Spring line up

The first race of the year is always a good chance to see where you stand after the winter off season. Sure enough- after a few months break from formula racing we lined up to find we were in the same pecking order as where we left off last summer.

This year the kites and formula boards were invited to the Spring Dinghy regatta at the St.FYC along with 5 other dinghy classes.

Xavier, Al and I traded spots throughout the 3 windward-leeward races on Saturday along the city front course with winds in the mid teens and a viscous 4 knot ebb tide ripping across the course.

Unfortunately a work commitment on Sunday, left me unable to sail the last 3 races but Xavier finished the series with 5/6 bullets- a solid showing.

All of the formula fleet is still on last years set up and top 3 remain extremely tight. The biggest gains I made were on the downwind where Avanti 10.0 & starboard 167 really came alive. The 64 kashy fin set up, I was using really works in the breeze and chop but I suffered a bit upwind in the lighter stuff.





Thanks to Chris Ray for the photo- Full spring dinghy gallery here
Also- Lryah's photo here


On 2 out of the 3 upwind legs I got ground down by Xavier on the long port tack upwind.
I think he's just being a bit more efficient with the fin pressure as he's using the starboard 167, 61cm kashy and NP 7.8 rig and makes that combo go very well!

It left me scratching my head on how to improve my upwind performance.
Most of the time- we rig for the gust while racing on the San Francisco Bay. You need to survive. The water texture over a typical course can give you anything from voodoo chop to areas of smooth flood tide. Traditionally a smaller fin, like a 64 kashy allows you cope with the conditions a bit better but Im beginning to rethink things.

Back to a bigger fin, seat harness,softer battens, or  higher booms???
Time will tell on this one as I try a few things over the next few weeks.

Al was sailing a strong series as well on his ML-12 board, F4 fin and NP 10.0 grabbing the bullet on the 1st race after virtually no time on the water since last October. It goes to show you that maybe all this practice time is just for show.

Race 1 started off with starting line set up just in front of last chance beach near the harbor mouth. We all started on port taking the long beat 1st. As we got out to the middle of the Bay, the ebb increased and it was a real challenge to call the layline, Sure enough Xavier got to the top mark 1st followed by Al and myself. We had a great southerly riding the puff all the way down past Anita Rock before gybing. At the leeward gate, both Al and I decided to return to the shore and got a substantial lift on the next upwind while Xavier opted for the outside. We crossed ahead and extended the lead on the last downwind leg finishing 1-2.

Race 2 and 3 started with the entire fleet on starboard going for the big geographical lift at the shore. The first short beat proved to the most important as it put you in a position for the long beat up the course. You wanted to be the inside boat  lining up on port tack in order to gain on the lifts.
After that,  it was a bit of a race track following the leader around the course.
Sometimes you just need to wait for the guy in front of you to make a mistake and capitalize on it. Al went down hard in some ferry chop downwind and I was able to sail right over him grabbing 2nd in the 2nd race behind Xavier

I managed 2 2nds on Saturday and had a really good 3rd start- in the front pack with Xavier and Al after the 1st rounding and then gybed through what I later remembered as a restricted area of the course and subsequently retired from the race after the 1st lap

The Sailing Instructions had Anita Rock and its buoy as restricted area.
Lesson learned- read the race instructions and don't take anything for granted.

Oh- and for the client who scheduled a meeting on a Sunday- the 'wind minimum clause' in your contract just got lowered from 20k to 15k !

El norte- a gringos adventure to the darkside & back

Part 1- Dancing with the devil

Eventually we all end up chasing the wind.
How far- depends on our level of addiction and our sense of adventure.

This year again, I made the migration south on highway 1.
1500 miles later I reached the end of the road- Baja California Sur where the pacific ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Its a wind lovers paradise with gringos from across the US & Canada making the annual winter pilgrimage in search of wind and swell.

It's a desolate countryside totally controlled by the elements with the sun and the wind taking their tolls on the landscape and the people.

The el norte breeze blows down the Sea of Cortez producing rolling swell and a solid, wrap yourself up in a winter jacket kind of breeze even when the sun is at its mid day peak.

I was really lucky this year scoring 19 out of 24 days on the water- a rather good way to start the year.

After nearly 25 years of windsurfing, I decided I needed something new.
Kite boarding had been tempting me over to the dark side for the past few years with bigger fleets, ease of travel and a new way to walk on water.

I'm not over windsurfing by any means- just adding another skill set to this old dog's tricks.
Besides- the slalom windsurfing rig was packed and ready to go for the Lord of the Winds showdown in Los Barriles in mid January.

