg!
Downwind was another wild ride.
I gybed with the top pack but immediately went over the handle bars as I accelerated right into San Francisco finest voodoo chop!
I lay spread out like a yard sale in the middle of San Francisco Bay.
I slowly picked up the pieces trying to uphaul, then water start.
2 minutes later and the leaders were gone.
The final beat to windward was a real test.
I saw Jean's 200lb+ body getting tossed like a rag doll as he exploded ahead and the leeward.
Jean's video captures the spirit of the racing pretty well- not to mention my crash with Al in race 1- Brilliant!

Besse again took the bullet with Eric showing some brilliant form downwind through the chaos to take 2nd.

Overall a good weekend of racing.
Sometimes even with a great set up, you can go fast in wrong direction!

Thanks to the StFYC for running a great series and Ronstan for the awards.

2010 Ronstan challange

2010-06-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

The Ronstan Challenge is billed as a comfortable tour of the SF Bay taking the formula windsurfers and kiteboarders down to Berkeley and back to the SF city front.
Unlike its older- the SF Classic- it's a straight shot downwind and back.
The biggest thing you need to take into account is the current.
Line them up correctly and you could be riding a magic carpet straight to the finish while your competitors fight it out in the flood tide.

A 12:30 skippers meeting saw the 1st possible start delayed till 2 and shortened course to Treasure Island vs the full deal to the Berkeley pier and back.
With this in mind, I switched to the 10.7 and Z fin just moments before heading out.
After a rather strange morning in SF with 70 degree temps and a raging north wind, things settled down a bit and the wind switched left. The RC set the line further upwind to accommodate for the lighter winds- which caught a few people by surprise as there were only 4-5 making it on time with the rest of the fleet struggling to get going in the light stuff.
I lined up for a port start thinking there would be more wind in the middle as the inside looked light.
S3 and Xavier got the jump on starboard while Eric and I started on port.
The rest of the fleet sat park below the line in a very light 8-12k
I rounded topark in 4th with Xavier on 9.5, Eric on 11 and S3 on 11 in front.
Quickly I gybed to get control of the outside. Mid bay I gybed back finally overtook s3 below Alcatraz with better speed. Coming into TI I called the layline perfect and pumped into the leeward mark- while Eric, S3 and Besse on 9.5 all had to double gybe to make it.
Thanks to Chris Ray for the great shots on Saturday!
I lead upwind on port tack to Angel Island but tacked too late to cover the fleet behind me. On the beat back to starboard, I collected so many weeds my angle and speed were off significantly. I lost S3 from behind & Eric and Seth to leeward.
In hindsight, I should have back down to clear myself but kept forging ahead in hopes the weeds would clear themselves- wrong move!
All I could do was head back out to mid bay while the 3 leaders played the cityfront.
I never found the groove up wind.
And now I know why.
Sailing to the wrong side of the course and not taking advantage of ebb tide really put me at a disadvantage. S3, Eric and Besse battled it out to the finish and 4th was all I could salvage.
S3 sailed a brilliant upwind in front claiming the gun.
44 consistent as ever - claimed the no 2 spot while Seth- just falling short to take the bullet managed 3rd.
Overall a good day!
Can't get too upset over weeds as it's all part of the game.
Meanwhile the kiters started 25 minutes behind us in a fresher breeze and leader Andrew Koch took the line honors with an elapsed time of 49 minutes and 35 seconds- almost 6 minutes faster than the formula fleet.

Sunday 2pm start w/ 3 course races scheduled.
Thanks to Shawn Davis for the photos- be sure to check out his gallery at
http://www.picyourshot.com/Sports/Windsurfing/2010-Windsurfing/11857060_qfDUN

Friday nite series June 11

2010-06-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

New NP9.5 & 490 x9 arrived today. Just in time.
Thanks to Shawn Davis for the photo

Booms as high as possible
Tack strap tight to give bottom deep shape
Good upwind drive and angle w/ kashy 70 and mast at 44"
Started low on the line as windy looked iffy on inside.
Wind18-22k
Race 1 rounded 4th behind Crad, All and Seth all going deep to B.
I stayed out of the harness pumped and got around B in 1 gube w/ Seth
rounding wide.On the exit, I got the jump and was off to X
NP accelerates nicely. Rotates with ease.
I rounded bottom mark with Seth just behind but let him call the layline and he just beat me.

Race 2 saw similar but fading conditions on inside. I went for mid line start again. And overstood top mark to accomdate for flood. Good choice as other had to double tack.
At leeward mark I rounded behind Seth and tacked immedialy as it was dead and flooding hard inside. As we tacked Jean Eric and others came around leeward marknin cluster. I pumped off well below Eric and went for speed and I looked like I would get the win as I tacked to make
the pin and crossed Seth but the flood shut the door as he and others overstood and came down with speed and hooked the finsih.

Race 3 saw just a few get off the line. I was mid line while Crad got the jump at B and the inside lift with Seth behind.
Downwind wind was still squirly and we had to make 4 gybes down to X. Sailing in close proximity to Seth I felt new sail performed well- very easy to handle, draft stable.
I should have pulled off a 2nd but again didn't line up the finish line and got pushed down in the flood.

Overall 3rd behind Crad and Seth for the evening as the wind line was just far enough out to make 2 more races nearly impossible.

After 3 races Seth and I sailed up to GG bridge. Testing angle and speed.
Well matched.
Downwind sail lacked the grunt of north 10 and was a bit higher in the lulls.

Still time to work on this!

Frustrating Finish 6-11-2010 Friday Night Formula from waterhound.com on Vimeo.

Knowing the limits...

