The SF Classic and UN Challenge is an endurance race like no other. I went into Saturday's race with a positive additude- thinking I had a good chance at the top 3 or 4 places. I had the board speed, the tactics and the endurance for the long distance race.
First big decision was what to rig. I had sailed the 9.0 the day before and it was just a great sail- perfectly balanced on the ml06 and kashy fin. The classic course is a lot of reaching so I decided on the 9.0 as its been getting big the last few afternoons and conditions can change so much across the bay. Normally for formula windward leeward racing I would choose a 10.0 as my small sail as you want to be prepared for the lulls.
The breeze was still lighter on the inside near the shore so I decided to start on port tack near the boat to get out to the wind line first. I came down the line, ducking most of the starboard tackers and shot up getting a clear lane. As the fleet progressed up to windward, I was closing the angle on the guys who started above me on port. At the top mark, it was Steve S, Bill W, and Crad in front of me. The first reach down was light so we all gybed early and came into the boat at the north tower with speed. I was able to pass Crad here but knew I had to keep the leaders in sight. As we shot across the bay to the presido shoal, I knew the 9.0 was a good decision as it was a solid 18-22k already. Unfortunatly at the shoal marker we all came to stand still for several minutes and the rest of the fleet caught up. The top 3 exited just as the arrived and we were on to lap 2 of the top triangle. I overstood the red nun as to come in with speed and tack around as close to the mark as possible. There was a strong flood up at the top of the course making it difficult to get around the mark.
As we sailed downwind again, it was evident Bill with his 9.8 was going deeper than Steve and I on our 9.0s. Steve went high and had to double gybe to make the mark. I stayed as deep as I could but was well high of the mark and gybed with Mike Z on my hip at the mark.
As we reached across the bay towards Anita, I felt Mike putting on the pressure. I was in control on the 9.0 but certainly not pushing the envelope as there was some decent chop to deal with. I had enough speed to keep Mike off my tail and rounded Anita in 3rd behind Bill and Steve S. Bill went low on the next leg and I stayed in the outside strap for more speed and rolled over the top of him. With Steve 20 seconds ahead I found my pace for the rest of the race.
Once we rounded Harding, there was some commotion on the water as there was a capsized yacht nearby. I didn't think twice as there was another sailboat on station helping out. It's a split second decision you make and since Steve didn't show any signs of stopping I kept going strong in route to Blossom. I was just concentrated on the gnarly chop in front of me. Several guys in our fleet stopped to assist the situation as they saw several kids in the water and sailboat sinking! Once below Alcatrez on the reaches, the 9.0 was still a handful but I was doing everything to stay sheeting in with power and control. I looked behind several times and say David Wells pushing Mike Z but not closing the gap any one me. With each rounding (and there are several down there) I counted the seconds between Steve's rounding in front of me and my rounding. I tried to knock off a few seconds each time but Steve never let up!
It got really ugly in the middle of the bay and I was just hoping to survive with my foot in the leeward strap surfing down some decent chop and swell. Once around the Berkeley pier it was smooth sailing on a beam to broad reach to the Olympic circle mark X. I'm glad I had Steve in front or I would have never found that mark! One more reach to the finish! I was able to hold off Mike and David from behind and finished 2nd about 1 minute behind Steve S.
Going back upwind proved to be another endurance marathon. I was certainly glad I had a 9.0 at this point! With Steve leading the way out, we sailed through a lot of weeds. Steve got caught up in some of them and went down to clear with fin. I motored past him and was in the lead. At this point I had lost track of Mike Z as his dark sail was just too hard to see on the water. I made my way over to Angel Island with Steve in tow and crossed the bay again back to the SF city front where Mike Z crossed me. I knew at that point he had made up at least 30 seconds on my time so catching him would be difficult. I sailed back to the middle of the bay hoping to stay powered but overstood the finish line and came reaching in. Mike was able to finish 30 seconds in front of me to take the Challenge and me in 2nd with Steve S finishing just behind me in 3rd. Bill W. finished 3rd overall on the upwind as he as had a better time that Steve S.
Overall a good race pushing myself to the end- with only one mistake near the end of the course, I was just happy to finish!
Sunday- course racing, SF Classic
After a long and trying day yesterday in the long distance race of the SF Classic, we lost a few of the guys for today's course racing due to sheer fatigue. Otherwise, it turned out to be a great day with 3 course races and off the water by 2:30 pm.
The fog rolled in on Sunday morning delaying the breeze a bit but by 12:30 for the first gun of the formula fleet we had a gusty 14-16k with 15 boards on the line. The course was set for a double windward leeward with a small ebb tide kicking in later in the day.
It looked like the boat end was really favored but the fleet was running late at the start and there was a pile up near the boat so I decided to reach down the line for clear air. Unfortunately I got rolled by Ben on his 11.0 as he went trucking to windward of me. I tacked over and went to the left side of the course but was playing catch up from that point on already and rounded the top mark in 6th. The shore was somewhat lighter but always the chance for a nice puff to come down and take you straight to the leeward mark. Converging at the leeward mark, I caught up with Ben and Jean and rounded to the outside of them with lots of speed. With clear air, I was able to get a lane and squeeze from below and work up to the starboard layline where I was catching up with David Wells. We battled it out downwind only to cross the finish line overlapped. I went for the boat end finish, and finished 4th, as that was the favored end at the start while David crossed at the middle of the line for 5th. In front it was Percy in the lead followed by Steve S and Al Mirel.
Race 2: A few port takers trying to get to the outside breeze first but still boat end favored. As usual, only one person wins the start at the boat and the others get gassed. Percy was the first to line up near the boat at around 10-15s. He left a nice hole to windward so I put my bow up to sit on the line at 7s. Not thinking there was much room to windward of me, Steve S also managed to start there just behind with Bill Martinson getting a close call with the RC boat. I tried to keep Steve S in line but he took every opportunity to climb on me to windward n the first reach. He reached the shore first and got the inside lift from the shore to the top mark. Percy was close behind and we rounded 1-2-3 at the bottom mark. Back upwind, Steve was leading but lost sight of the windward mark and let Percy slip into fist again and take a second bullet. I finished behind Steve S. in 3rd with Al just behind coming from the middle of the bay on the downwind.
Race 3: The wind was up to 18. I knew I had to win the start to get the race. Whoever won boat usually won the race. I lined up and got a great start keeping Steve to check behind me. I was the first to the shore and got the land lift right to the top mark. Ben was coming in hot from the outside in the most favorable conditions for him- powered on his 11.0. I tacked right at the mark but he came in with such speed that it left me standing still. We split tacks going off the breeze and I rounded the bottom mark in 3rd behind Ben and David. Upwind, I was climbing on them both but Steve and Mike P. were getting a great lift climbing off the leeward mark from behind. At the top mark it was Ben just in front. He immediately gybed while I kept going hoping for the puff near-shore downwind. I should have realized that the outside was more likely to have more breeze and got stuck in a battle with Steve on the inside while Ben easily crossed in front of us. Steve out maneuvered me and finished in 2nd taking the regatta from Percy who finished 6th in the last race.
Lots of thanks to the volunteers doing rc this w-end, the StFYC, Longboard vineyards, and Ultra Nectar for their support
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
RSX Europenas
With over 150 windsurfers from over 30 counties, the RSX Europeans was the biggest regatta thus far in the new Olympic windsurfing class. It might have been the world championship, as sailors were well tuned up after ending the European spring series.
I had come to the regatta with a different set of expectations- not looking for results but to find out what it takes to sail this board in light wind. I knew my weakness from the previous regatta this year and had to face up to it, in order to move on and up in the fleet.
Fortunately, we are blessed with moderate winds here in SF. I have been fortunate to develop good board-handling skills and proper endurance to race comfortably in the breeze. Unfortunately most venues are not as lucky as us in terms of getting a good breeze to make windsurfing exciting.
I arrived in Turkey several days before the event to get tuned up. In the 3 days of practice, I fell well tuned, placing in the middle of the fleet in practice races but as soon as the regatta started the breeze disappeared. Out of 5 days of racing and 10 total races, we had 2 decent planning races. The rest were light wind racing in marginal planning conditions 5-12k. The lighter sailors were able to get planning sooner and walk away with speed. Optimal weight is still a big factor in this class. I am realizing at 175 lbs, I will not be competitive in the light stuff but rather, should optimize my strengths. In the second day of the regatta, I found myself sailing near the top 10 in the breeze and finished 18th for my best race of the regatta. The remaining races were spent in challenging conditions making me realize sailing is really a lifetime sport. You never can be too humble! Regardless of my frustration, I began to pick up some good technique for upwind pumping and by the last day was sailing better than when I arrived. I guess that's all one can ask- that you improve and don't make the same mistakes twice!