In the meantime, however- I needed to learn how to kitesurf
How hard could it really be?
I mean- kooks with little or no water experience seemed to be picking it up and flying across the water in no time. I had nearly 25 years of water time, multiple Olympic campaigns, world championships, great lake crossings, and over 100 days on the water each season for the past 10 years. The only thing in the way was my ego and the painful learning curve ahead!
I had to unlearn all those years of powering the windsurfing sail and learn to control the kite with my finger tips

Day 1- kite flying on the beach.
I booked my lessons at Playa Central in La Ventana where the Wirthington family runs a kite school & beach club form a former fish processing plant on the Sea of Cortez. Its a bare bones outfit but they make you feel at home with hot showers after sailing, fresh oven baked pizza and a cold cervaza after a long day on the water. More importantly, they collect you a few miles down the beach on an ATV after body dragging and learning to fly the kite on the water with out a board.

I learned a few important lessons that day- stay away from the experts and the beginners.
They both have no fear!

Day 2- more body dragging downwind and kite control lessons.
The kite responds a bit slower than a windsurfer and it's a delayed reaction till you feel the power- and boy there's a lot of power in the kite. With still no board under my feet, I had to learn the basics of trying to body drag upwind to collect the board that I would eventually lose.

Day 3- Now that I had some idea of how the kite worked, I had a board to keep track of- which isn't connected to your kite so when you loose one- its a process to try to get them back together again. Frankly I had no idea what the hell I was doing and ended up chasing my board 3/4 of the time- totally exhausted and water logged.The ATV collected me after each run and dragged me back upwind to try the whole process over again. After 2-1/2 hours on the water- I managed 1 good ride for 10 seconds.

Day 4- Ok I should be getting this by now, I thought, as I got launched over and over -flying across the water with out a board and crashing the kite hard into the water. Re-lauching the kite was relativity easy unless you happen to do a double gainer with a 1-1/2 twist like I was getting accustom to doing. My 20 meter lines where now knotted up, crossed, tangled and wrapped around my board and myself. I had kook written all over. The day glow helmet & VHS radio strapped to my chest was a dead give away.
If I could have stayed away from myself on the water, I would have.

Day 5- really how hard could this be? I managed a few water starts power looping the kite till I got launched and face planted but each ride got a few seconds longer and the fear eventually turned into excitement. I was up and riding, sheeting in as I always did the previous 25 years on a windsurfer until I got super launched and came down hard on my arm on the twin tip board. I didn't notice the swelling till I got in but my forearm was already the size of a football but it didn't matter, I was a kite boarder now. I could ride almost 10 seconds before completely eating it and spent the next 10 minutes trying to recover the board. I went to bed that night practicing my power loops in my head while the ice cooled the swelling my forearm.


We packed up form La Ventana and headed down to Los Barriles where I met the rest of our crew who were flying in from SF for the Lord of the Winds event in a few days time.
I had a few more days of practice on the kite and managed some great runs on port tack going out to sea about 1-1/2- 2 miles before realizing I had no idea how to sail back on starboard tack.

After 7 days on the water- I was finally getting my water starts and getting up on some decent rides.
It wasnt quite like the normal windsurfing where Ive developed years of muscle memory and don't have to think about any maneuvers in advance.
Hell- I didn't even know any maneuvers on the kite except water starting and power looping, so it was all good.


My first impressions are that its harder than it looks- especially when you dont know what your doing.  Every day I was doubling my time on the water- gaining valuable experience and getting once step closer to finally getting it.
I went from seasoned veteran on the windsurfer back to kook in less than a day!
So goes it when learning a new sport

I was super lucky to have some good friends in Los Barriles looking after me making sure I didnt kill myself and collecting me after each downwind run. A cold cervaza never tasted so good after a days sailing!

I was hooked but now it was time for the Lord of the Winds contest.

Exit kite boarding
Re-enter Windsurfing.

Part 2- Lord of the Winds.
What started off as a 10 buoy slalom course on day 1 of the event ended up as a 4 buoy fiascle by the end of day 3. 6 marks drifted away and there wasn't much the RC or the 58 registered competitors  could do about it. We just kind of went with the flow- but that meant only two - 15 min course races; two  3 min slalom races & one 25 min long distance race over the course of 3 days. The free-stylers got their chance to show off their skills in the shore break and the kiters battled it out for the hang time competition over the course of the next 2 days.
With a side shore breeze, the RC set up from a pickup truck on the beach with the heats written on the side of the truck. 

When you dont have much expectations, you cant be let down that much.


Day 1 began with course races.
I immediately went out with the only board and rig I had- my ml 70cm wide slalom board & 7.7 avanti slalom sail. I was a bit off the pace upwind riding the 48cm fin but made some big gains off the wind in the 10 board windsurfing fleet. With the wind 15-22k, and the whole fleet on slalom boards, you just had to make do with what you had. Tyson Poor was killing it with great board speed around the course taking the only 2 bullets while Casey Hauser and I fount it out for 2nd and 3rd.