2010-06-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes knowing the limits of your equipment is more important than the equipment itself. I found this lesson out the hard way at this w-end Calcup.
Soheil and I decided to sail down from crissy field to the Berkeley cal cup in order to get some long distance runs in prep for next weekends Ronstan Challange.
Choosing to commit to a sail and fin for 4 hours on the Bay can be a daunting dilemma.
The SF Bay can seriously kick your ass if you are overpowered on formula gear.
At 12.30- the golden gate was still socked in with fog with westerlies at 10-15k and the forecast not expecting anything too much greater.
I chose my NP 10.7 rig and most powerful Z 70cm fin.
The downwinder to Berkeley went well with nothing more than 15k and some good ebb chop.
We made it down about 35 min and were the first sailors on the course with the RC still setting the marks.
As we lined up with a few more sailors, it quickly became apparent the conditions were changing.
10-15k quickly became 15-20k with some bigger gust rolling throughout the day.
The majority of the fleet was on their 10.0's
Berkeley's shallow water make for a short and steep chop- especially on port tack taking you almost directly into the waves upwind.
I was having a hard time keeping the hammer down upwind always having to adjust for the chop. The Z fin works especially well if you can find the groove and lock it in- something I wasn't able to do easily.
The only redemption came as things lightened up in race 2 and 3 and I was able to get things into 5th gear and keep them there and make some good gains both up and down for a 2nd and 3rd place finish.
Otherwise it was damage control- trying to salvage 4th in the other 2 races behind Xavier, Al and Eric.
Race 1 saw some confusion downwind as the leeward mark drifted almost to the far end of the Basin. Al took a good lead with his new BB 67 fin with Xavier and Eric in tow and me following closely behind. All it took was one mistake and the positions changed just like that. Al, Eric and Xavier all swapped for the lead- grinding it out upwind in close quarters for a great battle till the end.
Race 2 saw the 4 of us off the line again but with Tom Purcell to leeward showing some great upwind form. He managed to squeeze me off as I couldnt quite keep things locked down in the chop. Over standing the top mark again was torture knowing I could have made some serious gains and even worse trying to man handle the 10.7 and powerful fin reaching into the top mark.
I managed to stay in the hunt and finally passed Al to move into 2nd as the 10.7 really motored downwind as wind was down to 15k.
Race 3 saw similar conditions with Xavier getting the jump and staying in front the whole race.
There were a lot of holes around the course which provided for some opportunities to gain or lose. I managed to just get Eric at the finsih as we both sat parked near the line in an anti-climatic finish - shlogging across the line.
Race 4 saw the wind up near 20k with the gust coming in stronger. It was damage control from the start for me as I was feeling the pain of my legs absorbing all the days chop. Over standing the top mark again felt like adding insult to injury as reaching down to fetch the mark was torture on the big gear. I made it around in 4th but the real test was what was coming ahead.

As Soheil and I began the upwind beat back to San Francisco, it quickly became apparent the conditions had changed rapidly. What was manageable, now became almost impossible.
The wind was a steady 25k with gust closer to 30. The chop stacked up like rapids with the swell breaking as we punched through. I got knocked down several times before we even made it up the barges. Contemplating the hour journey ahead, we took refuge at the cove at Treasure Island and decided to wait it out. An hour later conditions hardly changed and I decided to take the safe route home- getting a ride back to Crissy with some SF sailors who decided to sail at TI for the afternoon.

formula and slalom equipment for sale

2010-06-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Every windsurfer knows you can never have too much windsurfing gear.
There's a sail, board and fin for every condition.
Maybe one here for you....

Sails:
2007 North Warp 6.3 slalom sail (available w/ or w/out mast) B condition

Mast:
North viper 430cm

Booms: HPL formula & slalom booms, Maui sails formula boom
(available w/ or w/out adjustable racing rigging)

Boards: F2 sx 105l medium slalom board + 36 cm fin B condition
F2 sx 125l large slalom board + 42cm fin A+ condition

If there's something you dont see and want, just ask, its probably in my garage somewhere.

contact me @ bodnersp @ gmail . com for more info

golden gate stoke

2010-05-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

They say the time a person spends windsurfing is not deducted from their lifespan.
In that case, I feel really lucky!
Weve had a great spring in the San Francisco Bay this year with unbelievable wind after a winter of incredible swell.

Sailing under the golden gate bridge can deliver some epic conditions.
The pacific swell pumping in.
The wind funneling through the slot.
The current racing beneath.

When it all lines up, there's no place Id rather be...

Thanks to Eric @ h20shots for dangeling over the bridge to get this shot!
More shots from the day @http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=the_REAL_photoboy&gallery_id=2060331

Finding the groove

2010-05-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Some sailors sail by the seat of their pants, others apparently need a notebook full of data to get them up to speed. I'm finding out that I fall in the latter category.
This year Ive been careful to track all my settings in hopes that I can find the groove easier when it comes time to race. Getting your equipment dialed in is an essential part of the game- especially when racing in a development class like the Formula windsurfer- and when your off, you're left scratching your head wondering, "is it me or is it my set up?"
And when you've found that setting that works in 15-20k, you know you can repeat it and not worry.
After a good month of racing and some serious tuning the last 2 weekends, Im beginning to get a feel for whats working and whats not. Sometimes the "ah- ha" moments come after a good session but more often than none, it comes after comparing the data on several sessions.
Of course, having good training partners is key.
Ive been lucky to line up with some fast sailors- sometimes staying ahead of them, sometimes falling behind.
Either way, at the end of the day, I have a better idea of whats going to get me around the course the fastest.

Downhaul settings: The North Sails seems to have 1 settings that works in most winds.
Too much and the cams have trouble rotating; too little and the sail feels top heavy and slow to accelerate (but still fast downwind.) In the heaviest of conditions, Ill add 1/4" of downhaul but release the tack strap to help with rotation.
The Neil Pryde sails seem to have a broader range of downhaul that works. Ive had the sail work well with a relatively tight leach in low to medium winds and still get great performance when its windy and I have the leach very loose.

Mast track position: Most everyone agrees 44" from the front fin screw in the ML10 is a good place to start. Move it 1/2" forward when using a smaller sail or when the water state is rough; move it 1/2" back when its lighter and the water is flat. Getting the right mast track position is very dependent on your fin as well. A more powerful fin will demand that you move the mast back to compensate for the extra power- but not too much that the nose of your board is flying around upwind.

Boom height:The higher you can go, the better angle you will get but the trade off is control.
Moving the booms higher adds more power to the rig and un-weights the board.
You can essentially sail a size bigger by moving your booms higher
In light to medium breeze, I try to run the booms as high as I can- especially with the 10.7 but as as soon as Im fighting for control, the boom comes down 1/2" at a time. As a result, the harness lines move forward. In 25-35k when its crazy windy, I usually have my booms low and get my angle through pinching to depower the rig

Harness Lines: The 1st 5 minutes off the beach will let you know if you have your harness lines balanced or not. I like to have a set of booms for each rig so the harness lines dont vary from moving the boom from sail to sail. If it gets windier and the boom comes down- the harness lines move forward 1"-1.5" from the center of effort. As it lightens up and the booms move up, they come back an 1"-1.5". In general, its easier to sail with longer harness lines as the breeze comes up so you can depower by siting down and bringing the rig to windward.

Batten tension: Again, its a balance of putting shape into your sails vs poor rotation.
Even with the NP Ultra Cams, you can tension too much and fight the rotation when coming out of a tack or gybe. In general, you want to add more to the bottom of the sail where you need power and have the leach of the sail above the boom fall off gradually.

