Midwinters Day 1

The 22nd running of the Calema midwinter championship started with some major wind yesterday in Merritt Island, Florida. Competitors arrived for a 9am white flag with 10-15 knots on the course and by the 4th race things really heated up to gust to the mid 20's - quite a change from recent years where racers were glad to see anything over 10 knots.
There are several classes represented at the regatta giving the chance for the seasoned professional to compete against the weekend warrior. What other sport gives you the chance to compete against the likes of Tiger Woods and even get his advise on rigging?
The action started early for the formula fleet with Antione Albeau taking 4 bullets in the first day of racing. Micha Buzianis followed closely behind with Jimmi, Jesper and Gonzo all pushing hard for the top 5. There was a bit of a gap between the pros and the rest of the seasoned amateur fleet but still a good fight going in with lots of intense racing to be found. The Brazilians are always well represented with a fleet of decent sailors- and this year was no different- I constantly found myself surrounded by a pack of south american sailors giving me dirty air.
As for my own race things got better throughout the day with my scores improving from the low 20's down to around 10th or 11th in the last windy race. I found myself still struggling to hold my lane upwind and losing places because of this. I have not been able to dial in a good fin yet this season to keep the upwind pace. Yesterday I tried out a Debocheit R17 soft -- 68 cm fin with 5 degrees of forward rake- a bit of improvement but I think when your racing at the top you need to have equipment that will not under perform your sailing skills. Im going to beg borrow or steal something today to try out a new fin in order to find out the problem in my program. It looks like another windy day for Saturday as the trees are already moving and white caps are on the water. 2 more days of racing and more chances to move up in the fleet.
Daily results can be found at www.calema.com I will try to post some phots and a more detailed race report from my view at the end of today- stay tuned!
Check here for day 2's report

know your winter ebb

click to enlarge....

Sometimes everything just lines up perfect. I had one of those epic sessions on Sunday with a sunny 65-degree day on the San Francisco Bay, 15-25k west winds and a solid 5+ knot ebb tide. The winter tides are more dramatic compared to the summer tides and things can get out of hand quicker if you lose control.

David Wells and I were out on our 10.0s and formula boards and quickly made it up to the bridge where there was a good swell coming in. Combined with the stiff 5k. ebb, it made riding the swell like walking backwards on an escalator. You could plane down the face of the swell next to the south tower and get swept back upwind. Unfortunately the ebb was a bit too strong for Feras who made his way out on his short-board gear and couldn't’t get back under the bridge with the river of ebb. It didn’t take much but the minute he was underpowered, he couldn't’t overcome the strong ebb. I kept an eye on him and finally sailed up to the Coast Guard who was making rounds and asked them to give him a lift in.

The lesson learned: Be aware of the currents- especially in the winter months as they are stronger and the wind isn’t as constant as the summer thermals. Just as quickly as it came up, the wind petered out.

Nonetheless I still got another hour of sailing under the bridge, riding some good sized swells and sharing a few waves with Chip on his kiteboard. Good times. Check out the rest of the photo sequence here as well as the surfers at ft point here.

Thanks again to Shawn Davis and his great eye for documenting the day!

light wind training

There was a fickle southwest breeze on Sunday- just enough to take advantage of with a formula sail and big sail. Shawn captured some good photos of me from the beach. More importantly, he captured a critical moment in mid pump. The photo above shows how essential it is to hang your weight from your booms and unweight the board to get going. Notice too, how my feet arn't on the rail yet. To get going in the light stuff you need to get the leach moving and air flow attached with some big solid pumps first then gradually taper them off once you get planning. Check out the rest of the photos sequence here at Shawn Davis's site

Winter training: paddleboarding SF Bay

Another windless Sunday in San Francisco but never an excuse not to train. This time Jean and I paddled up to the warming hut pier to watch the Queen Mary 2 arrive in San Francisco. Jean brought his camera to document the action. With all the spectator boats on the Bay- it was extremly choppy and balancing on the 24"wide Kona long board proved more difficult that we both imagined. Nontheless good training- both of us came in and our thighs were shaking from the hour paddle and balancing act- kind of reminded me of the way my legs feel after a San Francisco downwind classic


more paddle boarding photos from sunday's session at http://picasaweb.google.com/bodnersp/PaddleboardingSFBay


A late- arrival- but this just send in by Steve Waterhouse- from his North Beach apartment last night. What a viewof the Queen Mary at night! Click to enlarge.