Race 2- I switched down to the 44cm fin and had better speed. Tyson went down on a gybe and I jumped into the lead but over stood the top mark on the 2nd upwind while Tyson and Casey called the perfect layline and jumped back into the lead.
With the gybe mark adrift, the RC called the racing for the day and we packed it up mid day after the last kite race.
Slalom was on the agenda for day 2 of Lord of the Winds.
The forecast called for a building breeze and the shore break was building into a pounding 4-8' whitewater pounding at the 2nd & 4th inside  buoys.
17 heats were run in each round as the kiters still haven't figured out not to kill each other with more than 5 sailors in each fleet. Anything goes on the race course as the kiters are using 70 cm wide course boards, surf boards and even twin tips. You can imagine the chaos as each board has a different gybing radius with the twin tips practically jumping over the marks and the course boards making the biggest radius. The race track was set up to favor the twin tips as the legs were never long enough to let the course boards gain enough speed.

The windsurfers were killing it- displaying great form as the mark roundings were several sailors deep and the passing opportunities plentiful around the 6 buoy slalom course. Tyson, again was displaying great form leading almost every mark with Bryan Metcaf Perez in the hunt as well.
Wyatt had some unbelievable luck breaking his 2nd mast over the the 1st 2 days of the competition and not being able to complete 1 race.  I had some good starts and was in the hunt for the most of the game but wasnt able to grab any bullets despite being in the lead a few times.
On the 3rd race, Tyson and I went into the 4th gybe mark overlapped but there was no next mark. The buoy had drifted away and the racing was again called for the day just as things were heating up.

The RC switched to freestyle and the windsurfers again put on the best show with 5-6 boards showing an array of new and old school tricks from back loops in the 4-6' shore break, to sliding goiters, spocks and wylee skippers.

The crew from Pro Windsurfing Ventana really took it up a notch this year turning the heads of most of the kiters on the beach.
I can honestly say, freestyle and wave windsurfing are some of the coolest disciplines to watch.
I regret not pursing it earlier but just to watch these guys was a treat.

The kiters did their freestyle show but honestly, it all looks the same. Even the kiters on the beach went too impressed.

We woke up to day 3 with just 4 bouys left on the course so the RC decided to run the long distance lord of the winds showdown. It wasnt much of a match between the course kite boards and the slalom windsurfing boards over the windward leeward race track. The windward mark was near Punta Pescadero a few miles upwind and by the time we got there it was blowing 25-30k.
The kites dominated but I held my own just behind the top pack of kites while the rest of the windsurfers took a long flier and ove rstood the top mark, I had a huge lead going downwind and baring any disaster, had the race wrapped up in the windsurfing division. But Ive learned never to count yourself out or take anything for granted. with the wind at 20-25k and the shore break pounding, I fell at the gybe mark and had a slow water start out and Bryan Metcaf- Perez  was there to jump into the lead. With just another 500m left to the downwind finish line. Bryan and I went went into the last gybe 5 secs apart. Bryan slipped on his gybe as I went below him to try to gain some additional speed and better angle to the finish but he recovered and sailed right over me as we went across the finish line.
That's racing- as close as it gets with every little factor counting for something!
Bryan Lake won the long distance race in the closing seconds just in front of Johnny Heineken and was crowned Lord of the Winds- a fitting title if there ever was one. 

The kites finished their final round of slalom in an embarrassing pitiful course consisting of only 4 marks all set directly downwind of each other.

I met my goals and ended up on the podium in every division with a 2nd in slalom and long distance and 3rd in course racing. More importantly my back was holding up and my trip just got extended by another week so I could spend some additional time learning to kite.

Part 3- The aha moment.
I jumped back on the kiteboard after setting Johnny up on my windsurfing board.
The bargain seemed fair- kiting lessons from the world champion in exchange for a few windsurfing lessons. I think I got the better end of the deal as I stayed on the water for nearly 3 hours while Johnny had some gear failure on his 2nd run as the mast went through the top of the sail and he struggled to get the gear back to the beach. I think that may have turned him off from windsurfing all together.
 
Tuesday turned out to be one of the biggest days of the year and was dubbed as 
BIG TUESDAY as the swell reached 10' and the wind was gusting from 25-40k.
The el norte was in full effect.
All I could do was watch as I didn't have the right gear but got to see some great surf in front of the house and the kiters tear it up at the event site with the demo & kite expo going on. It was a well deserved break for me to let my body recover.

Wednesday we headed back to La Ventana for the double cross.
Its a race from the hot springs just north of La Ventana out to Cerralvo island and back across the channel. The winds howls through the channel and the swell picked up to 10-15' breaking with a mad furry as the wind peaked from 25-35k. I ended up borrowing a 6.2 rig from MacRae just before the race to survive as my 7.7 was completely out of the question. It was really a survival race as I rode in the chicken strap most of the race just trying to stay upright with only 1 safety boat for 40+ competitors. Sometimes, its not even worth the risk.
Riding the swell downwind on the 2nd half of the crossing was amazing.
Huge swells would lift you up as you barreled down the face screaming across the breaking waves and onto the next set. 
Wyatt and Tyson were able to put the pedal down totally in control on their small rigs and small boards and lead the charge across the channel and back getting the best of Johnny who finish 3rd. 
The windsurfers had the advantage with 2 reaching legs and overpowered conditions.
I longed for my 90l ml slalom and 6.3 warp but had to run with what I had.