Calcup 2: maximizing strengths and minimizing weaknesses

2010-05-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday’s calcup saw some great racing off the Berkeley pier with Xavier Ferlet joining the SF fleet again for 5 races in 15-20k. The big breeze and fog that the city front saw never made its way down the Bay as Berkeley experienced sunny skies in a relative mild breeze. I held off on taking the 10.7 with the big forecast and was relatively well matched with the rest of the fleet on our 10.0m rigs.
I got a feel for the course and tested the line finding the boat end favored in what would become a drag race from the start. Those that started further down the line never really got a chance to recover with out the benefit of some extraordinary speed- which Xavier seemed to have. Sylvester, on the other hand, showed some brilliant moments upwind holding his own and even climbing with the new 9.0m north warp.
It’s good to know your own strengths and weaknesses but even better to know your opponents. Part of racing is trying to maximize your own strengths but also taking advantage of your opponent’s weakness.
After 5 races, it was becoming apparent that Xavier had plenty of strengths and not too many weaknesses. He lead at almost every mark, taking 5 bullets in the process. His speed and angle were just a touch better than mine so all I could do try to make my starts perfect, roundings as efficient as possible and of course not make any mistakes of my own for the rest of the fleet to take advantage of.
Sure enough, the pressure was on with Eric and Sylvester showing some great moments but never getting closer than 3rd. I held onto 2nd each race- almost getting the last one from Xavier as we crossed the finish line overlapped.
With a windward leeward course and mandatory upwind gate on the 2nd upwind and a clearly favored left side of the course, there wasn’t too many options for tactics. In situations like this, you need to take advantage of anything you can get. Eric and I had a few close situations were it all came down to who could tack fastest and get going again on the new tack. Other times, especially when there’s traffic you can set up a pick if you can think 2 or 3 steps ahead.
A few kites were racing with us on Saturday and Chip showed some great potential maintaining his position upwind in the fleet of boards and even getting ahead of me in race 3. It’s great to see the 2 fleets mixing it up together.
Even better to see is all the juniors racing this year with Marion, Saba, and the Lundquist brothers all getting more experience under their belts.

For all of Saturdays races, I used the 10.0 2010 north warp and kashy 70 cm xs fin

Friday Night Series- May 14

2010-05-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Racing at the St. Francis is about as good as it gets.
Guests can watch the races from the comfort of the grill room or brave the elements on the race deck.
Sailors have the options to go in between races and switch rigs when the wind changes and still be able to make the next start.
5 races are run every other Friday night throughout the summer and spring.
Unlike most formula races lasting 20-30 minutes, the twilight series is more of a series of sprints which each race lasting 6-8 minutes for the leaders.
The start is off the StFYC A and B buoys and upwind to Anita Rock- just off Crissy Field. Racing next to the shore limits your starting options to port tack and its usually the sailor starting on the inside that gets the favorable lift off the land and first to the weather mark.
Regardless of the course, it’s the best board-handling skills and ability to call the layline in the tides that makes the biggest difference in the short races.

Last Friday night was no exception.
With a huge wind range of 8-25k, it was anybody’s call what to rig.
The gusts were big but the holes were even bigger!
I headed out early with my Neil Pryde evo2 10.7, Ml10 and Z fin to sail the course, check the current and get a feel for the wind.
The middle of the course was light but the top and bottom were fully powered.
A few laps around and I was managing the 10.7- just barely.
If you can withstand the big gust with out much damage, the advantage of a bigger sail usually turns out to be far greater in the lulls where you make up a lot of distance vs those on a smaller sail- especially downwind!
Seth, Crad and myself all got off the line well and around Anita in front of the pack.
Timing was everything because we seemed to get our own private SW puff carrying us almost all the way down to B without gibing.
As we made our way around the leeward mark, things heated up and the 10.7 was a handful. CRad got the jump on me with Seth in the lead. I made the call the tack first as I knew the SW breeze would allow for a shorter layline to make the finish.
With CRad just below me, he got off his tack just a bit quicker and was able to get me by a ½ board length at the finish.
The lesson here- give it all you got till the finish!
Race 2 saw similar conditions with Seth on his 9.0 in the lead around the top mark and Crad and myself in hot pursuit. Again, in a SW puff we carried it down to mark B on starboard tack while Seth ran out of gas and had to double gybe to get around B.
I managed to hold on the rest of the race and take the bullet with Crad close behind and Seth in 3rd.
Next race saw Eric call his lines perfectly and not look back while Seth edges me out on the last tack before the finish. In a race like this, every point counts.
Race 4 saw Seth in top form again with Crad and Eric close behind.
I pulled the trigger a bit too soon and got called OSC and returned to clear myself.
I was able to claw my way back through some of the fleet- again trying for any points as the rules for tie breakers have changed with the latest RRS.
Appendix B now counts even your discarded races when looking at who has the better scores in the event of a tiebreaker (Thanks Ron!)I knew the points would be close going into the last race between CRad, Seth and myself.
I lined up perfectly for the start at B – taking into account the flood tide, the crowd and pulled the trigger perfectly accelerating off the line out in front of the fleet and getting in the inside lift.
The 10.7 really paid off well in the last race of the night with the wind dying to 10-15 and the rest of the fleet on their 10.0s. I held on for the bullet with Crad and Tom Purcell rounding out the top 3.
Overall it was Seth claiming the night with 7 points and Crad and myself, tied for 2nd with my 8th as a throw-out beating his 10th as a throw-out for the tiebreaker.
Next up, CalCup on Saturday in Bezekeley!
Waterhound report