Fins for the L7

Every so often I get emails asking for advice on what equipment to use-
Thought I'd share this one. If you found the answer, please leave a comment below.

Hi Steve,My name is Antonio. I've just receved my new L7. Would like some hints about fins to use on. Unfortunatelly Kashy are not availabe for a long time.Wich Deboichet do you think would It fit better? I mean size and rake.Thanks

Hey Antonio-
I think the question about what fin to use on the L7 is still up in the air .We will know at the middle of the end of the season what really works! But by then its too late.
Obvioulsy the Kashy fins seems to be hands down faster in most conditions we've tested.
In lighter winds a softer 67-70 fin , I think will work well as the L7 has a wider tail and will accomodate a softer bigger fin.As the wind increases I think you would be better off for control to move down to a 63-65cm range- not as soft.
Finally when you are really pushing the control in steap chop and 20-30k, you would be better off on a 61-63 cm fin
In regards to rake- a more forward rake will give you better angle- esp in lighter winds but less control.
A more swept back fin- like the c3 or select might give you a bit more control.
It's a question of balance and trade offs- also what you can get!
In regards to the deboichet- perhaps a r17 or 19 soft to extra soft with a good amount of rake (+7) might be a good choice for light to med breeze and then go to a R13 regular rake for more control and options as it gets breezier.
Alot has to do with your sailing style, stance, built and finesse. As you get to know your fins- you can adapt to their strengths and weaknesses. I'd encourage you to test them out yourself and get to know the limits of each particular fin- how far you can push it before it stalls, can you grind off the line or do you need a clear lane off the start. These things are important to know as you build up a fin quiver. It's all about the details! So get out there and test away.
Best of luck,
Steve

Racing videos

Just found this video from the 2005 Formula South Americans in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil that I attended. Some really good formula racing and beautiful marine environment shots.
Check out the video and regatta report at here

Also posted the slalom racing shot by Berkeley's own- Brian McDonald form the 2005 US Windsurfing Nationals in the Gorge- oh yea, it was windy. Check out the video and regatta report from the Nationals here

Finally some great slalom racing from Maui's north shore a the 2006 US Windsurfing Nationals :
day 1 here
day 2 here
day 4 here

Alex Cavigila Regatta Report Miami, Fl.

Under Finned and Under Attack by 40’ Yachts in Miami, Fl. Alex Cavigila Regatta Report

The 2007 Windsurfing season started off with a perfect start at this years’ inaugural Alex Cavigila Regatta in Miami, Fl. From January 12-14, over 100 windsurfers gathered at the Shake Leg Sailing Center in Key Biscayne in Miami Florida to pay tribute to one of windsurfing finest watermen, who passed away a few years ago. No tears where shed but rather statements like “The best run windsurfing regatta in a very long time” from Formula class winner Micah Buzianis.

Conditions could not have been better with a steady 15-20k breeze for all 3 days of the event. 4 windsurfing classes were represented giving the dedicated amateur racer; the serious Olympic campaigners; and the w-end warrior all a chance to compete. Several PWA racers and legend Robert Teritehau also showed to race up making it known that windsurfing is not dead or dying in the US. This was the North American RSX Champs as well as the 2nd stop on the F2 Florida Formula windsurfing series- a strong show for the middle of winter!

The biggest compliment doesn’t go to any particular racer but the Shake a Leg organization who threw their first windsurfing regatta but also set the new standard for what we should expect for a w-end of fun and racing. The Shake a Leg Foundation is a non-profit sailing center that helps disabled sailors enjoy sailing on the Biscayne Bay. They have a fleet of tradition Sonars- that allows disabled sailors to race comfortably and safe in the sometimes challenging Biscayne Bay. More importantly, they have an army of volunteers who made the event run seamlessly. From helpers at the launch making sure the flow of 100+ sailors got off, to boats on the course- giving out water and lunch! - this event was one to be remembered- not to mention to great parties they threw in the converted Coast Guard Airplane Hanger just 100’ from the waters edge.