During the crossing I saw some amazing sea life as we crossed the open channel- whales, sharks, turtles, needle fish, schools of jumping fish,and even manta rays. I was in awe to be surrounded by such beautiful creatures and walked away from the race knowing it was an amazing opportunity.

With 3 more days to devote to kite boarding, I finally had my aha moment where it all clicked. 
Everything came together and I was up riding with no problem. 
Kite boarding is so easy once you get it but until then its like trying to ride a bucking bronco.
You're not quite sure what to do, when to do it or how much pressure to apply.

Once I got it, it was all so effortless.

Of course, I still fell on my ass at every transition but I was mowing the grass- back and forth with the kite parked at 45 degrees and me edging the twin tip to stay upwind. 

It seems silly but I made a goal of trying to stay upwind and come back to the same beach where I started from as all my previous sessions, I ended up on a 1 way journey downwind with a ride back up the beach in the back of a truck. 
The extra few days was enough for me to actually have fun kiting as I wasn't swallowing copious amounts of salt water and wearing myself out trying to collect my board. 

I even made it back upwind to where I started from graduating from kite boarding 101 to a seasoned kook. Im not sure where the sport will take me but I'm looking forward to learning more and getting more time on the water this spring.

Fall Dinghy regatta report

Another great weekend of racing on the San Francisco city front with 91 sailors in 6 different classes spread out over 2 courses to close out our 2012 season. The formula fleet joined the kite boarders in mid afternoon starts both days while the 505's, wettas, lasers and radials all raced later morning starts and finishing by the time the big breeze rolled in.
With 6 races spread over 2 days in 15-25k, we had some great racing despite only 6 formula boards in the line up.

Our fleet is uber competitive and any 5 of those 6 sailors could win a race.
Our finishes were typically within 20-30 seconds of each other after a 15-20 min race!
There's no one sailor who has an advantage but its the one who makes the least mistake that normally takes the most wins.
Al Mirel was sailing very consistently Saturday afternoon taking all 3 bullets while CRAD, Tom, Soheil and myself all battled it out for the remaining spots. Lyn Olinger joined us as well making sure the women were represented!

The breeze was building all afternoon and all of the fleet was on their 10.0's except for Tom who was on the 11.0. It was almost as though there was 2 different breezes on the course as the inside was well lit up with lots of chop and rebound from the sea wall while the outside middle of the bay remained lighter and flatter- go figure as its usually the opposite! The tide was changing on the inside first and we had an tide line across our course most of the weekend.

I choose the high to medium air set up with the starboard 167, 64 kashy fin & avanti 10.0.
If I can get a lane and sail my own race- this set up works well.

I wasnt able to break free from the 2-3 sailors around me until Sunday when I went for better starts and gained a lane when I needed it most. I started off with a 4th as I got hosed at the start and never caught up well. Next race- I rallied back for a 2nd behind Al in a good race.
Race 3 - Tom and Al got a good jump but I was catching up on the last downwind.
With the flood tide, I was able to gybe early and take advantage of the extra speed of the flood and sail less distance I knew Tom was down there in my blind spot but couldn't tell exactly where.The avanti 10.0, starboard 167 and a small fin just rip downwind in the breeze.
The more parallel stance of the chicken straps makes it easier to push on the fin and get some blazing downwind speed.
Tom and I crossed the finish line together but he got the nod form the RC to take 2nd behind Al. When in doubt- push as hard as you can.
At the end of day 1- Al collected 3 bullets while Tom and I sat tied for 2nd.

Day 2- Breeze up so I went with the same set up. This time- making sure I got off the line well. I struggled out of the gate again starting with a 4th but quickly came back to take the last 2 bullets- ending up tied with Tom again but taking the tiebreaker on who had the better throwout. My last 2 races- I was able to shut the door on my competition at the start. I immediately went to the hand on the uphaul technique and made sure Al did not barrel over me. From there it was staying in control.  Soheil looked like he was going to get the last race but I passed him on the downwind- again taking advantage of the flood tide by sailing less distance. I also think the smaller fin and 167 goes better off the breeze than a mikes lab and bigger fin. 

At the end of the season- I finally have a better idea of what works and what doesn't and how to use that most effectively as possible.Sometimes this is the biggest challenge- just to know your equipment well enough be able to take advantage of it.

Laylines

Without a doubt, the level of our local fleet continues to rise every season.
It was all too evident in the last Friday night race of season when 3 of us tied for 1st place after 5 races. In the 12 + years Ive been racing windsurfers at the St. Francis- I dont ever think I've seen this happen.
Out of 5 races, we had 4 separate sailors with bullets!
It goes to show that no matter what- not only does every race count, but every decision you make on the course counts
And with the way the racing rules for sailing are (appendix b for windsurfers)- even your throw outs count when you're tied at the end of a series.


The lesson- race the series like there was no throw out!