ELVSTROM ZELLERBACH REGATTA DAY 2

2010-05-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

With a slightly downgraded forecast from Saturday, it looked like the first decision of the day would be what rig for Sunday's 4 course races on the infamous SF city front.
I stood at the sea wall with 20 minutes before the 1st start with both 10.7 and 10.0 rigs ready to go. Without looking at what the rest of the fleet was doing (mistake 1), I choose the 10.0 (mistake 2)- thinking the breeze would be up sooner than later. But as always, you need to choose for whats happening now!
For the 1st 3 races I was really underpowered on the 10.0 in the critical spots and couldnt quite get that extra boost of speed or power when I really needed it but as soon as the breeze came up for the 4th race- I had everything dialed in!
Sunday's first race caught a few of the formula fleet by surprise as the boards were the first to start @ 12:30 and a few were late for the start. I had a few dramas of my own- just getting to the starting line as my upahaul came untied on the way down the the course. A few moments in the water, tying things back together and I finally found myself getting to the line with the sequence already started.
Not realizing the extent of the flood tide, I lined up for a normal run at the line but realized I could only make the pin end. I was doomed from the start as everything was looking the same as yesterday with the boards winning the boat end getting the jump from the start and the inside lift at the seawall after the first tack.
More often the none, the opening moves of the game, play a huge part in winning or loosing a race. Preparation is key. Had I gotten on the water earlier with the proper equipment, these 2 negatives could have been easily turned into something positive. Instead I found myself underpowered and behind a the start. A difficult scenario to overcome- especially having to sail in the leaders bad air the next 2 upwind legs. I tried some more high risk moves towards the end of the race to get a bigger reward but instead almost lost 4th place as Jean was motoring well from behind. CRad withdrew himself as he failed to round the offset mark after getting dunked on his rounding. In situations like this, you take any points you can get! Happy to salvage 4th.
In front, Xavier scored another bullet with Soheil and Al following closely behind.

The next 2 race saw similar conditions on the course with a variable 14-18k and strong flood tide. The 4 other dinghy fleets were now, at any point scattered around the course, making laylines, finding clear air and mark roundings- a more difficult challenge. On top of it all, there were plenty of weeds around the course making the decision to back down and clear your foils another variable in the game.
In general, sticking to shore and out of the stronger flood tide was the way to go upwind (as all the dinghies were tacking at the tide line and working their way up the city front) but as always the formula boards are better off banging a corner to keep their VMG to a maximum. Banging the left corner was not an option with the shore limited things. As it turned out, you had to almost bang the right side in order not to get to the shore too early and miss the port layline. A few people found this out the hard way and some big gains could be made on the final approach at the top of the triangle.
With his 11.0, Eric was able to close the gap on me with securing 2 more 2nds and by the last race we were tied. Xavier again took the bullets in race 6 and 7.

With the wind now in the md 20's and gusting up to 30, it was a different story.
Mental block off.
Everything was set up to work perfecly for the 10.0.
Getting the inside lift off the wall wasn't as critical as lining yourself up for a long port tack beat up the course. I got my lane and was off with CRad and the fleet just behind and to windward.
As we approached the middle of the Bay, and the chop became a more significant factor, I felt myself pulling away with better speed. I was able to keep the hammer down for longer and grunt my way to the windward mark just behind Xavier.
Control was the name of the game here with some wicked swell, voodoo chop, SF ferry traffic, the dinghy fleets and some rec sailors cruising back and forth. I pushed it hard in the double chicken strap matching Xavier line and gybed on his line to the bottom mark. At this point, things were so chaotic, I found myself in far leeward strap- straddling the board with a 4' wide stance going deep right towards the mark.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xavier go down hard.
I rounded the bottom gate and made my way toward the wall and it wasn't before I tacked till the next boards went around the gate.
I had established myself a good lead and now just needed to protect it.
Upwind things were really hairy in the chop with the gust in the high 20's. I kept things managed well and began the last downwind with still a good lead.
That was until I pearled the front of my board into the back of some wicked chop.
I quickly recovered and was uphauling but again my uphaul knot slipped from the boom and I was back in the water- trying to tie the thing back on. What seemed like eternity, was enough to let Xavier, Chris and Al all pass me until I managed to salvage 4th just in front of Eric and secure 2nd place for the series.
Lucky to say the least but some great lessons learned in this race.
Always protect your lead even if it means sailing more conservatively.
Nothing counts until you cross the finish line!
Not having my equipment prepared is something totally preventable.
Next time, that uphaul is going to be secured with a square knot with 2 stoppers at the end.
Enough said...

A huge congrats to Xavier Ferlet GBR- 451 for taking 6/7 bullets and challenging our fleet.
Its always a real benefit to sail with someone faster than you- keeping you on your toes and making you question everything. Without a doubt, we'll be faster next time!
Also a big shout out to the St. Francis YC and their 20+ volunteers for managing the 65 boat circle with out any incidents.
The best race management out there- thank you
Photos Credit: Eric Simpson
Results
Waterhound Report

ELVSTROM ZELLERBACH REGATTA DAY 1

2010-05-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

Day 1 of the Elevstrom /Zellerbach regatta at the St Francis saw the formula fleet waiting ashore as the dinghies made their way around the double windward leeward course in the light breeze. Finally at 1 pm with the breeze up to 10-15k and most of the fleet on their 10.0's in expectation of the building breeze, race 1 started with Xavier Felet taking the lead after the first tack. I managed to keep in tow until we got too far to the right and into the flood. I noticed Eric had tacked back early and was working the shore where the flood tide was less brutal. I tacked but Xavier was quick to follow and soon overtook me with just a bit better speed. As it happen, we both got the advantage over Eric as his port tack approach to the windward mark left him just shy of the mark and he had to double tack. Xavier took a commanding lead and never looked back despite some pressure and local tactics from me.
Race 2 saw similar conditions with Xavier in front and me just behind leading the rest of the pack. Off the breeze, we both overstood the bottom mark and let the fleet catch up. This time I didnt let the pressure off and waited for Xavier to make any mistake so that I could capitalize on it. On the final downwind run, it looked like Xavier was overstanding the bottom mark again so this time, I gybed for the finish with my line just barely making the finish boat. I stayed out of the harness, digging deep and pumping the sail to go as deep as I could and managed to get the bullet!
That's more like it!
Race 3 saw the breeze up to 18-22k with building chop. I made my approach to the starting line making sure I had speed but this time pulled the trigger a few seconds early and was OSC. I quickly gybed around and restarted on port tack committing myself right side while the rest of the fleet- except for Soheil made the way to the shore. I rounded just behind the pack with the Xavier, Soheil, Al. Tom and Chris all getting the jump downwind. Slowly over the next 3 legs I was able to pick all but 2 of them off with some better tactics around the course. Downwind, I picked up 1 board by calling a better layline. Upwind, I got another by heading the right side with more pressure and hiking hard and gaining on the boards to leeward. Finally at the windward mark, I was able to play my cards just right and squeeze off Eric with a fast rounding as he tacked at the mark while my port tack approach got me out of there quickly. With 1 last leg to go, I knew I had better speed and was catching up with Al but didn't quite have enough time to move into 2nd.
So it stands after 3 races, Xavier sits in front with 4 points, myself in 3nd with 6 points and Eric closely behind with 10.
Sundays breeze looks lighter and hopefully a chance to mix it up again.
Full Results
Waterhound Report
Thanks to Eric Simpson for the photos- check out his gallery @ pressure-drop.us

Friday Night racing @StFYC

2010-05-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Round 2 of the Friday night series @ the St Francis Yacht Club kicked off with a solid 20-30k.
After 5 days of not sailing, it was a viscous welcome back with a steep ebb tide and strong fleet. With almost a 3 year hiatus from formula windsurfing, now SF local, Seth Besse managed a perfect night with 5 bullets while I held onto 2nd just in front of Al Mirel.