I am looking forward to the rest of the season here and abroad. In the upcoming months, I have several key regattas and training camps in preparation for the World championship in September and the Olympic pre-trials in October.
Steve Bodner, USA 4
Here are some summaries from racing:
Day 1
2 races in first day of RsX European championships. Men's fleet was split into 2 fleets of 27 sailors. First race winds were up and down with 5-12k shifty from left to right. I got off the line at the pin but had a group of sailors come over the top of me immediately so I fell off a plane. The smart choice would have been to tack away and go for clear air but I kept going instead. I ended up playing the middle right side of the course which was the wrong decision as the winds are going left middle and there was more of a geographical shift off the line coming from the left shore. The course was double windward leeward with 2 gybe slalom marks near the finish. I was all over the course trying to find wind but didn't quite get into the groove- finishing 39th.
The 2nd race the wind came up to a solid 15-20 where I felt better. Actually my speed and pointing were really well with my base set at 30. I was able to tune up before the race getting everything dialed into a good setting. I again started near the pin middle side of the line but got rolled. I knew I wanted to go to the left side so I kept going getting a lane underneath the fleet. I rounded in decent position near the top 15 and got going well downwind. I managed to pass a few boards off the breeze as well as up wind but my mark roundings had much work to do! The 2nd upwind I went the left again with good speed and angle sailing below a few sailors on the long upwind. You have to send it deep immediately after the windward mark to gain any sort of advantage. I lost 1 or 2 sailors here as they snuck past me but finished a respectable 18th.
Some things to remember:
- more downhaul in heavy wind 28-30
-rail board upwind the light stuff and go for speed rather than angle
-downwind go for the butterfly pump but shorter more efficient strokes- less side to side so the nose of the board does not swing
Day 4 Europeans:
2 races today- 1 light and medium breeze. The 2nd race I had much better results as I stayed planning the whole race and even managed to catch a few people.
I am learning some things that are useful- especially in the light breeze where you need to foot to get decent speed. Crack off a bit, rail the board and pump like hell. The board speed really increases as well as some angle- otherwise you just point and go no where!
Another big lesson is never ever give up- no matter how bad it may seem threes still room to get back in the game. In the first race today, I rounded last- dead last- but finally at the leeward mark managed to get a puff and pass 10 boards on the slalom reaches.
In the last race things headed up somewhat for decent track back planning racing. It was 12-15k from the north with some small shifts going left. I got off the line a bit slow but got over to the left side early . I reached the shore, tacked over and climbed back to the middle. I tacked near the other shore and really had to pump and make the windward mark. I bagged the sail out and pointed up, getting a few boards that overstood in the process. Downwind, I sailed down to the corner , but the wind got lighter down there. I should have gybed back early and stayed in the breeze. You really need to work to get the board planning as things get marginal. This is where some serious months of cardio would be beneficial.
Back upwind, I rounded with traffic and had to foot off to get a lane. Otherwise things looked good around the top 20. Best finish so far with a 18th. I can see some light at the end of the tunnel!
Post regatta: A lot of work here at the euros- a real eye opener but I think Ill keep giving it a push - after all you only live once and you need to find your limit somehow- Id rather find it myself rather than let someone else push me there!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
2006 US Open, CC Texas
I've just returned from the 2006 US Open in Corpus Christie, Texas.
The regatta was held in conjunction with the Velocity Games- combining freestyle skateboarding on ½ pipes, kite-boarding, formula windsurfing, slalom windsurfing and speed sailing. It was a unique way to promote our sport- in conjunction with action and excitement of other 'board sports.' There were several thousand people on the beach and boardwalk just south of downtown Corpus Christie watching the different venues throughout the day.
Six sailors from San Francisco attended (Mike Z, Steve S , Mike P, Ivan, Seth, and myself) with 5 in the top 11 spots in the most competitive formula fleet-a good showing for our local SF Formula fleet as well as several other US Sailors taking the top spots! I would guess there was close to 40-50 sailors in the formula fleet with 7 international professionals attending. There was enough prize money to keep most of the pros happy and even went into the amateur fleet. We got 3 races in on Friday and 4 more on Saturday before the weather became too much on Sunday and the regatta was called.
The formula races were run in the late morning before the breeze picked up- even then the 10.0 was almost too much to handle in the choppy Corpus Bay. Steve S. proved sometimes you don't need to go big to win- making the most of his 9.0 slalom sail every race to finish 7th overall. The event was won by professional Jimmy Diaz followed by Gonzalo Costel-Hovel in 2nd, Devon Boulon in 3rd, Wilhelm Shurman in 4th, Phil McGain in 5th, Seth Besse in 6th, Steve Sylvester in 7th, Mike Zajicek in 8th, BRA 25 in 9th, Mike Percy in 10th and Steve Bodner in 11th.
In the mid afternoon on both days we had an hour break before switching to high wind slalom sailing. The wind was side-onshore so the marks could be set close to the shore with the finish line off the beach- making it exciting to watch! Not everyone had slalom equipment but enough was there on the beach so everyone who wanted to sail could- thanks to F2 sponsor and importer Eduardo Owen for providing the extra equipment. Phil McGain went onto win the slalom discipline after 2 days of racing with Jimmy in 2nd, Gonzalo in 3rd, Wilhelm in 4th, Seth in 5th, and Devon in 6th. There were 6 other locals competing rounding up the rest of the fleet.
In the early evening, the excitement was moved over the marina where a speed course was set. All that separated 4-6' gnarly chop with 20-25k in the outside bay and a smooth speed course inside was a 5' break-wall- making ideal conditions for a speed venue. You couldn't ask for anything more! The course was set on beam to broad reach with no distant limits except the extent of the marina. Arm mounted GPS units were provided by the organizer and each sailors' top 2 speeds were averaged for their score. You could take as many runs as you wanted- the only requirement was to show your speed at the beach and clear the GPS unit for your next run. Most guys were getting in the 33-38mph on their first runs on small slalom boards and 6.3-7.6 slalom sails. The top speed was set by Jimmy Diaz with 40.5 mph. I managed a top speed of 36mph with a few runs but was outpaced by the pros who were hitting 39+ mph on each run.
Overall, it was great event that showed windsurfing is still alive and healthy and when held in conjunction with several other disciplines can be a great spectator event as well.
Day 1Practice day today before racing starts Friday.
While rigging my 10.0 on the beach I snapped my 520 just above the boom.
I stuck in my 2nd 520 mast and again it snapped just above the boom.
2 masts, and I hadn't even been on the water.
It must have been damged on the way down here as they broke in the same spots and never any trouble before!
I found a way to calm myself down after a few minutes and decided maybe I shouldn't go formula sailing today before I break anything else.
I borrowed up some slalom gear and got a decent session on my 6.4 in a 20+ breeze.
I 'll sail formula tomorrow using a 550 in my 10.0 and do the best I can with what I have.
Day 2 :
Luckily with the help of my great sponsor- North sails- I was bale to get 2 replacement mast deleivered to me over night so I could race today. Thanks alot guys!
3 formula races in morning then organizer decided to switch to slalom racing then more speed sailing in early evening. By 8pm, I was dead tired and its only day 1 of 3.
First formula race I started mid line but got rolled by devon above me. I didn't seem to have angle or speed but rounded in top 10 behind Percy and Steve. At bottom mark I was in same position but closing in on Percy. Again upwind he had better angle but I went low for speed and made up some but going to the right side there wasn't much room to pass. The chop was building but still the 10.0 and kashy fin felt ok. On the downwind, I was on Percy's tail and he gybed first and I continued a few board lengths longer. At the leeward mark, it got a bit lighter so I was able to come in with speed and pas him at the leeward mark and finish behind Steve.
2nd race- things heated up some and I got off to a better start to the left side and rounded by Steve and Mike. Off the breeze I had good speed and managed to catch up some but really got in a bad position at the leeward mark and had to go for speed again.
A few people started on port and got over to the right side early where there was flatter water and got to the top mark first.
By the last race the breeze had heated up and the swell bigger and I was getting tired. In the same position just behind the pros and Steve and Mike, I went to round the leeward mark and jammed my windward rail and fell in. I took a minute or so to get going again but by that time I was in the middle of the fleet and sailing fast.
Slalom racing was up next but I had an unexpected surprise when the board I was using had an unexpected malfunction. That was it, after 1 race, I was out. My luck had to turn for the better after this!