Friday- Day 1: 2 pm first start with a 15-20k breeze from the east and flat water. The RS-X class was up first with a full mix of international sailors and several US sailors. I was excited to watch these guys as I had spend a lot of last year campaigning in this class and know a lot of the fleet. It’s a true mix of athleticism and sailing tactics as these full time young sailors are trying to gain the experience to represent their country at the 2008 Olympics. This was a warm up event for next week’s Miami Olympic Class Regatta-which will draw close to 1000 sailors in all 11 Olympic classes, as well as the north american qualifier for the 2007 ISAF Combined World Championship in Portugal later this year. That event will qualify you for the '08 Games. With 1 minute to go, most of the fleet is one the line, holding their positions; 30- seconds- the jockeying continues; 10 seconds- the mad pumping frenzy begins and doesn’t let up to the finish of the race. Half the fleet gets off strong to the left side, with the other half left in their wake and bad air on the 2^nd row, trying to tack off for clear air. The women’s’ RSX fleet starts next with just as impressive start. The formula and new Kona fleet are left waiting as the RC is learning its first lesson of race management but will soon learn from their mistakes and get the courses and fleets in order to have everybody racing at once.Finally the Formula fleet starts and I get off the line in the middle with a decent lane. Immediately I find out my upwind isn’t up to par as I have trouble holding angle despite hiking my 6’-4” frame out to windward. This years new formula boards all have wider tales and demand a bigger and more powerful fin than last years boards to get the most angle upwind. Most of the fleet is on the new F2 board as well as a few L6’s and L7’s in the fleet. It almost looks like a north sails one design event with most of the fleet on the 2006 and some lucky ones on the 2007 north warps. One thing's for sure- everybody who wants to be competitive has a Kashy fin. I soon find out that a 65 cm Kashy isn’t quite enough and need at least a 67 or preferably a 70 to stay in the top 3 or 4 positions. Otherwise it was damage control for as I wasn’t able to optimize my strongest asset- leverage to windward. Jimmy Diaz leads the fleet around to take the first bullet with a noticeable absent Buzianis – missing the first start. I round the top mark 5^th and watch BRA- 5 go down hard on the first downwind as he catches some of the notorious Biscayne Bay weed on his fin. I hold onto 4^th Behind Steve Sylvester with 15 year old Brazilian prodigy Gabriel Browne, BRA 50- finishing 2^nd.

Race 2- Breeze is still up with some hints of right shifts coming down the course. Micah leads off the line with amazing speed and dominates around the course. Jimmy is in safe 2^nd with BRA 50 pushing hard in 3^rd. A bit further back finds Sylvester, BRA-5 and myself battling it out around the leeward mark and close on the 2^nd upwind. Sylvester was able to climb on us using his dialed in 2006 set up- consisting of a ML6, 67 cm Kashy fin and 9.9 slalom sail. I find myself with plenty of power with a north warp 11.0 but am under-finned with a 65 and L7 board. Upwind BRA-5 and I go back and forth dodging the weeds but he shuts the door on me on the last reach to the finish. Sylvester over-stands the bottom mark- following the RSX fleet to the outside leeward mark. I’m still searching for the sweet spot on my set up but realize I need a bit more wind to fully take advantage of my setup.Saturday Day 2: 11 am first start with 4 races today and lunch served on ‘ a barrier island located a few feet above the tide line ½ mile off shore from the sailing center. Winds are steady 15-20k but die later in the afternoon to 12-14k- still perfect for formula sailing. The left side is still favored and it is a parade to the port lay line. I try starting at the pin as to not have anyone to leeward so I can go for speed and not get crushed on angle upwind. It works as I round in the top 5 but need to wait for someone to make a mistake to gain. The L7 feels great off the breeze- going deep in the puffs while remaining in full control with use of the new double chicken strap. Micah still is able to walk away from the fleet with some amazing speed with an 11.9. Jimmy is bit closer today as he switches to Kashy blade from his Deb. Unfortunately the Kashy fin is a lethal weapon and sends Jimmy to the hospital with a cut foot. Note to self- don’t clear weeds on fin with foot! I manage 2 decent races with a 4, 5 finish and 2 throw- outs- 7, 9 as I struggle off the line and fins some major weeds on the course. The fleet is getting more aggressive on the starting line going for the favored pin end start.

Saturday evening finds most competitors tired from 2 days of racing but the Shake Leg Foundation throws another great party with a live reggae band, great food and plenty of beer to forget about the days mistakes.