Race 1 started with the fog and flood tide coming in strong along the city front course.
The RC from the race deck called for Course A- a quick windward leeward with 3 laylines to call in less than 6 min. The twilight series is a small sprint course that require calling exact laylines and sharp board handling skills. 5 races are run with sailors able to discard their worst scores.
13 races in the season. You can miss 2 and you have to do RC 1 time in the season.

Somewhat reluctantly I rigged for the gusts with my Avanti 10.0 and 67cm kashy.
The night before I was practicing on the course and got knocked down pretty hard a few times with some big southerly puffs at X.

I knew right from the first beat I was in trouble as I got rolled, not able to keep a lane with my medium size fin. 30 seconds into the race, I had to duck CRad's stern and go for speed. Meanwhile Eric was killing it - calling his laylines perfectly and getting the first bullet in a 14-16k breeze followed closely by CRad, Soheil and Al and myself in 5th.

A quick regroup.
I moved my boom up, my harness lines back and let about a 1/4-1/2" of downhaul off to get more power into the rig for the 2nd race.
This time around, I was able to get a clear lane off the start and immediately move into what I call my 'low end gears.' By holding the uphaul with my front hand and standing the rig upright, I was able to keep more pressure on the fin and drive the board. The technique works well with the starboard 167 as the board doesn't require a lot of power from the fin, but rather a more efficient technique from the sailor.

In fact, the board gets too over powered most of the time when there is breeze and a smaller fin is usually better to keep things under control.

Al was able to get a good inside start and B and reached the top mark just ahead. As we gybed out to get better air past Anita rock, I was starting to gain but knew the big move would be to call the layline for the leeward mark. On a short course, you can make big gains by calling the laylines better than your competitors. With the flood tide coming in strong, it also gave me a reason to understand and use the flood to carry down the extra distance. Al kept going as I gybed away but soon realized I hadnt gone far enough- even with the flood tide to help me.
I had 2 more gybes to make right around the leeward mark just as Soheil was coming in strong from the outside. I managed to keep him just behind me all the way to the seawall where I called for room to tack and we both headed up the last 1 minute beat to the finish line.
Im not sure Ive ever been in a closer finish as we were dead even going across the finish line just pinching up enough to make it around the A buoy and through the finish line.
I got the nod from the race deck letting me know I had won that battle but Soheil was far from finished.

Race 3- I kept the same strategy and went for speed off the line starting just below the pack at B but getting a good jump and immediately going the one hand on uphaul mode. I was blazing upwind even with a 67cm fin in 12-15k. The key to racing with smaller fins, I found- is to always keep the fin lit up by heeling the board to leeward and creating additional lift. Its harder to do when you're in a pack of boards with not much room to breath so getting clear air is essential to making it work. A smaller fin is usually faster if you can keep it lit.
 
 Shown above-uphaul technique to rail the board!

I kept my lead, called my laylines and got the bullet not taking any unnecessary risks up the final beat. When your in the lead, a more conservative approach works best.


By the time race 4 came around the flood tide had increased to 2-3 knots and the fog was as thick as mud. I went for the same thing that was working before- a conservative start in the middle of the line but a good lane with clear air. I ran down the line sailing over a few sailors gaining speed and dipped back down. With the flood tide, you can always count on the fleet being a few board lengths back from the line and can usually find a mid line sag. Eric came out just in front of me as we reached the windward mark in front of the rest of the pack after over standing the top mark and coming in strong as the flood was pushing us down. Im not sure how but Eric was able to gybe and get going leaving me struggling as the starboard tack fleet sailed right over the top of me leaving me with nothing but dirty air.
Here is where the 10.7 might have been a better choice.
In formula sailing you always want to be powered at your maximum.
Once you fall off a plane- game over :/
The sooner you can get back up to speed- the better.

As I got going again I lost track of the leeward mark in the fog and sailed way past it, almost having to sail back upwind to get to it. Meanwhile Soheil closed the gap and was right on my tail as we rounded X.
This time, I went all the way into the wall while he tacked early. There was just enough of a wind bubble on by the seawall that it took me a few seconds to get going again and Soheil took 2nd in front of me calling the perfect layline to the finish line.
Race 5 was almost a repeat of race 4 but in the last min there were no puffs coming down the inside of the course.  The best thing to do in a light wind start is to get going early to be able to plane off the line. I got off the line well, starting to pump and get going almost 30 sends before the gun. I used the speed to head down the line as the rest of the fleet stayed parked at B on the inside. With a good lead, all I had to do was call my laylines right and Id be golden.