Next up- speed sailing in the marina where it was blowing 20+ and I got p 36 mph. Jimmi got the top score of 40.
Day 3 -
4 course races this morning into the early afternoon before switching to slalom in the afternoon and then more speed sailing in the late afternoon.
I got dialed in the first 2 races today during the formula event but lost the pace in the last 2 when I had a bad start then switched to a sail I hadn't used since last season.
During the windy races I kept it together and rally felt good with my speed and angle. I still have not figured out why I am not up to speed but when I am sheeted in 100% and pulling with my back hand, I really feel good. Although my angle still isn't up there compared to Steve and Mike on port tack but compared to the rest of the fleet, I feel good. With 7 pros I am just behind the SF guys but in the hunt with then. I managed to beat Steve and Mike Z in race 3 today when it got windy which was a confidence builder.
My starts have been good but some how by just being in the right place at the right time- but that's part of sailing. In race 1 I got caught up in the mass at the boat- thinking I would get a bad start but was right at the boat when the board to leeward went down for speed which left me room to get off the line with speed and angle. I popped out with Steve s on my windward hip and kept him there for some time until I when down for speed and he eventually got free and sailed his own course.
In the 2nd race things were similar going into the start but I got hosed off the line when I didn't accelerate off a big piece of chop that hit the starting line. I caught up somewhat but was never really back in the hunt. How you recover form disaster is the real sign of a victory.
In the 3rd race the wind was still up. I got a decent start going off to the left side in decent position just behind Steve and Mike Z. We rounded the leeward mark with Percy on my rtail. Up in front, the fleet was getting knocked near the shore and was taking over before the layline. I looked back and Percy was climbing on me but I decided to stay with it and sail out to the layline. Percy tacked then I tacked. It looked like we would both make it while the rest f the fleet who tacked early got caught on the outside in a lighter patch. Percy and I rounded in front of Mike Z as we all headed down wind. Steve was just infront and I was matching his speed. Then we gybed and I rolled Steve to the leeward mark with a bit more speed and finshed just behind Percy in the race.
The last race- I made the big mistake of going to my 9.0 with out having sailed it since last fall. I was rushed out to the starting line. The cams were not rotating well and the boom sliding down. I just wasn't in the groove but I kept with it and finished the race just to get some points because after all - its all about the points.
Day 4
No racing today as thunderstorms were all across the area. So results stand as of yesterday. Top pros in top 7 spots with Jimmi at the top. Then it was Steve S, Mike Z, and myself in 11th.
Check out the photos on the link to the left of the speed event- some cool action shots!
Here's alink to some other shots of the event as well
http://cbrphoto.com/velocity/2006/best/index.html
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Calcup May 20, 2006 Berkeley
The forecast didn't look so good going into Saturday but eventually the wind came up and just as fast went away! During that brief time we got 4 races in with a fleet of 16 formula racers just of His Lordships in Berkley.
I managed to get 3 really good starts where I squired out and got clear air and a lane.
The first start, I was a little thrown off thinking we were going to start with the RC boat at the starboard end but it was the reverse so I got off the line in the middle while the rest of the fleet was near the pin end. I did have a clear lane and managed to work up on the fleet. Mike Z and Percy rounded in front of me with Steve S and Eric rounding with me a few board lengths behind. The 3 of us were overlapped going off the breeze with Steve to leeward. Steve realized Eric and I were rolling him and headed up. Unfortunately Eric got caught off guard and went over the bars and Steve and I escaped. I saw Steve fumbling with his hat and knew I had to make my move. We both gybed at the same time and got out in front of him keeping him behind me for the rest of the race. The next upwind things heated up some as we were all overpowered on our 11s and big fins. I found myself going upwind quite well with the big sail but the fin was a bit too overpowering. I managed to hang on and finish 3rd behind the 2 Mikes. We all went in to change down and got 2 more decent races off before the wind lighted up again.
The 2nd race I started well again getting a jump on the fleet but didn't quite have the speed to hang on for the rest of the race. I rounded 4th and kept my position to the end. Next race- same thing: good start off the line banging the left corner. It wasn't much of a decision as it was short 15 minute course and going left was the only choice. Mike tacked off after the next race after getting gassed but it didn't pay off too much. The 4 of us were sailing well in front of the rest of the fleet but there was still a strong pack fighting it out for 5-10.
I really only we thought we had 3 races but everyone swore we had 4 so no report on race 3.
The last race, things had lighted up to the point where a lot of the fleet wasn't planning during the race. I managed to get a real good jump on the fleet but it was too good as I was over early. I found out after rounding the leeward mark but kept going as it would be my through-out.
Overall a good day of starts but still need to work on my speed. I felt my angle was much better when I had a clear lane with the Kashy fin
Monday, May 1, 2006
2006 Elevstrom Regatta
Day 1: 6 boards on the line for the first race. Where
is everybody? Anyways more wind for us as the breeze
was building all afternoon to a solid 22-29k in the
afternoon for the last race. The formula class raced 4
races on the same course as the Lasers, Radials, Finns
and 29'ers. The RC called for the W course which made
some interesting downwind reaching. In the first race,
the fleet was caught by surprise by the starting
sequence. Mist were on the line but with the strong
flood got a late start. I had set my watch to 6 in but
came reaching in and was 7 sec late but won the start
with good speed and racing to the middle of the Bay
where the ebb started. Percy, Soheil, JK and Royce
were all below me and tacked early for the windward
mark but I knew there was some seriously strong flood
on the inside so I overstood and made it around in 1
tack as the rest of the fleet had to double to take to
get around the 2k flood. It was follow the leader from
then on as I made my way around the downwind slalom
back up top to the outside and a downwind finish.
Percy finished 2nd, Soheil in 3rd.
Next race, everybody on the line with decent speed
going strong. Percy had a bit of a jump on me to
windward and stated to gain some angle with the inside
lift. I went for speed to get to the ebb first. He
rounded in from of me and we did the downwind slalom
course again with a typical follow the leader pattern.
Back upwind, Percy had gained a bit as I got to the
layline but realized my harness line had broke. I
tried to manhandle it for 30 sec but realized I
wouldn't make the mark so I quickly put my rig in the
water and re-tied my lines onto the boom and got back
up to stay in 2nd with Soheil and Royce on my tail.
3rd race- breeze was building and strong ebb on the
outside made a tough patch of water to get through. RC
had 'C; course posted for fleet before us and I saw
that and thought we were on C as well. Unfortunately
they switched to A course with our class flag and I
went on to sail the wrong course. Percy and Soheil
battled it out to finish 1-2 in a comedy of errors
that say Percy bouncing off the leeward mark and
Soheil quickly catching up. I was in my own race
thinking I was sailing the correct course until I got
to the finish and didn't get a horn.
4th race- Now the breeze up strong and our fleet was
down to 3 boards as the day was taking its toll on the
sailors early in the season. Both Percy and I were
overpowered upwind on our 10's but very evenly
matched. He made it to the top mark first as I
overstood a bit and came down with speed to round a 10
board lengths behind him. Off the breeze it was a
simple downwind course going as deep as we could- feet
in the chicken or even leeward strap to stay upright
in the gnarly chop. I saw Percy loose his balance and
dig his clew into the water and go down. My chance to
take over! I made it past him did a overly careful
gybe and rounded only to stumble on my transition
upwind. Percy was quick to round behind me as I was up
hauling my sail but he to floundered in his
transition- stalling out- giving me enough time so we
could head upwind overlapped. We were both Op-ed
upwind but the real struggle came when we both tacked.
I let Mike tack early but he struggled to get going
again. I overstood to put some money in the bank and
made it around in 1 tack and continued downwind to
finish first with Percy just behind and Soheil in 3rd.
4 more races planned for Sunday with the breeze
expected to be the same- looking forward to more good
racing on the city front.
Well the battle continued into Sunday with Mike's
promises of showing up holding true. The forecast
looked to be the same but it was lighter to begin
with. Mike P rigged his 10.8 while the rest of us went
for the 10. Mike walked away the first race holding
onto a plane the whole race while the rest of us
struggled in the light conditions near shore and the
building flood.
In the second race of the day, Mike and I lead to the
top mark but Mike make a slow transition which I
quickly seized on and got away on the last downwind
and finished first. JK showed some amazing speed off
the starting line with a near perfect start at the pin
heading off the right side of the course wit the
rest of us in his bad air.