Sunday- Day 3: Forecast looks lighter but breeze is still holding in the mid teens. In addition to more chop there are holiday w-end cigarette boats (think Miami Vice re-runs) and more recreation power-boaters running around the Biscayne Bay. In race 1, an obnoxious 40’ yacht plows directly over our beat to windward- surprising us from windward and behind. Sylvester just barley escapes footing across the bow and nearly getting himself killed. I throw the brakes on just 20’ away and stop. Fernando isn’t so lucky as the boat slows for Steve but accelerates again just in front of him and causes him to crash in an 8’ wake. I settle for a 5^th again and watch a close battle on the last leg between Steve Sylvester and BRA-5. With Jimmy, TKO, BRA 50-Gabriel Browne pushed Micah but experience won with Buzianis claiming his 8^th bullet. In the last race, I switch boards to with another racer so I can try the new F2 but more importantly I wanted to confirm it was the lack of fin holding me back and not anything else. Sure enough with a 70 cm Kashy fin, I am able to hold my lane off the starting line with Fernando just below me and Steve to windward of me. I hike and climb to windward- good show and I round in 3^rd just behind Steve. The Brazilians struggle off the line but BRA 50 catches me off the wind as the board I’m using has no chicken strap and I’m fighting the 70 cm fin in the gust and chop. Back upwind, I hold my own but manage to wrap myself around the windward mark hoping to pinch around it with no luck.

Overall- a really good impression of the F2 board, as it’s more in control from last year’s board and has some great speed with the wider nose. I was more impressed with the bigger Kashy fin but couldn’t quite optimize without a chicken strap in the building breeze and chop.

What’s really impressive is the results in the formula class- Micah comes out in first with 8 bullets but behind him was 15 year old Gabriel Brown from Brazil and almost 4x his age- Steve Sylvester in 3^rd place. I finished in a respectable 5th place but know theres room to dial in before the seaon gets underway. The Miami formula fleet has really improved with a bigger and more talented fleet as well their own race series. Check out their site at http://www.miamiwindsurfing.com/alex.html for full results

In the RSX class it was the Polish team taking the honors in the men’s and women’s class. US Sailors Ben Barger finshed strong behind Canadian Zak Plavsic just outside the top 10.

In the new recreational Kona class- long-boarding and simplicity ruled with a dedicated group of older sailors having a lot of fun.

Steve Bodner

USA 4

--
www.stevebodner.com

buy steve's racing quiver

updated summer 2012
Sails

Light- medium wind formula rig
Perfect for formula racing or light air. Good range from 8k+
2010 Neil Pyrde evo2 10.7
530 100% carbon race mast 
HPL Boom
Streamlined base & uni
Reduced price for whole kit


2011 north warp 7.8 slalom sail
Perfect for 100-130l slalom boards
Good range from 12k+
requires a 460 mast


2010 north warp 7.0 slalom sail
Perfect for 90-120l slalom boards. Good range from 16k+
requires a 460 mast

I can package the 7.0, 7.8, 460, mast, boom and extension for a great medium to low end slalom kit. Reduced price for the whole kit


2007 north warp 6.3
Perfect for 90-100l slalom boards. Good range from 20k+
Requires a 430 mast




Booms
HPL carbon formula boom 225 cm- 310 cm with carbon wrapped head and new maui sails boom head-
I can sell the booms bare or race ready with adjustable harness lines & outhaul &; easy uphaul
HPL carbon slalom boom 180cm +
Can sell the booms bare or race ready with adjustable harness lines &; outhaul &; uphaul
 
Boards
ml slalom board 95l
Awesome high wind slalom board with 34 cm fin.
Works best in 5.8- 7.3 sail range.
25-1/2" width

Extensions 
stramlined 30cm & 48 cm us extensions with or without streamlined US pin universals

Fins 
Z slalom fin 45 cm- great light air flat water fin with super flexible tip 
67 kashy formula fin- great medium to high wind formula fin with great control & speed
 