Seems simple enough!
Try calling a layline in a 3k flood tide and a dying breeze!
I sailed past the layline and counted to 10 and even gave myself an extra 10 seconds for safety as I was ahead. The angles in formula windsurfing as such that you can look over your back shoulder when sailing upwind and if you can see the mark, you should be able to make it. When sailing upwind on a windward beat, I always keep track of the windward mark and start thinking about tacking when I look over my front should and the mark just goes out of my view.  With a ebb tide, you can tack a bit sooner as the ebb will carry you upwind. With a flood tide you need to sail past the laylines to compensate for the ground you will lose due to the flood.
I just made it around sneaking past Anita and gybed back out to the breeze outside. The downwind layline was even trickier as I lost sight of it again in the fog and had to do a double gybe to get back on course. This was enough to let Soheil back into the game as we rounded the leeward mark pretty close. I had the lead but anything was possible with just one last move to make.
This time, I made the call and tacked before I reached the light air on the inside.
Soheil kept going.
I just about had the finish line laid when I got to a lull and failed to keep the board moving and with the flood tide going strong, it pushed down enough to where I had to double tack the finish while Soheil took his first bullet of the night.
That was enough for Soheil to take his 1st regatta win of the season, breaking the 3 way tie between Eric & myself.
The big lesson tonight was calling your laylines.
It can make you into a hero or a zero.

Aweome performance by all and another great season of racing at the St.FYC.

The RC has invited us to race in the fall dinghy regatta on October 22-23 so 1 more race to look forward to this year!

water under the bridge

5k ebb & clean peaks stacking up nicely at the south tower...

I had just gotten off an 11 hour transatlantic flight.
The recycled stale air and 3" of coach class leg room clearance had just about broken me.
I needed a fix.
The jet lag could wait.
I rode down the presidio, across the gg golden gate bridge on my bike to pick up my car in Sausalito and then down to the beach where 15-22k and a big ebb tide swell were waiting for me in the middle of the Bay.  From the bridge you could see the brown water ebbing out the gate like a river.
The tide lines lines were fantastic with the ebb tide swell setting up perfectly in front of a flat water paradise in the middle of the Bay.
I immediately took the ebb ladder up to yellow bluff at the Marin headlands were the swell was already penetrating the gate with some nice sets barreling through the slot.
The wind was in the high teens with an abundance of late afternoon sunshine coming through the golden gate. The September twilight colors are so intense that it makes you want to be the last one off the water every time.

Experience had taught me not to ever get too greedy- especially as the season starts to rool down.
Nobody like a shlog home even after a stellar session1

The avanti 7.7 and mikes lab slalom board were the perfect set up.
2 of the lightest pieces of equipment I have in my quiver and have ever sailed.
They make windsurfing so much fun as it feels like you've got nothing in your hands or below your feet at all.The board just floats over the chop and through the gybes.

Even with a cut down 44cm carbon formula fin, the board turns so nicely in the 3-4' swell that was stacking up with the outgoing ebb tide and opposing seas breeze.
The advantage of a strung membrane vs a traditional sail is amazing.
The sail feels like a rigid wing but soft enough to feel the power.

A few missed gybes and a thorough salt water flushing of 50 degree water and it was all good! Like I never missed a day.

blue moon sprint

There's hardly a day that goes by that I don't try to line up on the San Francisco Bay and sent it downwind under the golden gate bridge.
Its the ultimate sailing experience!

If I'm not there, I'm thinking about it.
Its one of my favorite places in the world to be.
Conditions are never quite the same despite the the bridge being there since 1933 towering 220 feet above mouth of the San Francisco Bay.
I've been sailing under the golden gate bridge since I first moved to San Francisco in 2000.
Id recon at least 50-75 days a year x 10 years has allowed me to see a huge variety of conditions.

The chop, the swell, the wind, the inbound & outbound commercial freighters, the wildlife, the fog, the long dronning buzz of the foghorn, the view of the San Francisco city front on one side and the Marin headlands on the other, the tide lines, the incredible perspective of sailing under the bridge with the swell lifting you up are all the things that make this place so special.

There's the north tower set at the Marin shore.
Legend has it the great whites come here as the channel runs deep and is ripe with sea life.

The South tower can create a standing wave on a good ebb tide that allows you endlessly ride the incoming swell while the tide pulls you out!

Some days, the center span can bring howling 40k gust that venturi through the coastal gaps and under the golden gate bridge and into the San Francisco Bay while the ebb runs like a a river in the opposite direction stirring up a voodoo chop of white frothy mess on the water's surface.

Other times, the water is like a sheet of silk with barley a ripple on and the flood tide running at 4-5k into the SF Bay. It days like this that you can plane across the water on a formula board without a single sound.

Ive painted the picture.
Set the scene.
Enter the 2012 Ronstan Bridge to Bridge race.
 
I tried to run the course a few days earlier in the week and develop a strategy based on the winds and tides along the city front and in the southern shipping channel. My goal was to stay in the breeze, gybe early if needed to and stay upright at all cost in the voodoo chop. Max ebb was a 4:54 with a 3.65k outgoing tide

I was becoming intimate with my custom double chicken strap on the starboard 167 formula board through the disorganized chaos of chop and swell on the course. This years starboard goes especially well off the breeze and Ive learned that it doesn't need a big fin at all to stay powered.
My cut down 64cm kashy fin made the ride tolerable and even somewhat enjoyable.