Going into race 7 we now had a drop race and we're
tied with 8 points a piece. Mike switched down to a
10.0 as the breeze was building and continued to
dominate with superior upwind angle. There wasn't much
I could do, I tried all the tricks in the bag- tacking
early to catch the puff, staying inshore to take
advantage of the flood but I just couldn't grind him
down and again we finished 1-2 with Mike in the lead.
On the last race things got considerably lighter on the
inside and we struggled to get going on the start.
Luckily some old imco habits of pumping like a madam
were instilled in me and I was able to get off the
line clear- looking back to see the rest of the fleet
standing on the line. Unfortunately that means calling
the layline on your own and I missed it by just a few
feet as Mike P rounded just onto of me and me missing
the goods and having to double tack and let Mike get
away. Olan slipped in there as well to show a solid
performance as the breeze dying to was 10-15k.
After the race, I asked Mike if I could sail the new
Hansen sail. After a few runs, I could honestly say I
was impressed with the hard work of the past few
months. The Hansen sail had a solid feel- very stable
upwind and off the breeze! I couldn't nail it down if
it was a fin or sail difference but Mike won the
regatta with some serious angle. Congrats to him and
the new line of Hansen sails!
I look forward to the rest of the season where we can
continue to develop and push each other. I hope to
see the rest of you on the line for the next Friday
night race and CalCup next w-end.
is everybody? Anyways more wind for us as the breeze
was building all afternoon to a solid 22-29k in the
afternoon for the last race. The formula class raced 4
races on the same course as the Lasers, Radials, Finns
and 29'ers. The RC called for the W course which made
some interesting downwind reaching. In the first race,
the fleet was caught by surprise by the starting
sequence. Mist were on the line but with the strong
flood got a late start. I had set my watch to 6 in but
came reaching in and was 7 sec late but won the start
with good speed and racing to the middle of the Bay
where the ebb started. Percy, Soheil, JK and Royce
were all below me and tacked early for the windward
mark but I knew there was some seriously strong flood
on the inside so I overstood and made it around in 1
tack as the rest of the fleet had to double to take to
get around the 2k flood. It was follow the leader from
then on as I made my way around the downwind slalom
back up top to the outside and a downwind finish.
Percy finished 2nd, Soheil in 3rd.
Next race, everybody on the line with decent speed
going strong. Percy had a bit of a jump on me to
windward and stated to gain some angle with the inside
lift. I went for speed to get to the ebb first. He
rounded in from of me and we did the downwind slalom
course again with a typical follow the leader pattern.
Back upwind, Percy had gained a bit as I got to the
layline but realized my harness line had broke. I
tried to manhandle it for 30 sec but realized I
wouldn't make the mark so I quickly put my rig in the
water and re-tied my lines onto the boom and got back
up to stay in 2nd with Soheil and Royce on my tail.
3rd race- breeze was building and strong ebb on the
outside made a tough patch of water to get through. RC
had 'C; course posted for fleet before us and I saw
that and thought we were on C as well. Unfortunately
they switched to A course with our class flag and I
went on to sail the wrong course. Percy and Soheil
battled it out to finish 1-2 in a comedy of errors
that say Percy bouncing off the leeward mark and
Soheil quickly catching up. I was in my own race
thinking I was sailing the correct course until I got
to the finish and didn't get a horn.
4th race- Now the breeze up strong and our fleet was
down to 3 boards as the day was taking its toll on the
sailors early in the season. Both Percy and I were
overpowered upwind on our 10's but very evenly
matched. He made it to the top mark first as I
overstood a bit and came down with speed to round a 10
board lengths behind him. Off the breeze it was a
simple downwind course going as deep as we could- feet
in the chicken or even leeward strap to stay upright
in the gnarly chop. I saw Percy loose his balance and
dig his clew into the water and go down. My chance to
take over! I made it past him did a overly careful
gybe and rounded only to stumble on my transition
upwind. Percy was quick to round behind me as I was up
hauling my sail but he to floundered in his
transition- stalling out- giving me enough time so we
could head upwind overlapped. We were both Op-ed
upwind but the real struggle came when we both tacked.
I let Mike tack early but he struggled to get going
again. I overstood to put some money in the bank and
made it around in 1 tack and continued downwind to
finish first with Percy just behind and Soheil in 3rd.
4 more races planned for Sunday with the breeze
expected to be the same- looking forward to more good
racing on the city front.
Well the battle continued into Sunday with Mike's
promises of showing up holding true. The forecast
looked to be the same but it was lighter to begin
with. Mike P rigged his 10.8 while the rest of us went
for the 10. Mike walked away the first race holding
onto a plane the whole race while the rest of us
struggled in the light conditions near shore and the
building flood.
In the second race of the day, Mike and I lead to the
top mark but Mike make a slow transition which I
quickly seized on and got away on the last downwind
and finished first. JK showed some amazing speed off
the starting line with a near perfect start at the pin
heading off the right side of the course wit the
rest of us in his bad air.
Going into race 7 we now had a drop race and we're
tied with 8 points a piece. Mike switched down to a
10.0 as the breeze was building and continued to
dominate with superior upwind angle. There wasn't much
I could do, I tried all the tricks in the bag- tacking
early to catch the puff, staying inshore to take
advantage of the flood but I just couldn't grind him
down and again we finished 1-2 with Mike in the lead.
On the last race things got considerably lighter on the
inside and we struggled to get going on the start.
Luckily some old imco habits of pumping like a madam
were instilled in me and I was able to get off the
line clear- looking back to see the rest of the fleet
standing on the line. Unfortunately that means calling
the layline on your own and I missed it by just a few
feet as Mike P rounded just onto of me and me missing
the goods and having to double tack and let Mike get
away. Olan slipped in there as well to show a solid
performance as the breeze dying to was 10-15k.
After the race, I asked Mike if I could sail the new
Hansen sail. After a few runs, I could honestly say I
was impressed with the hard work of the past few
months. The Hansen sail had a solid feel- very stable
upwind and off the breeze! I couldn't nail it down if
it was a fin or sail difference but Mike won the
regatta with some serious angle. Congrats to him and
the new line of Hansen sails!
I look forward to the rest of the season where we can
continue to develop and push each other. I hope to
see the rest of you on the line for the next Friday
night race and CalCup next w-end.
Sunday, March 5, 2006
2006 midwinters
Day one- Winds were light and variable today with only one race for the formula fleet. I managed to get off to a decent start near the pin end of the line with Devon just below me. My goal was to get clear air and a lane to the left where there was a bit more wind. I wasn't able to hang in there with Devon's angle but I did get to the left side early and round the top mark in the top 10. Jimmy Diaz rounded just in front of me as it was really light and we had to pump to get around the mark. Once off the breeze, things stayed heated up and I was able to pass Phil McCain but let Seth get by me. At the leeward mark, I was ahead of Peter Bilj, NED 0 as we rounded but he hit the end of my booms with the front of my board and I went down to windward. I was pretty pissed off since I had the right of way but got up and continued. 6-7 boards managed to sneak by as my attention was still at the collision and what I could do about it. Well there was nothing I could do about it at the time so I switched my attention back to racing and picking off one board at time. Luckily, it was still early in the race so I had time to get a few boards back and finish 14th. I was on my 11.9 2005 warp and r13 68 s +6 debocheit fin with the ML06.I did protest Peter as I was in the right of way and the protest committee agreed and threw him out of the race. My big mistake though was not asking for redress in the protest hearing. I did mark it on the form but did not present it in the argument. This ultimately cost me the potential of a few points- and we all know places are determined by just a few points. A big lesson learned but in someway I'm glad I learned it as to avoid the same mistake in the future.
Day two- typical Florida conditions- light and variable conditions. We tried at 2 races but failed to get anything off as the breeze died both times, Finally around 1pm the breeze started to build as the other fleets were racing. It came up in a big way getting to the high teens and low 20's I switched down to my 11.0 and Kashy 65 cm fin for more control. The 1st race I was well positioned on the line but has some goof drop his sail right on top of me and we both went in the water 10 sec. before the start. I tried to remain calm as there was nothing to gain from a burst of anger. I got on my way on port tack as the rest of the fleet was off the left side. Nothing to do but catch up. I managed to slowly pick one sailor off after another but finished 17th.
Next race- better start but still behind the top guys. I was off the left side with power and rounded well in the hunt. 2 upwind and downwinds later, I pretty much stayed the same with another 14th but ahead of Steve Sylvester!
Race 3- Cant remember much about this one except finishing 14th again. Room to improve. Conditions were picking up with stronger gust in the mid 20's.