2006 Olympic Pre-trials

Pretrials day 1"2 races in light to marginal conditions 7-10k, then dropping below 7. I was struggling upwind with my angle. Lighter guys are able to point a bit higher and maintain speed. Both races I was far back in 5th and it didn't merit even worth pumping.Up in front Ben in sailing away with Mark and Bob further back. Seth, in front of me in 4th. 4 women are competing to make the US RSX fleet at 9 boards total.
Pretrials day 2: Is there success through failure?
Sub marginal to marginal conditions today on the racecourse.3 races in diminishing conditions: choppy 7-11, then 7-8 the finally in race 3- under 6 knots. 5 men in the course in 2 lap windward leeward races. In first 2 races today Ben, Seth and I got off the line on port tack with track back planning conditions then the wind died and back to track forward displacement mode. In the last race, it was light- light and I was in there within striking distance for 4th. My back was in a lot of pain – upwind no pumping but downwind I was doing the butterfly pump at a good rate and caught Bob for 4th- otherwise 2other races today I was too far behind in 5th to even merit trying to pump to catch up. In the front of the fleet, Ben got 3 more bullets, Seth moved up to 2nd.Pretrials day 3:Somebody please put the wind back in Olympic windsurfing!
2 races in very light conditions in 3-5 knots of breeze. It was critical to maintain an upwind pump to get any angle at all- without it, I found my angle was way off and not in the game. For me this just isn't windsurfing – more like airs rowing with a giant paddle but these are the conditions similar to the next Olympics in China. This is one of the first times I'm ready to walk away from a challenge. My heart does not seem to be in the game nor am I interested in pumping the course and calling it windsurfing but my respect goes out Ben who is going for it all the way and walking away with 7 bullets so far. I think I've got a chance for 2nd or 3rd but at this point it's not worth it seeing the amount of time and effort required and the diminishing returns I am seeing. The other 3 guys have stepped it up a level but aren't yet close to Ben in first. I'm finding it hard to let go of this Olympic dream but sometimes better to do what your good at than what your not!
Pretrials day 4: The End is near
The light wind streak continues. I got out the racecourse for a 1 pm start only to find 3-5 knots on the course. Now instead of racing to the south of the harbor entrance like the previous 3 days, our course was position a ¼ mile in front of the entrance causing a lot of confused chop around the course. I got off to a decent start near the pin with Mark just on my hip to windward. I was able to hold him off by pumping just with my upper body but the whole motion just wasn't there, as I couldn't get by back to do what I wanted. Mark tacked off but soon it was apparent the right side was favored. So much for protecting the right side! I was in for a bit but soon enough got shot out the back door into 5th where it was apparent I wasn't going anywhere fast. Back up wind, Ben was leading the race for his 8th victory with out much challenge. The real battle was Seth trying to hold off Mark and Bob for 2nd place. Despite being a good 25 lbs heavier he's really working his ass off for 2nd place. Hopefully it will pay off for him the long run. As for me, all I needed was one race to know I was finished. I told the RC I was retiring and heading in.

Surfing the Kona on Anita’s Ghost Wave

Sunday 2pm January 21^st and Crissy Field is lighter than light. Both Jean Rathle and I missed the morning breeze, procrastinated and arrived to find the SF city front that's not even worthwhile of a 11.9 and a formula set up.
A quick call to Berkeley to see if the old men are out on the water today.
No answer on Sylvester and Percy’s cell: probably means they’re on the water now.
Damn!
Wait a bit more to see if the wind comes up….nothing.
Jean suggests breaking his Kona longboards out and go paddle boarding.
Well, I thought, at least it’s a way to get wet
We suit up and paddle out to find a swift 4-knot ebb on the inside of Anita Rock.
I lose my balance a few times and take a plunge.
The January San Francisco Bay water is colder than I remembered and I’m back up on the board quicker than I can say uncle!
Standing and paddling a 12”+ long board with a lightweight carbon paddle takes more coordination that I expect. My attention goes back and forth from paddling to balancing.
I find the rhythm of it and Jean and I racing against the outgoing ebb towards the B mark in front of St. Francis Yacht Club. My course is erratic veering to the right 30 degrees than off the left 30 degrees as I switch hands to paddle. Jean is able to keep his bow into the current and make a steady progress.
We finally turn around after getting around hearts racing at a good pace. Both of us agree this is more work than windsurfing!
Paddling with the 4k current is a breeze and we arrive back at Anita Rock in no time at all. To my surprise, its like a river flowing around Anita Rock and the ebb is throwing up a standing wave. I’ve seen this a few times on a big ebb day at the north tower. Some have compared it to a magic carpet ride. The experience is unbelievable as you can ride an overhead standing wave with out much effort and with out moving at all.
Despite the Anita ebb wave maxing out at 24”, it did provide several good minutes of stoke for both Jean and I as we both paddled and found the Anita ghost wave. If you got your bow outside the current line- you got shot out the side door and ended up 50’ downstream before you knew what was up. A quick paddle back to Anita and it was surfs up again.
The session ended with us paddling back to Crissy Field and practicing 360’s by sinking the tail paddling as fast as we could turn. This ultimately ended up with a few more dunkings but oh so worthwhile on a beautiful sunny San Francisco winter day.