The last piece of my quiver was the avanti 10.0 sail.
Despite being a light wind slalom sail- the sail blazes downwind. Its my go to sail for sailing in most any condition on formula in the SF Bay.

69 other high performance sailing craft joined the fun for a 5:30 start.
Rumor had it 2 Ac 45's were going to race plus l'hydropture- an amazing experiment in fluid hydrodynamics and all out sailing power. To give you an idea of what the hydropture is capable of- take the record they broke earlier in the week practicing speed runs on the SF Bay.


In winds just above 20 knots, the boat reached 44.5 knots driven by skipper Alain Thébault and with the CEO of America’s Cup team Artemis Racing, Paul Cayard, aboard. That's more than 20 percent faster than even the bay's high speed ferries (which run at 36 knots). In heavy wind the boat has a top end potential of 61 knots (more than 70 mph.)
I tried lining up with her earlier in the week and got spat out like a water melon seed in the turbulence of wind and water wake as they passed me like I was standing still.

During the line up during the pre start- it became obvious the boat wasn't in a safe position with all the other kites and formula boards jetting in every direction. The took the wise move and started 5 min early for the safety of everyone around.
That however still left the Aussie 18 skiffs and kite boarders to content with as well as a handful of other foiling trimaran powered kites, extreme 40 catamarans, and what not's on the starting line.

The start was postponed as we waited for in inbound tug and an outbound freight to clear the starting area. The start line was set between the red nun buoy west of the south tower and a start boat set just north of mid span. The line was broken up into 3rds with the kite and formula boards starting in the most northern section of the line.

I knew there would be a mid line sag with the ebb and the fact the 2 mid boat lines were not sighting the line. I had Johnny Heineken just below me as we both squirted out from the pack 5 seconds early  and got a good jump on the pack at the start. I've sailed enough against Heineken that I know I can trap him, at least temporarily, by sailing beneath him and limiting his kite but I wasnt looking for any battles. I was just looking to go as fast as I could downwind 7.5 miles to the finish line set beneath the eastern most span of the Bay Bridge. Besides Ive given up on trying to beat the kites downwind while powered. They can go super deep. The only chance is when it lightens up and the formula board is back in the game again.
I continued on starboard tack off the line till around the St.FYC where I gybed back and could tell the top few kites had much deeper angles and I crossed just in front of the first skiff and held a good lead on the rest of the windsurfers. The pressure was starting to drop in the middle of the Bay so I gybed back and had a nice line just above Alcatraz.  There was a lot of disorganized chop and I was going between the chicken and the double chicken strap as the pressure went from 14-22k.
The tug that delayed our start was now bearing directly towards the finish line with the top few kites weaving around it. I choose to stay north where the pressure was as I didn't want to get trapped on the south side of the tug where the city front winds could be lighter as we turned the corner towards the Bay bridge.

The move paid off as I was still in the hunt in the top 10. Gomes went down hard just in front of me as he dipped his edge of his kite in the water while trying to stay alive on his slalom style kiteboard.
A ton of different strategies on what works best on a strictly downwind course
Heineken, who was using a course board, 13m Ozone edge kite but smaller fins had walked away at this point and was nearing the finish line. I was making some gain on kiter, Adam Koch on his course board in the lighter stuff but one or two puffs carried him 100m deeper and out of reach. Nearing the finish the top skiff just crossed in front of me but I had better speed bearing away for the finish.
It was going to be really close.
We were overlapped at the finish with the skiff finishing at the pin and and myself at the boat end.
I looked around and was happily surprised I was able to get all the other windsurfers and about 90 seconds back from the winner.
With the kites taking the top 7 positions, the first skiff just edging me out, I sat in 9th overall.
Johnny Heineken a new course record with a time of 14 minutes and 14 seconds blazing deeper and faster than anything else on the course.

Steve Sylvester was the 2nd windsurfer about a min back from me with Eric Christianson following close behind.
You can always count on the St.FYC to throw a good party and awards after the final competitors are picked up, boards put away and sails rolled up.

Johnny's secret- go fast and don't look back!

results

Past winners:
1998- McKee Brothers 49'er 27'-18"
1999- Bill Wier- windsurfer 25'-20"
2000- Vlad Moroz- windsurfer 21'-20"
2001- Rob Hartman- windsurfer 20'-20"
2002-Chip Wasson- kiteboarder 18'-04"
2003- Micah Buzianis -windsurfer 16'-23"
2004- Seth Besse -windsurfer 17'-10"
2005- Anthony Chazez- kitrboarder 17'-54"
2006- Jeff Kafka -kiteboarder 20'-28"
2007- Chip Wasson- kiteboarder 16'-30"
2008- Howard Hamlin- Aussie18 skiff 22'-25"
2009-John Winnning Ausie 18 skiff 19'-46"
2010- Michael C -Aussie 18 skiff 19'-44"
2011- Bernie Lake -kiteboarder (16'-15")
2012-  Johnny Heineken -kiteboarder 14'-14"

Olympic Sailing commentary

How the non sailing world sees Olympic sailing:





Big congrats to Dorian Van Rijsselberge from the Netherlands for winning the men's fleet with 2 races to spare.
Both his training partners for the past quad also placed in the top 10- Canadian Zak Plavsic & New Zealander JP Tobin.
Their program was run by former Olympian windsurfer Aaron McIntosh.