Friday Night Formula Windsurfing at the St FYC 4-30-2010 from David Wells on Vimeo.

As the winds tapered off, it looked like things might get easier but random puffs and 30 degree shifts kept everyone on their toes until the final 5th race.
Normally I like to get my kit dialed in before I start to race it but I made the decision to run the new north 10.0 with only 1 day of training on it. I wasnt quite able to find the speed off the line as the juniors made a habit of parking right in front of me with 10 seconds to go. Sometimes racing is more about getting out of your own way than getting around in front of others. Nonetheless, I had to dig deep to claw my way back through the fleet and salvage the night.
Race 1 say Seth and I battle it it till the last tack and cross the finish within a board length of each other. In short sprint like races, like the Friday night series, every little thing counts...speed, angle, laylines. No room for any mistakes!
Race 2 and 3 saw similar conditions but Soheil got the jump and pressured Seth till the finish while I made some comeback moves to cross just in front of Al for 3rd in both races.
As the wind decreased in strength, it became apparent that a good lane off the line was essential but I still managed to find room for operator error and didn't quite pull the trigger in time. Somehow, despite double tacking the windward mark, I still managed a 3rd with some smart sailing and good tactics. Still in front Seth scored another bullet with Al in tow for 2nd.

Thanks to Arnaud for the video
In the 5th and final race, things lightened up significantly to where there where holes all around the course with the random puff pushing or pulling sailors from the lead to DFL in the course of 1 leg. I didnt quite get my head wrapped around things and used the final race for my throwout to finish the evening in 2nd.
Overall- consistent but room for improvement as I made some critical mistakes at the starts that set me back significantly.
Results

1st CalCup of 2010

2010-04-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Things looked sour from the beginning with a 5-15k forecast.
We met at Crissy Field Saturday morning hoping to sail down to Berkeley for the Calcup but with the wind not even filled in, we hopped back in our vans and made the trip over the Bay Bridge just in time for the skippers meeting.
More waiting at "pebble beach" untill the wind finally came down the Bay and filled in the Berkeley circle.

Thanks to waterhound for the photo

Next challenge was the launch.
With an unusually low tide, and 70 cm fins, we had to carry our gear through the muddy flats out a few hundred meters past the dock to get into waist deep water.
I took a few practice runs with Mike Z to get a feel for my speed and angle as I hadnt lined up with him since last season.
Angle- good
Speed- good
Lets get racing!
With a double windward leeward course set in 1o-15k, it looked like it would be a battle for clear air. I choose to start at mid to pin end of the line for clear air as I knew this would be a parade with not many tactical options with the Berkeley pier on the right hand side of the course limiting the right side upwind. I got off the line clean and managed to get out to the port layline but a few guys including Mike Z, Soheil and Sylvester all got a nice lift under me on port tack and rounded in front. Off the wind, it was a race to the pier- literally seeing who could get the closest to gybe and still make it out alive with an array of angry fishermen and their cast lines cursing at us.
I dug extra deep and stayed out of the harness in order to round the leeward mark in 1 gybe while a few others had to make a double gybe as things got light at the bottom end of the course.
Back upwind for lap 2.
With a required pass through the finish gate, I was able to call the layline before Mike Z and Soheil and jumped into the lead although overstanding the top mark I let Soheil briefly back into the hunt. As we both came into the windward mark on starboard for a starboard tack rounding and Soheil just a head and to leeward, I called for room knowing that if he'd tack right at the mark, he would leave me with no options. Gracefully, Soheil obliged and left room for me to tack.
Downwind for another leg- this time not getting to close to the pier and the angry fisherman. I rounded the leeward mark in 1st but had Soheil hunting me down with some really good angle. As I tacked for the final beat to the finish I saw Soheil go down in a tack and crossed the line, taking the first bullet of the series with Mike Z, Sylvester and Soheil rounding out the top 4.
Race 2 saw similar conditions with the same scenario.
This time it was Eric in front with with a great start at the boat and Mike Z and newcomer Xavier from GBR trailing behind.
I made the same option to go as deep as I could on the downwind to the pier and caught Mike Z on the 2nd lap but Xavier put the kabosh on any tactical rounding at the leeward mark by shutting the door completely. I tried to foot for speed below him but not enough time to get by him before the finish.
Race 3 started but ended quickly as the wind died and left us all spewed across the course. I knew things were bad when I led Mike Z and Xavier to the left corner and the guys who we squeezed off right at the start came blazing back from the right side. I was running out of options on lap 1 and decided to take a gybe away from the fleet to try to gain anything. Sometimes when you're deep it pays to take risk. This time I ended up in the same spot I started- right behind Mike Z. Slowly on the next upwind I was able to get some leverage and climb on him in the light air but at the top mark we all stopped planning and the RC put up the abandoned race flag.
Game over.
With a 1-3, it was enough to take the first Calcup but more importantly- give me some extra confidence knowing Ive got the right gear. The NP 10.7 is working very well with the ML 10 and Z fin. Ive finally got upwind angle this year and speed at the starts to give me more options.

Thanks to Mike Percy and his crew for running a great series- more @ calcupevents.com
Always great to see new juniors involved- especially with the calcup lending library.
If you want to race but dont have gear- check the lending library out!