Race 4- Ok I knew I had to get a decent start to do well this race. I placed myself well on the line going for a pin end start. Seth was just above me and Dave Kashy just below. We were all a few seconds early and had to stall before running out of room. With around 10 seconds to go, we all accelerated and shot across the line. Dave caught his fin on the anchor line and wiped out while Seth failed to get going with was still looking good in 9th. Off the breeze, I was fighting with a Brazilian sailor who had really good speed. Unfortunately for him, he caught something on his fin and dropped back. I was feeling good with only William Shurman behind me. He climbed on me upwind and had some leverage but I was 5 board lengths ahead. I knew he night have better angle but had gotten slammed 2x already this race. My strategy was play in conservative to the finish. I overstood the windward mark a few board lengths as to not have to double tack as there were a few guys already in that situation. BRA 999 tacked at the same time just inside me and we rounded the windward mark with in a few boards lengths of each other. The top reach was pretty hairy with a 11.0 and I got stood up a few times while Shurman on his 9.8 any speed. I however had a great start and managed to sail a decent race. I rounded the top mark in 7th with Jimmy right on m tail. I held him off till the bottom mark where the guy in front of me had a sloppy rounding and I had to leave a bit off room which Jimmy quickly too advantage of and snuck in there. He had better speed and rolled me to windward as I had to foot to get clear air. Seth too managed to sneak in there as well but I crossed just in front of me. I still managed 10th- my nest race so far of the regatta. As of Sat. Night I am in 4th in the men's fleet with 69 points for 5 races. Tommorow's forecast doesn't look so good but we'll have to wait and see.
Sunday Day 3- The Formula fleet stayed ashore today as there wasn't enough wind to get planning. The results changed some as the organizer recalculated 5 races to include a throw-out. Seth moved up to the pro fleet in 9th place and I moved up to 2nd place in the men's fleet to 13th overall. Sylvester ended up first in (+35) master's class, finishing 16th over all with Ron Kern in 2nd in the class and 17th overall. 51 sailors total in the A-Formula fleet. Overall results at calema website.
It was interesting to see all the new gear on the beach. Most innovative was the adjustable plates in the cut outs of the F2 and Exocet boards. Sailors were coming in changing according to the conditions. It brings up a greater number of possibilities for changing your setup. Now you can adjust the plates in 3 positions as well as the stiffness, rake, size and shape of your fin. Quite an opportunity to find the fastest set up. The F2 still has pipes but were elongated on the deck. Also noteworthy is the fact that the F2 boards have a very shallow Tuttle box with a recessed fin screws. A lot of people were sanding their fins to fit the box as well as finding out the top of the fin box was too thin to over-tighten their fins!
The starboard has smaller and shallower cutouts and seemed to be performing well with most of the top pro riders on it or the F2 boards.
The Fanatic board was really wide at the tail and with other set of extreme cutouts and sharp rails at the back end. Arnon and Peter were having a tough time sailing in the breeze on Saturday on the 06 Fanatic board getting stood up and noticing it took a lot of back foot pressure to control the board.
The new ML seemed almost simple compared to the all the things going on with the other boards. Less things to break or go wrong I say! I didn't find any real disadvantage to it in speed or pointing when I was sailing at the top of the fleet. The 06 ML was easy to control in the breeze with a 65 cm fin. I would guess an even smaller fin could be more efficient in medium to strong winds.
As for the new sails- the NP and North sails both took a step forward with wider luff sleeves improving the wind range of the sail. It's still a personal choice as to what strategy to follow: keep holding a big sail for as long as possible or switch down to something smaller and more efficient if the wind stays steady. Both theories seem to work as Gonzolo and Wotejk and Sylvester used a 9.8 - 10.0 on Saturday while Antoine, Jimmy, Seth and myself stayed on 10.7 - 11.0.
The Aerotech sails took a big change as well with a much straighter mast shape and luff curve. It's a wide sleeve luff with 11 battens! Devon was using his 05 Windwing sails from the worlds last December.
As suspected a few NP mast from last year breaking in the hot weather! The new NP mast seem to be improved but most sailors are now de- rigging their sails between races on shore. It didn't help that the races were getting off slowly with 20-30 minutes between heats.
Also new on the beach this year was the hybrids. The RS-X Olympic class had the most sailors, with a fleet of 25, as there are a lot of young sailors (under 20) campaigning for the Olympics. In the men's fleet, top ranked US sailor Ben Barger won over the No 2 ranked Canadian, Alain Bolduc. In the women's fleet Canadian Dominique Vallee won easily over another young fleet of sailors. The RS-X fleet raced along side the Prodigy class and the Open hybrids. The Prodigy class was mainly the older guys who switched a few years ago from long-boarding when the prodigy arrived in the scene. They are just as competitive but not using kinetics as efficiently as the younger Olympic class sailors.
In the open hybrid class the new F2 lighting looked pretty cool with a raised deck over the centerboard giving you a nice platform to rail the boards in lighter winds. It also had cut outs similar to the F2 formula board but with no adjustable plates.
On Sunday in the light winds, the hybrid and long boards raced in sub planning conditions giving everybody a workout with lots of pumping. I don't think the formula boards would have been able to get up wind like the hybrids and long-boards with the centerboards. Thus proving, maybe the hybrid class is the best thing to race when the conditions are light and you still want to race. I don't find it so exciting to race in these conditions as it is so different from the planning experience of formula racing. Perhaps that's why I ended up in San Francisco with mainly medium to high wind racing,
I wasn't able to re-open my case to get redress for Fridays race. SF rules guru, Brian McDonald coached me through some pointers on the phone on Sunday to try to get the case re-opened but to no avail. The Protest Committee said it wasn't enough to only check the box for redress. 2 SF judges disagreed! The big lesson here is never leave anything to chance in the protest room. Everything is subjective. I could appeal the decision and see what another protest committee would decide but with the added throw-out on Sunday, I wouldn't have moved up any in the fleet.
Overall, a good event early in the year with some chances to line up with top sailors and tune my gear. I feel my sailing has stepped up a notch at this event from the recent regattas Ive done in Melbourne and Miami. Hopefully I can continue the improvements with better results this year. I'm still contemplating more RS-X racing later in the year but will stay focused on formula racing with the start of our SF season soon. It's just a few more weeks before we can start seeing typical SF conditions and hopefully some exciting racing on the Bay.
Monday, January 30, 2006
2006 Miami OCR
Greetings from the Miami Olympic class regatta. While its not exactly our San Francisco mikes lab one design fleet, it is one design windsurifng racing. Alot of you already got the taste of the rs-x board in san francisco last september, this time, the fleet is a bit biger and a bit stronger and a bit more expereienced. The only thing we dont seem to have is a decent supply of breeze. With one day of racing so far, we have 2 races in and 10 more planned for the next 4 days. The first race got off with 15-17k and planning conditions. It was rather shify up the first beat but
still able to stay on a plane the whole time. We did a double windward leeward course, finishing downwinf. I managed to get oof to a horrible start but clawed my way back through the middle of the fleet for a 16th while Seth maintined his place up top with a 6th
place. By the next race, the wind had died to 6-10k. Getting off the line, proved to be rather difficult for most of the fleet and the majority of the fleet was track forward and centerboards down. Pumping doesnt seem to make a big difference in these conditions so it seems like eternity to get through the course. Most of the fleet was spread out and there was a time limit o 10 minute after the first finisher. With that said, only 16 sailors managed to get scored. I missed the cut off by a few minutes but didnt realize it, pumping my way to the downwind finsih, exhauting myself! Seth managed another decent finsih with in seconds of the cut off
to finish 15th.
Day 2 Miami OCR-
With John Craig at the helm of the RC on the RS-X course, I thought there would be some compassion but unfortunately not as we made our way through 2 more races in 4-9k of breeze. It is painfully obvious who has spent time on the board and who has not!
Today was another "learning day" trying to get up to speed or at least maintain it in the fickle breeze. We were on postponement till 1pm and then started a race in 5-6k, maybe gusting up to 7- defiantly not planning but moving around the course like small displacement dinghies! Pumping doesn't seem to make a lot of difference up wind, maybe a 10% increase and most of the fleet is pumping off the line and the top guys around the entire course. If you aren't pumping in the correct technique, it's actually worse and you foot off-something I found after 2 unsuccessful races. Downwind, its the rowing pump that works the best- pumping theclew in , then throwing the mast forward and scooping the mast back- creating your own wind.
