Big changes for the formula windsurfing class

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

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

Hurry up and slow down

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

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

Video from 3rd race start:

Video from the 4th race finish:

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

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

Formula worlds day 1 report

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results and photos at www.formulawindsurfing.org

Formula windsurfing world champs pre regatta update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More updates can be found at www.formulawindsurfing.org

Steve

USA-4

San Francisco Bay Challenge

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

Thanks to Chris Ray for the photos

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

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

Support your local board builder

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

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

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

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

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

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

There's no going back now!

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

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

Strength- same as normal!

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

heavy air rapture

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

Light air patience

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

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

Thanks to Lyrah Colvin for the photos..

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

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

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

Lessons from the Berkeley circle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Race like it counts!

Results

2011 Elvstrom/Zellerbach regatta

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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