Season opener

2010-04-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Racing season opened up last night with the first Friday Night Series at the St. Francis Yacht Club. The fleet of 13 local sailors only had the chance to sail 2 races in the dying breeze before the 3rd race was abandoned.
The RC kept the racers on their toes with the first start being recalled as most of the fleet was over early with the ebb tide. After a quick turnaround, we started again.
This time, I went for the breeze- shooting down the line and out at the pin with speed. I got a good jump on the fleet and was first to call the layline at the top mark. Eric tacked below me, taking advantage of the ebb and squeezing in at Anita just behind me. We gybed and headed outside to the breeze. Thinking I had the layline for the leeward mark I gybed again but really had to work deep to get to the mark while Eric came in a little hotter with better angle. Knowing my rounding would be weak at best, I tried to close the door on Eric behind me but he found a hole and we both began to grind upwind on the last leg to the finish.
I had the better angle and was able to squeeze him out and forced him to tack. Meanwhile Soheil sneaked up into 2nd while I got the bullet in race 1 and Eric taking 3rd.
Just behind the top pack was the rest of the feet fighting it out with the likes of Al Mirel, Tom Purcell and Marion Lepart trying for the top 5.
Thanks to Arnaud for the video
Race 2 saw similar conditions with a 10-15k SW breeze. The puffs were coming down randomly on the inside and incredibly shifty. I opted again for a mid line to pin start to get clear air. I was the first to tack and had Soheil to battle with as we worked our way towards Anita Rock. Luckily with some new technique Ive been using, Ive found some better angle in critical situations like this. By holding the uphaul with your front hand, you can effectively stand the rig up and add more power and increase your upwind angle. Its a hard technique to master (with only 1 hand on the boom)but once you get the hang of it, changing your angle of attack with the leading edge of the sail becomes a lot easier.
As we worked our way downwind, I made sure not to repeat the same mistake that caused me a slow rounding at the leeward mark. This time, I let Soheil gybe first and I came in hot with better speed and sailed below and past him to take control of the last leg. As we made our way towards the seawall we got knocked and knocked again on the new tack. Thinking I only had Soheil to cover to the finish, Eric was able to one tack it up to the finish (in a completely different breeze) to take the bullet. The lesson here is to always keep your eyes on your opponents. Had I known Eric had even a remote chance of squeezing in, I would have pushed harder to make the finish in 1 tack but sometimes being in the right place at the right time is all you need- as was the case for Eric.
Race 3 started with hardly enough breeze to make it across the line and only the top 3 sailors escaping. I had to tack back to starboard and was well behind at this point. I opted to take a bigger risk and sail well beyond the layline as things looked really light up at Anita. Eric rounded in front with Al and Chris just ahead of me. As we worked our way downwind, I slowly began reeling in Al and Chris but the race got abandoned and we all headed in.
With a 1-2 for the evening, I took the first race of the series with Eric and Soheil pushing hard in the top 3. It looks like the NP sails have a bit of a early advantage this year but the north guys havnt got their new sails in yet. I was happily surprised with the performance of the NP 10.7 and even more surprised how Soheil (on the same set up) improved his standings from mid fleet to pushing the top. Most of the fleet is already on their L10s with a few guys still waiting and riding their L8s. The Z fin I was using had great speed and even better angle- something I'm hoping to improve on this season.
Results
Photos from Shawn Davis
Waterhound report

Mid week special

2010-03-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

It was the midweek special at Ft Point yesterday.

Between the sideways sets of rain, the sky opened up for some great sunshine and breeze in the late afternoon. Just as everyone was packing up, I hit the water with the 10.7/Ml-10 in a building 10-15k gusty breeze.

A few laps between Anita and StFYC to get everything adjusted and then up to Ft Point.

As I worked my way upwind, the gusts were much strong coming off the Presidio: 20k+ but the swell was pumping through the slot and drawing me closer.

I lowered my boom another 1" for more control

1 tack under the mid span and I had my first run in from the red nun.

The ebb was like a river of current 4-5k rushing outbound beneath my board

The swell quickly jacked up and I found myself riding the biggest swell I had ever caught.

I looked over my shoulder to see a 15-20' face breaking next to me as I accelerate down the swells' face, rushing through the gate.

As my back foot pushed deeper into the chicken strap, the 100cm wide board drove deeper down the face. The 10.7 was fully lit propelling me forward as the ebb tide pulled me out.

One gybe was all I had before I had to bail as the wave continued into the leeward shadow of Ft. Point- a definite no go zone with race gear!

I managed a few more rides that day but heeded caution and didn't error on the side of greed- after all its still early in the season and my gear is still in 1 piece

0_O

2010 Formula Worlds..it's on!

2010-03-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Some preliminary reports form the first day of racing at the formula windsurfing world championships in Mendoza, Argentina.
Sadly watching the event from afar this year but with interest.
With less than 6 months from last years worlds in Spain, there are no less than 10 new boards and 4-5 sail brands with updated rigs. Micah and Antoine are back in the mix with most of the pros in attendance, a strong south american contingent and several french and dutch sailors.
Internet connection looks to be very limited on site but here are several links:

Official site:http://www.formulawindsurfing.org

USA34 http://twitter.com/micahbuzianis
USA3 http://farrahhall.blogspot.com/
NED13: http://www.dennislittel.com/
BEL29 http://surfforum.be/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=51130&start=90
French updates: http://www.teamfunboard.com/
http://twitter.com/teamfunboard
FRA730 http://www.yoannfleury.com/

Day 1's results are mixed as the wind looked very unstable with sailors desperately changing between their biggest (12m) and smallest rigs (10m) to save face.
Paulo BRA3333 looks in control in the breeze while it may be anyone's game in the light stuff.
Last years champ, Steve Allen is sailing consistent with a 1,3 and sitting atop after day 1.

the voodoo chop test

2010-02-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterdays session was one of those rare winter delights where wind, water, sun and moon all combined for a long overdue mid winter session. As I rigged my 10.0 and ML10, I saw the wind was already up to the upper teens and building + the flood was coming in strong.

Anybody who's ever sailed in the San Francisco Bay knows about the converging currents. Sometimes the transition from the incoming ebb and outgoing flood is subtle. Other times, its a washing machine of furious boiling water- otherwise known as voodoo chop.

This session would be all about how the new board handled in big voodoo chop.
I had a few worries as the board is much bigger this year compared to any earlier ML formula board. The ML10 measures 85 cm wide 1' foot off the tail.
I lined up to go through the incoming flood tide- a vicious wall of water with square chop 2-3' high. Both upwind and downwind, the ML10 performed really well- spinning out just once.
The chicken and double strap are lifesavers for taking the pressure off the fin while still driving the board deep downwind.
Upwind, if you can keep everything locked down and the board driving and just flies right over the chop.
I never felt too overpowered with the 67 kashy fin and base set at 45" with the gust @22-25k
I did move the booms down later in the session for a bit more control- which helped in the bigger stuff.
Overall- very comfortable ride- even in the roughest of conditions the SF Bay had to offer.