Seth and I were battling it out in the back, trying to figure out how this new thing works. Meanwhile, the other US hopeful, Ben Barger, who has spent a lot of time training in light wind Florida, was up in the front of the fleet with 2 top 10 finishes.
Wednesday's forecast looks better with some more breeze filling in the afternoon.
Day 3: Miami Olympic Class Regatta: 3 more races today in a dying breeze. The wind was directly off shore, which made it shifty and gusty with the course set just to leeward of the skyscrapers of downtown Miami.I was expecting the breeze to go right all day as itdecreased as forecast suggested. All but 1 of the upwind legs, it either stayed steady or shifted leftwhich made banging the right corner a disastrous strategy. The fleet really got spread out in the lightstuff as the lightweight sailors had a big advantage. I even managed to finish 20 minutes beyond to top guys in the 2nd race and get DSQ'ed for not finishing in time. It defiantly took a skilled eye to stay in the wind, especially downwind where you had to gybe 8- 10x to stay in the puffs down to the leeward mark. Once planning in 10-12k, the different sailor weights even out and in 14k+ the heavier sailors had an advantage. Of course, it's never always steady and the wind was very shifty so it made today's racing very tactical. The best sailors are still coming out on top.
Final day: The new Olympic class racing format was tried today with the top 10 sailors advancing to the metal round for a race that would count double and could not be discarded. The idea behind the change is to make the sport more media friendly and understandable to the public. The new metal round does have it's pros and cons and will probably be worked out as the format is used more before the next Olympics. The rest of the fleet raced in a consolationrace counting just like every other race. It was the best breeze of the regatta and Seth and I lined up and both felt pretty good in our normal SF conditions. I planned to go left so I started at thepin with clear air but immediately got chucked as I crossed the pin end committee board and got caught up their way too long anchor line. It just goes to show you that you should probably run a few dry runs of your planned start on the line where you want to start just to make sure you know what's there! Bad luck struck again on the downwind as my outhaul became unthreaded from the back of my boom on the first downwind. I managed to tie it off and completed the next legs with a very baggy sail. Seth went on to finish first in the consolation round and took 14thoverall while I got 24th overall.
On the bright side, both Seth and I qualified for the US Sailing Team in 2nd and 3rd place. With a limited amount of funding from the US Olympic Committee ($3000 for entire 5 person US team), we will probably both be running scaled back campaigns. The good news is, the formula class is a decent cross trainer for the new Olympic class and with another strong west coast formula season in front of us, I will continue to race in the strongest fleet in the country!
Friday, December 30, 2005
2005 Formula World Championship
Thursday December 8th-
I arrived todayafter a 13 hour flight from San Francisco into Melbourne. After the long journey, I was ready to let my body rest for a day before I went out to practice. My equipment arrived in one piece after much repacking at the airport to bring the weight down and lots of hassling to even get it on the plane. You'd think, it was the first time the airline had dealt with oversized windsurfing equipment. I met up with a few other sailors and got some food before I checked into my hostel with Yugi from Japan. The regatta site is well laid out with storage area in the Elwood sailing center and storage crates nearby for easy access to the beach. It was already blowing 15-20k and lots of sailors on the water getting tuned up. I decided to check in early and get some needed sleep. I will provide updates when I can here and you can also find more info at the www.formulawindsurfing.org site and www.sailmelbourne.com
Friday December 9th-
The wind was considerably less on Friday afternoon when I arrived at the sailing center. A few people were out in the marginal conditions and after registering for the event and getting my equipment measured in, I rigged up my 11.0 and hit the water for a hour or so before the wind really shut off. I managed to get things dialed in and line up with a few people. I think with a little more wind and power, I will be at my best performance. The warm up regatta starts tomorrow and will run for two days before another days rest and the world championships on Tuesday. I fell ready and confident! More to come later!
Saturday, December 10,
Warm up regatta started today with around 30-40 boards. Most of top guys still tuning with each other or team mates. I decided to sail regatta as I hadn't sailed much in the past 2 months and needed some race experience and to get a feel for the course next week.
We had 5 races total today but I think only 3 or 4 counted as the abandoned a few due to the fluky winds. By the afternoon things had heated up and it was a good 18k on the course with a decent swell coming in. I finally got things dialed in by the last race where I was finishing in the top 25%. The starting line was set really tight so the fleet was pushing the line and we had a few general recalls due to the anxious starters. I got stuck in at least 2 starts in the 2nd or 3rd row and got gassed off the line. In light wind, clear air and speed are king! You can go anywhere without them. The breeze was really patchy in the morning and early afternoon with big holes and puffs coming down. I started off on my 10.0 as it was blowing a good 15-20k when we started but I was soon underpowered and wishing I had taken the 11.0. The next race was immediately after the first so no time to change sails. I was doing a little better but hit some deep holes and got caught drifting as boards on the other side of the course flew by and rounded well ahead of me. During the last downwind leg, my harness line blew out and I managed to stay out of the harness and pumping the rest of the leg to the finish and even caught a few boards. Funny how that works! By the next race, I had come in and switched to the 11.0 and felt better and in more control. We had at least 2 more races as I remember and by the last race, I was really dialed in, passing people both upwind and downwind, I had a great start the last race at the boat getting clear air and speed. With the Kashy fin, I found if I had clear air, I could really wind it up and get good angle. Off the breeze, it was really fast and I was trucking on my nearest competition.. A few things, I learned today: always climb if you can especially on the last beat to the windward mark, As they say, save your money in the bank, so you can use it later. I had laid the windward mark early by going to the right corner and was coming in strong with a lot of boards coming from the left side. Some of them tacked in front of me and by the time we got to the windward mark in a group of about 20 boards, I got hosed out the back door and had to round the unfavoured gate.
Next lesson was to be aware of what the rest of the fleet is doing- especially after the start. Keep your eyes open and look around!
Another day of racing tomorrow before a day of rest on Monday and the big regatta on Tuesday. Ive got everything measured in already so no waiting around. Ill stay clear and rest up.
Saturday evening update:
I arrived todayafter a 13 hour flight from San Francisco into Melbourne. After the long journey, I was ready to let my body rest for a day before I went out to practice. My equipment arrived in one piece after much repacking at the airport to bring the weight down and lots of hassling to even get it on the plane. You'd think, it was the first time the airline had dealt with oversized windsurfing equipment. I met up with a few other sailors and got some food before I checked into my hostel with Yugi from Japan. The regatta site is well laid out with storage area in the Elwood sailing center and storage crates nearby for easy access to the beach. It was already blowing 15-20k and lots of sailors on the water getting tuned up. I decided to check in early and get some needed sleep. I will provide updates when I can here and you can also find more info at the www.formulawindsurfing.org site and www.sailmelbourne.com
Friday December 9th-
The wind was considerably less on Friday afternoon when I arrived at the sailing center. A few people were out in the marginal conditions and after registering for the event and getting my equipment measured in, I rigged up my 11.0 and hit the water for a hour or so before the wind really shut off. I managed to get things dialed in and line up with a few people. I think with a little more wind and power, I will be at my best performance. The warm up regatta starts tomorrow and will run for two days before another days rest and the world championships on Tuesday. I fell ready and confident! More to come later!
Saturday, December 10,
Warm up regatta started today with around 30-40 boards. Most of top guys still tuning with each other or team mates. I decided to sail regatta as I hadn't sailed much in the past 2 months and needed some race experience and to get a feel for the course next week.
We had 5 races total today but I think only 3 or 4 counted as the abandoned a few due to the fluky winds. By the afternoon things had heated up and it was a good 18k on the course with a decent swell coming in. I finally got things dialed in by the last race where I was finishing in the top 25%. The starting line was set really tight so the fleet was pushing the line and we had a few general recalls due to the anxious starters. I got stuck in at least 2 starts in the 2nd or 3rd row and got gassed off the line. In light wind, clear air and speed are king! You can go anywhere without them. The breeze was really patchy in the morning and early afternoon with big holes and puffs coming down. I started off on my 10.0 as it was blowing a good 15-20k when we started but I was soon underpowered and wishing I had taken the 11.0. The next race was immediately after the first so no time to change sails. I was doing a little better but hit some deep holes and got caught drifting as boards on the other side of the course flew by and rounded well ahead of me. During the last downwind leg, my harness line blew out and I managed to stay out of the harness and pumping the rest of the leg to the finish and even caught a few boards. Funny how that works! By the next race, I had come in and switched to the 11.0 and felt better and in more control. We had at least 2 more races as I remember and by the last race, I was really dialed in, passing people both upwind and downwind, I had a great start the last race at the boat getting clear air and speed. With the Kashy fin, I found if I had clear air, I could really wind it up and get good angle. Off the breeze, it was really fast and I was trucking on my nearest competition.. A few things, I learned today: always climb if you can especially on the last beat to the windward mark, As they say, save your money in the bank, so you can use it later. I had laid the windward mark early by going to the right corner and was coming in strong with a lot of boards coming from the left side. Some of them tacked in front of me and by the time we got to the windward mark in a group of about 20 boards, I got hosed out the back door and had to round the unfavoured gate.