Meanwhile up at Fort Point, at the mouth of the Bay, the sets were firing with the big swell that's been rolling in all winter.
Thanks to the horse's mouth for the surfing photo of the day

2010 equipment review...first glance

2010-01-22T10:29:00.001-08:00

Hard to read much from this regatta given the circumstances but...
The JP/ML10 looks to need a bit of fine tuning to get up to speed. I was on the L8 for the race and seemed to have a slight edge on Ron on his new JP. Off the wind he was deeper. Micah had an (obvious) edge on both of us and at most times was pushing BRA999 and BRA3333 in front.
Fernando was on the on the north proto on day 3 going much faster than the 09 norths.
Both he and BRA3333 made the PD board look easy in the light stuff.
Paulo's 2010 north warps looked very powerful and lighter with one less batten in the formula sails this year and finally a roller cam for the bottom batten!
Micah's NP proto was a cross between the evo2 & gaastra instant clew- very clean trailing edge!
I sailed the NP 10.7 evo 2 on Day 1 when the breeze was up to the low-mid 20's with great results. Lots of range, easy to handle, great acceleration and speed. As the wind died in race 2 to under 12k, the 10.7 lacked the power of the 12.3 which I used for the remaining races- all under 14k
Most of the fleet are still using kashy and ifju fins with the wider cut down fins (75cm+) working best in the light breeze.
The new NP boom looks well refined with a full carbon head and wide tail.
2 guys on the *BD HWR stating much improvements from prev. editions and looked faster in the light breeze.

Update: Here's a video of the JP Formula Board in action:

JP Formula 100 Pro from Sebastian Kornum on Vimeo.

The ML10 has the same recessed deck at the mast foot and looks to be 1-1/2 kg lighter despite Mike Z using more glass in is boards vs the full carbon construction of the JP board.
The recessed deck looks to be great for pulling the board around with your front foot at a tack- as shown in the video above.
The double chicken strap should make going downwind in any breeze relatively easy to unload the fin.
I think the biggest variable will be with finding the right mast tract position in relation to your sail and fin size.

Jesper Vesterstrøm (DEN-111) has also put up a review of new starboard boards at carbonsugar.com
Keep an eye on the upcoming Oceanics and Midwinters for more info how the 2010 boards perform.

Caviliga Regatta Day 3

2010-01-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

Things didn't look too promising on day 3 with the forecast for getting another race in and drop for the series but somehow a few sailors managed to make it around the course with out an abandonment flag by the RC.
Conditions were sketch at best with an offshore shifty and variable breeze. Just like Saturday we were overlapped with several other fleets running a course in the same waters on the Biscayne Bay. With the windward mark set close to shore, it was anybody's guess on how to best get there. The top boards planned off the line leaving the rest of the fleet parked.
Both left and right corners failed miserably and patience was the name of the game to get upwind with such wide upwind reaching angles. BRA3333 set the pace on his custom north 12.0 and new PD formula board with some blazing speed and angle keeping a commanding lead the entire race with local Fernando Martinez on north and PD board keeping pace just behind.
By the time I rounded the top mark I was deep and took off in the opposite corner as the fleet ahead and by the bottom mark was rounding comfortably in 3rd as the right side sat parked.
The lesson is never give up.
Soon enough on the 2nd upwind Micah was back and tacked in front of me at what was the port layline.
As another puff approached we split tacks and I headed even deep to the left corner, overstanding the top mark by miles and coming back to round planing as the USA34, BRA999 and K all sat parked on the right side.
I held on to 3rd but with Fernando finishing in 2nd he got the last laugh to get me by 1 point in the overall. Schurman and Micah both got their drops with the fifth and final race and closed out the top 3.Best performance goes toBRA3333 Paulo Des Reis with 3 bullets never out of the top 2.
Impressive. The new Norths looks like they've got lots of power again.
Also it was great to see a Micah back in the fleet with the new JP board and some innovative sail changes from NP.

As always, a huge thanks to the Shake A Leg Sailing Center in Miami and the Alex Caviliga Blue Water Foundation for a great regatta. It was great to see the other classes actively represented as well with a strong junior 293 , kona and rsx fleets.
Results can be found here

Caviliga regatta day 2

2010-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

With a fast approaching storm this morning, the 3 fleets rushed to get
a race underway but unfortunatlly the squall caused some huge chaos
and the fleets were sent back to shore. Once everything passed, race 3
got underway with the rsx and kona/techno 293 fleets starting and
finally another race for the formula fleet. I had the chance to port
tack the fleet but didn't quite pull the trigger in time and ducked
the first 3 guys at the pin. Off to the right side I banged the corner
and was looking good until I sat parked in a lull as the left side
crossed ahead. From there it was catch up trying to gain as much
tactical advantage over the next 3 legs picking off 1 board at a time
to finish a strong 3 just catching Fernando at the last gybe in front
of the finish. Schurman was OCS with Micah and Paulao taking a
commanding lead.
.

Thanks to MiamiWindsurfing for the photos
By the time race 4 started the breeze was down to 10-12k and I was
looking for all the power my 12.3 had and 72xxs kashy would give me.
Booms high, outhaul bagged and harness lines long. I even tried my
mast track back to 42" from the front fin screw.
Again a port start with the whole fleet charging the line except for
Micah coming down fast on starboard. I gor off the line well and off
to the right corner with speed but backing down 2x to clear the weeds
on my fin In the light stuff it's important to remember that your
laylines are further than normal. I tacked and came up short having
to tack another 4x to round the top mark. At that time the top 3 were
gone and I struggled to catch the 4 boards who rounded just in front
of me to salvage a 6th, pumping hard all the way to the finish.
So with only 4 races complete I find myself in 3rd as we need 5 races
for a throwout. Both Micah and Schurman are sitting deep both carrying
an OCS.
Paulao and Fernando have sailed the most consistant and thus are in
the top 2 spots.
Mondays forecast looks dismal but anything can happen.

Results and photos @ http://www.cavigliafoundation.org

Steve
USA4

Sent from my iPhone

Caviliga regatta day 1

2010-01-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

A quick report from day 1 in Miami @ the caviliga regatta.
All the usual characters + some new faces at the first regatta of the
season.
The formula fleet got off to a late start but managed 1 race in the
breeze with Schurman BRA999 taking the bullet just infront of fellow
Brazillian BRA3333 and Buzianis in 3rd. I managed to stay in front if
the rest of the rest of the fleet with the winds building up to the
mid 20s.
A quick break for lunch on the barrier island was all it took for the
breeze to calm down as sailors began to shift gears into light wind
mode. Most of the fleet was still on their 10s and 11s struggeling for
power. I managed to sail pretty fast but in the wrong direction as I
banged the right corner, tacked and game over. Not enough time for a
recovery with just a 2 lap race.
Buzianis got the bullet but was osc.
Finally we tried to start a 3rd race in little to no wind and it was
abandoned as most of the fleet never got planning.
Tommorows forecast looks decent with 15-20k.
Steve
USA4

Sent from my iPhone

Know your winter tides

2010-01-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

The northerlies continued all week with more formula and slalom sailing on the SF Bay.
Even some time at fort point catching the outside break but the lee of the south tower on a NE breeze throws a big shadow. Jean got sucked in for a good 5 min before having to paddle out.
The best breeze was in the middle of the bay but the swell and sunshine under the gate were temping. It was this time about 4 years ago I got sucked out the gate on a big ebb tide and rescued by the coast guard. Needless to say, I keep a better eye on the tides. With a northerly or NE breeze, the marin headlands shuts down most of the wind under and outside the bridge.