Next lesson was to be aware of what the rest of the fleet is doing- especially after the start. Keep your eyes open and look around!
Another day of racing tomorrow before a day of rest on Monday and the big regatta on Tuesday. Ive got everything measured in already so no waiting around. Ill stay clear and rest up.
The formula worlds finally started after a long afternoon on the beach. The wind was teasing us up and down all day with puffs coming in and staying for 10 min butt never really built until after 5 pm. With 10k on the course, they sent the men out for the first start. 87 men on one line with 10 knots of wind. This would challenging o say the least!
I wasn’t able to get of the line but neither did ½ the fleet. I struggled to get going for what seemed like eternity and finally went out to the right side where the breeze was stronger. I was deep in the fleet but I managed to reel in a few at a time. I know I finished deep but without a decent start, that’s all you can expect.
2nd race- same seranero with 10 knots of breeze, a big fleet and a small line. Again I struggled to get off the line and get going but most of the fleet was in the same position. Its hard to tell how things went as it was very spread out but once I got some clear air, I found myself going well- climbing upwind with speed. The Kashy fin has a lot of potential but lacks the grunt off the line. Its hard to have a fin that will do everything well but I am finding sometimes you have to compromise.
One big lesson I learned today was to overstand the layline in a crowd. In the 2nd race, I understood the top mark and had to double tack to get around the gate. I lost quit a few boards here which could have been avoided. Next upwind, I had clear air on the layline and actually understood as I banged the corner upwind and came in strong pinching a few people off who overstood. Well again the big lesson today is to get off the line clean in a big fleet. Everything else is secondary. You need big sail and a big fin in this light stuff to get going.
Tomorrow should be windier but you never know as the winds change here like the four seasons.
Wednesday day 3 worlds championship: still waiting for breeze today as teaser winds are up and down. RC sent girls out for their first race and they planned marginally around course. Men are on standby. Fortunalty there is a decent clubhouse where there is some shade and relief from brutal sun and flies. A few broken mast already with the inrense sun down here. Most people don’t rig until just before they go out. Lots of interesting and new equipment on beach: new north warps look really good as well as NP.
Another day at the office….We got off 2 races in the early afternoon and then came in for lunch. It was the waiting game from then on. I did however manage 2 better races breaking into the top 40. There was actually some wind early in the day from the north which made it really gusty. In fact, it was well in the upper 20’s and most people were lit on 10.0s. I started on port both races getting over to the shore where the wind was the strongest. I was early to the layline and a lot of people came up and tacked infront of me giving me some real bad air, but I stuck with it and squeezed around the windward mark in the middle group. Off the breeze, there were a few holes outside but inside- well lit even in the chicken strap. I rounded the bottom mark with a group and managed to squeeze up to some clear air. Its amazing what a little determination will do for you. I wanted to go over to the right side so I sucked up some bad air at the beginning to get to the favoured side of the course. It was a parade on the top reach with not much changing but I did make one mistake costing me 5 or 6 boards as I stayed on starboard and didn’t gybe right away while the other group got better breeze by going back inside. I did move up a few positions today and my sailing improved so I am quite happy with the performance. There was a bit of luck involved in today’s racing and I was on the lucky side. We should be getting a discard soon so Ill manage to throw out my 60th place and perhaps move up a few more. With 2 more days left, I have to move up to 44th place to reach my goal for the regatta.
Friday evening update:
Well another day of waiting…we almost didn’t get any racing in today as the wind failed to materialize until later in the afternoon and then in marginal conditions we had the race abandoned after the wind dropped to 0 near the finish. I was really lucky as I got the short end of the stick and finished near the back of the fleet. We had multiple general recalls leading up to that race and a lot of people black flagged- since we re-raced race 6, those who got black flagged could not race. We ended up starting at around 7:30 in a building breeze. I had my 11.0 and r13 68. It was a little too big as I got passed on the reaches but found it grunty upwind. I prefer the new Kashy in terms of speed but it lacks a little grunt overall- similar to the c3s I was using a while ago.
So we finally started. I was in bad air so I tacked over to get back to the right side and clear air. Most of the fleet was there already so I was catching up. Off the breeze, I was in a big pack and not feeling as strong as I did before with the big fin and fighting it out in the middle of the fleet. Back upwind, I rounded with a big group and fought my way to the right layline where I caught a few people. Off the breeze, it was a little sketchy as things were light and gust were coming down randomly. I kept my position but just near the leeward mark, I feel into a big hole. Nothing you can do but wait for the wind to fill in. Meanwhile 10-15 boards came screaming in from the other side and rounded in front of me. On the last leg, I climbed high and shot down to the finish, getting a few of them for a 41st place. I sailed a much better race but didn’t finish through at the end. Well that’s what counts. I m leaning a lot here and hopefully, it will show later.
Saturday morning update:
Still waiting for wind. They say its coming in strong but we’ve got a 4pm deadline for last possible race.Saturday evening update:
Sunday, September 25, 2005
2005 RSX Pac Coast Champs
The first new olympic class equipment made its American debut with 40 charter boards arriving in San Francisco one day before the Pacific Coast Championships. I picked up my charter rs-x on Thursday afternoon and finally got set up and on the water by 5:30 for a quick session. My first impression was that this was going to be a big challenge. There are still many issues to be worked out with the board and rig design as we are finding out but you have to work with what you have.It was quite windy on Thursday so getting to know the board was rather interesting on a first impression. I spent some time in the water after getting slammed multiple times upwind. Getting the board to turn off the breeze was also interesting and I was using the way leeward strap to get going. One thing I learned today was that the centerboard has a tenancy to come down.
First day of racing included 37 competitors on the water, most of them for the first time on the board. When I arrived at the site on 10 on Saturday morning, it was really windy: 25-30 with no sign of relief. I rigged up and went out to practice , knowing I would need as much time on the water as possible. We delayed the start till after 3pm when the wind was still howling. Only 10 or so people made it out to the first race and it was too windy to race for the majority of the fleet. They were struggling all over the bay just to get down to the starting line. I sailed the course, figured out what side I wanted to sail as there was a big flood tide coming in on the inside with the ebb building on the outside throughout the day. I was on the line at the start and managed to go well upwind. I found myself pointing well with my booms low and track 3 forward from the back.
At the top of the fleet was William Sherman, Sam Ireland, Seth Besse and Alian Buldoc. Also up there was our own SF heavyweight Jean Rathle making it around the course without a knockdown. I blew up once upwind on the first beat and struggled to get going again. Downwind, things were a bit easier but still scary as it was 25-30k. Rounding the leeward mark was a challenge and I struggled in the water for some time with a few other guys around me as well trying to get the board going again. Frankly at this point, I was ready to call it quits but kept the train going. Back upwind, I got launched again but was still around 5th. Off the breeze for the last downwind run, I gybed but the cams didn't pop over so it was a struggle to the finish fighting the sail.After a brief struggle to get back to the beach, I had a rest of 30 minutes before the next race where the wind had died down to 18-20k. I managed a good start and first upwind, rounding in the top 5 and staying there and actually gaining 2 boards around the leeward mark and Zac and Jean struggled to make a tight rounding and I took it wide and tacked in front of the club and got in front of them. Next up was a good breeze and the ebb tide upwind. Unfortunately it wasn't that easy as I climbed my way back through the fleet. My harness line broke and I re rigged something on the water to finish 11th. Oh well, racing is all about disaster recovery.On Friday evening, we had a christening celbration with the new board and MR Neil Pyrde giving a speech and one of the juniors breaking a bottle of champaign over th enew board. Good times!With only 2 races, here are the preliminarily results after 1 day
1 Willheim Shurmann
2 Sam Ireland
3 Seth Besse
4 Jean Rathle
5 Alain Bulduc
6 Chris Radkowski
7 Steve Bodner
8 John Davenport
9. Zach P
10 Mike Percy
11 Gal Fridman
12 Randall Barna
13 Elon Wing
14 Mark Borsma
15 Eric R
16+ 2 DNS's
Day 2 RS-X Pacific Coast Championships: With another day on the water, I was getting a more comfortable feel for the new board and rig. We got a chance to start in non planning conditions but things heated up to classic San Francisco conditions with 15-20k by mid afternoon. By 8-10 k, it was possible to bring the centerboard up and the mast track back to formula type racing; everything leading up to that was somewhat difficult to transition the board from a non planning displacement hull to full on planning board.
In the light stuff, there is a time when you need the centerboard down and mast track forward. Then the centerboard comes up 50% to balance things out as you lean the rig further back. Finally, with enough wind and pumping, you can get the heavy board up and going. It is my impression that the new equipment covers the range of 3-30k, as the Olympic requirements ask for. Unfortunately, it doesn't too anything too well within that range. It is not a specialist set up like the formula class for light to medium air racing, nor is it strong in enough in light winds to be comparable to the long board class, and in no way would it make a good slalom class s it is quite hard to sail on a board reach with 9' and 50 lbs in front of out. BUT it is the new one design Olympic boardsailing class so everyone must deal with the same situation. The best sailor will end up wining and that's what's happening here as we are getting the range of conditions.
With 7 races complete, Shurman, from Brazil is leading the fleet with Sam Ireland from Canada close behind in second. I have been consistent with top ten finishes, putting me in 6th overall going into the last day of racing. When were all out there racing on the bay with the fleet tacking up the city front, the racing is quite intense and I am really enjoying it, despite the equipments' shortcomings. In all but the first race, we have been starting in a typical formula fashion- planning to the start with tracks back and boards up. From there, the strategy was to stay in the wind, first and foremost and then think about the current. In the first race, it was the racers who tacked early and got to the middle of the bay where the wind was who really got out in front and out in the lead, while most of the fleet sailed towards the shore out of the flood tide. We were running a double windward leeward course finishing downwind with lots of boat traffic to deal with throughout the course. In spectacular fashion, one of the red and white ferries came across our starting line just after the start of the 5th race with the whole fleet on starboard heading directly into its path. He managed to do a 180 degree turn and avoid the fleet but scared quite a few people in the process. Next up was the 'Lovely Martha'- a commercial tour boat who I managed to cross with 2 or 3 feet to spare and knocking a few competitors in the water. Other distractions were a fleet of 20-30 classic wooden boats stating just below us as well as a plethora of short boarders once the wind picked up in the afternoon. So you can see it, it always interesting sharing the city front waters with everyone else and racing requires your full attention to make it around the course.
I was feeling more confident as the day went on but a little tired as well from 4 hours in the sun while racing. The last few battles of the day, I had to give up as pumping to the finish required that extra 5% that I just didn't have. I let a few people go by when I should have pushed it, but I thing everyone was feeling the heat as even Gal, the current gold medallist from Israel didn't race the last race. The rest of our fleet was showing better standings with Bill Wier finishing in the top 10 as well and Steve Sylvester and Mike Percy all battling it out together as well.
1.W. Schurmann
2.2. Sam Ireland
3.Seth Besse
4.Alain Bolduc
5.Zack Plavsic
6.Steve Bodner
7.Mike Percy
8.Gal Fridman
9.Chris Radkowski
10.Jean Rathle
11.Steve Sylvester
12.Peter Bonello
13.Bill Weir
14.Mark Borsma
15.Chip Wasson
Day 3 RS-X Pacific Coast Champs-
With time something's become easier. By the 3rd day of the regattas, sailing the new board and rig was a bit easier and more comfortable. It didn't seem as foreign as the first day and with 2 more races today, the board was actually fun to sail in the fleet. I really like the idea of one design sailing, especially with in windsurfing where the gear is in unlimited and keeping things in perspective is sometimes difficult. There is plenty of fine tuning to do in this class and a lot of physical training to be done to get to the top of the class. I'm sure by the next Olympics, the best sailor will come out on top. Until then there is a tour planned in the US for 2006 with 6 stops as well as charter boards available. I'm sure the class will draw some talent from the formula fleet as well as some new up and coming sailors.
One the final day of the rs-x regatta, we had to wait for the breeze to fill in and it finally came in around 2pm and we got 2 races off for a total of 9 races and 3 throw outs. Wilhelm was able to maintain his lead today with a first and second over Sam and Seth rounding up the top 3. We had full planning conditions in 15-18k and lots of exciting racing. In race one, I had a great start off to the middle of the line and got to the beach and tacked back to get back to the wind. I was looking good coming into the windward mark but got stuck in a hole and had to double tack along with the rest if the fleet behind me. I got around behind Alain and held onto the position for the rest of the leg where Zach and Pierre were close on my tail. We all headed over to the beach where I tacked inside and got a nice puff and got some separation and from there sailed conservatively to finish behind Alain in 5th. Percy was deep in that race so he had a throwout but with one more race left he still had a chance to catch me.
The next race, things lightened up some what and the same situation happed where we headed into the beach, This time Percy was able to tack sooner and get the puff and walk away. I was slow to get back to the right side and rounded the top mark around 10th with some catching up to do. I passed one or 2 boards off the breeze and realized there was more pressure out in the middle so my plan was to tack immediately after the mark. Steve and Percy rounded in front of me and kept going so I gained some ground and kept grounding away. I tacked to soon and was forced back into a hole on the near shore and Zack was able to get in between us and ended up finishing between us to make it a closer race between Percy and myself. We finished 1 point apart for 6th and 7th while the top of the fleet was Sam, Wilhelm, Seth, Alain, and Zach.
Overall, a great regatta with lots of talent. The new class was fun to sail. Always a challenge!
Saturday, September 10, 2005
2005 calcup sept 10
Wind was up to 16-20k. I rigged 10.0 and r13 64 s. I felt good upwind on port but not on starboard. Luckily, I was able to start all 4 races on port and got off with clean air and a good lane. By the 4th race, the wind died on the right side while the left side had the more favorable current. Before the last race, I thought it might have been better to go left early and get stronger air, but the temptation to port tack the fleet was too great and I went for it and crossed everyone but 10 min later got caught in no wind and rounded deep. I came back to 5th or 6th and think I was tied with Ben for 3rd place overall behind Mike Z and Steve S.First race, I was still up top checking out the course when the sequence began. I came down with a 1:30 to start and lined up with Soheil and Steve S on port. We all heald our own upwind with Steve S able to climb a bit higher with his 9.0. You've really got to find your own groove here and jest go as fast as you can. Once we tacked over Steve S had a definite advantage in the stronger flood. Soheil and I didn't have the same angle at all and we let Steve go to round 2nd behind Mike Z. From there, Eric began to catch up downwind he gybed at the same time as me and caught a nice puff to round in front of me. Around the leeward pin, Eric rounded wide and I got nose inside and worked my way up and had better angle to whole way up. At the point, Steve and Mike were sailing their own race up in front going to the starboard layline again. I had built up a bit of a distance on Eric by the top mark and was keeping a closer eye on him for the final downwind leg. We were both going deep and as I went to gybe, so did he and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him go over the top. Glad it wasn't me in that situation. I sailed the rest of the leg, not able to catch up with Steve and finished in 3rd.Next race, same situation: start on port and go the right side early. This time Ben tacked back early and got a nice puff on the port layline and rounded in front of me in 3rd. He kept his position downwind but back upwind for the 2nd leg, he was not pointing as high and I caught up a but with clear air and a long beat. Rounding the top mark for the 2nd time, I wa still a few board lengths behind and I needed to catch him downwind to beat him to the finish. There was only one move left- gybe a the same time but behind and ride the puff down. We gybed ad just like I thought the new breeze filled in and I was able to climb over him and while still 20 board lengths to go, Ben began to jockey for position. He went up for speed and to the pin. I went up. He goes downs, I go down. We continued like this for 4 or 5 attempts but finally the finish line came and I was able to keep my lead on him and finish 3rd.Next race- don't remember too many details expect right side still favored but left side showing more potential and the guys who started on starboard and went closer to the island and came back were looking good on the upwind.Final race- A great start- port tacking the fleet with thither guys on port behind me. I pushed the gun early and got out in front. Unfortunately, I sailed right into a big whole hole and let the whole fleet sail by. Nothing you can do but be more aware of what people are doing on the other side of the course. 200' over guys were fully planning. Ash the frustration of formula! Well I managed to dig my way back through the middle of the fleet to finish 5th behind Steve, Mike, Ben and Eric.
Overall, better performance with only one big mistake in the last race, not keeping my head in the game but with a through out, I was consistent with 3 3rds. Still need to keep pushing the line and every situation .
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