Fridays afternoon slalom session was lit on the warp 7.3 and 105l slalom board in 12-22k
A bit too much power with the 42 cm fin when it gets above 16-18k but Jean, Andre and I got some amazingly fast runs from anita rock to the presidio shoals & out the slot. See the 2nd 1/2 of Jeans winter sailing video below.Saturday saw the breeze fill in late but I got 2 solid sessions in with the warp 11.0 and ML10.
Im beginning to get a better feel for the sweet spot on the board. Downwind feels the best with the board working really well in the outside, chicken and double chicken straps.
Thanks for Dwells @ Waterhound for the photos
and Jean for the headcam videos.
Also check out the photos of Wells sailing his kona at ft point on sunday.
http://plminteractive.com/jmphoto/proofs/10_01_10_ftpt_wind/
Despite trying the 7.3/slalom combo just wasnt enough to get up there

january training

2010-01-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Jan 6 got me back on the water again after 3 weeks of being landlocked!
The sheer sensation of tracking a formula board upwind @ 25k is truly spectacular.
Under the golden gate is even more fantastic.
The ML10 felt more dialed in with the 10m rig as the 15-20k NE gusts filled into the beach @ crissy field. I ran my track @ bit further forward than before with 114cm to the front fin bolt. Downwind it was fantastic. The board tracks well and really goes deep with the chicken and 3/4 chicken. I wish I could say the same about my gybes and tacks.
My hands and feet only lasted about an hour on the water before turning a useless numb.

2 times outside the gate to the red nun before finding a wicked eddy amongst the afternoon flood tide and having to unwind ourselves from the lee of the south tower.
No chance of finding any swell @ft point.
USA13 and I ran a skewed Friday night course A in the NE breeze for some power reaching between Anita and X.
My thigh muscles were pretty useless after that.

Is there more to life than windsurfing?

2009-12-19T20:19:00.000-08:00

No I havnt given up windsurfing just yet...just adjusting my schedule a bit to accommodate some new goals. During this off season, I will be concentrating a bit more on my architectural career vs windsurfing. I'm hoping to knock off a few off the ARE exams this winter and over the next 2 winters (and leaving the summers for windsurfing) so that I can become a registered architect.
Yes, there is more to life than windsurfing...something I never thought Id say!

Nonetheless, I was super exited to pick up my new ML10 formula board a few weeks ago at the Lab in northern Californian. Its always a fun trip up to see the maestro Zajicek and his lab in full action.
There are various states of formula boards and slalom boards in mid construction. Blanks of foam perched on the wall, waiting to become a finished product; boards vacuum wrapped to the rocker table halfway to their life and finally sitting their on the main table was the lightest formula board Ive picked up... 7.8 kg of pure craftsmanship.
Honestly Id rather give my $ to no one else knowing the hard work and dedication that goes into building a custom board. Seeing the other repairs he does to production boards, I noticed the inconsistencies, sub par work and materials that go into production boards and ask myself if its really worth it. Sure, it might be cheaper but Ive learned the lesson before...no one wants to blow out a fin box in the middle of a regatta or have their foot go right through the deck of the board. When you buy a ML board, you know its going to be exactly like the one produced before it and exactly like the one produced after it. You cant say that with a production board!
I only managed 2 sessions in very light winds on the new board before leaving for the holidays . It did seem to pop up on a plane sooner than my old 160 and go pretty damn fast but its going to take some adjusting to find the sweet spot in terms of angle and speed.
My goals this season are simple: Improve my upwind angle.
Something Ive been struggling with for several seasons. I gave up quite a few positions at the Worlds and even losing the US Nationals because I couldn't match my competitors angle upwind.
Furthermore, Im going to be putting some different sails into the quiver this year to see how it helps the program. Ill stick with what I know works well- the north 10.0 and will be trying out the NP evo2 10.7. Not much traveling on the agenda this season so Ill leave the 12.0 out of the equation and concentrate on racing in SF.

So if you dont hear much from me over the next few months, its not because I'm not thinking about windsurfing every moment just like you but rather the mechanical, plumbing and electrical codes are currently taking up their spots on the top of my brain.
In the meantime you can follow what sessions I do get at http://twitter.com/usa4

Also, some gear still for sale: north sails 12,3, 11, 10, 9, 8, 6.3, 5.8, north masts 550, 520, HPL booms, F2 105l and 125l slalom boards
Contact me at bodnersp @ gmail.com

Bill Weir- fare thee well

2009-10-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

We lost an icon in the sport of windsurfing this week. Bill Weir of San Francisco succumbed to a year long battle with brain cancer. Like everything in life, he gave it everything he had up until the last minute.
We knew Bill as a great waterman. His passion for windsurfing went beyond racing as he was an ambassador for the sport- always bringing new people in with his zeal and enthusiasm for the sport and life. He even went on to document the sport of windsurfing with an amazing film on the beginnings of the sport.
His van and music were icons in the StFYC parking lot for as long as I can remember.

I spent countless sessions with him at Fort Point and on the Friday night course at StFYC but they all seam like a distant memory now. In my first years in SF, he pushed me more than anyone else, owning the Friday night course but always available for a "debreifing" in his van after the racing.
That was his course and we all knew it. When I was finally able to beat him in a Friday nite series, I was so damn happy. I had so much respect for the guy.

He was larger than life and always fist to the mark.

We'll miss you dear friend.

Godspeed on the journey ahead.

A memorial service will be held @ 3:30 pm Monday October 12th @ the Saint Francis Yacht Club (adjacent to Crissy Field). More info @ http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/billweir

There will be a brief service to honor Bill, followed by a reception at the yacht club.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Surf Rider Foundation and Save the Bay
Before the service you are still encouraged to walk along the beach at Crissy Field and enjoy the beautiful place that Bill called his second home.