The biggest thing I came away with after watching the Olympic sailing was from the Australian 49er team who said "It's not about your best race- It's about your worst. Make sure every race is a keeper. Every single point counts."

8 day windsurfing bender

 8 days & 32 windsurf races later this summer windsurfing bender comes to an end. We completed 8 formula races & 12 slalom heats at the US Windsurfing National Champs in the gorge this week (and for those you following- that was after a 5 day formula north American champs in SF last week.)

Going into the last 2 races my energy level was just about depleted. My muscles ached, my feet were cut, my ronstan watch was even giving me a blank face, not with its usual count down but with a WTF are you doing look!

I think the thing that got me was starting formula races at 9:45 in the morning.  
Darren Rogers saw "the cloud in the hole," which meant accelerated breeze down the gorge corridor for the last day of racing. 

I had gotten a good jump on the 1st race of the day finishing 3rd but Xavier was 5th so that meant we were tied going into the last race. The breeze was 16-18k and I was having good speed and angle on my avanti 10.0 &  zf71 fin in my starboard 167. I arrived in a pack at the top mark with 5 other racers and gybed early following Bruce back to the middle of the river. I've learned that lesson well- don't split tacks with the undisputed king of the river. At the leeward mark I had a clear lane back up the port beat upwind. I held my own with Percey in tow. We split tacks downwind and I was able to sneak into 3rd. 

Going into the last race I switched down to my 64 fin as the breeze was up to 18-22k. I tried to protect the left side of the course as the breeze was sw but alas Phil &; Xavier got an early jump on me in the stronger breeze in the middle of the river. Xavier just edged me out by 1 point to take 2nd in the formula fleet but thus is the closest I've been this season. Phil was in a league of his own making the Maui Sails look very fast & took every bullet of the series except where he was dsq'ed for a port/starboard incident on day 2. 

The call was made to switch to slalom with a 11:30 start. I hadn't even had my morning coffee yet and I was rigging my 4th sail of the day. I went with what was working best- the ml 70cm slalom board, 44cm fin & 7.8 north warp. The board comes out beautifully from the gybes and is effortless to sail. 

I know I didn't have the top speed as the top 2-3 guys in the fleet as I don't get to race slalom as much as formula but I knew I could be consistant. I had 3s and 4s from the previous days and was sitting in 5th overall for the slalom out of 44 racers. 

First race I hit the start perfect coming into the first mark in the pack but climbed right over then and was comfortably in 3rd behind Bruce &Phil 1/2 way through the race. I fell on 1 gybe but minimized the damages by only letting one guy pass me and finished a strong 4th. 

Next 2 races I was doing well but not in the top hunt as I was getting a bit OP'ed with the 7.8 in 22-25k. Normally I would have switched down to the 7.0 but my mast snapped the previous day leaving my luff sleeve with a pretty impressive 6' tear. 
Ouch! Run with what you've got.

1 more round of slalom with 3 races. For each fleet. I went down hard the 2nd race but just held it together with a top 5 finish in the last race to take the mens masters division title (just in front of Xavier!)

Bruce had a strong slalom showing so that bumped him up in the overall for 2nd behind Phil who killed it again in slalom. Tyson Poor was the only one to properly challenge him tying him in points but Phil won the tiebreaker. 

In 3rd place overall Xavier &; I tied for points but I was able to win the tiebreaker with the better throwout from the formula & slalom series. 

3rd overall ,1st  in men's masters slalom &; 3rd in formula was how I ended things. I couldn't be more stoked. I gave it my all and came out well. 

There's still some things to improve on but with Phil the great grand master still kicking my ass I think I'll have plenty if time to get it right. 

Overall a great regatta with the AWT stepping up to run the event. 
Thanks to all the volunteers who made it happen. 

Thanks to my plethora of sponsors & team that helped make it all happen:

St.FYC, Neil Pryde, Avanti, North, Starboard, Z fins, Patagonia & Mikeslab. 

US Windsurfing Nationals: Take it while you can get it.

US Windsurfing Nationals Day 3 from American Windsurfing Tour on Vimeo.

The forecast looks meager at best during this weeks us windsurfing nationals in the gorge.
Day 1 started with 3 formula course races in 10-16k then building to 14-18k before we switched to slalom where 6 heats were run.
So far consistency has paid off with no over earlies & no big bummers. Except for a slalom mast breaking in the beach I was pretty consistent with a 3-3-3 in formula behind Phil and Xavier. I used 10.7 in first 2 races before switching down to 10.0 for last race. Racing was close with the top 3 walking away from the rest if the fleet. Out front was McGain and then Xavier and finally myself battling it out. I was able to get good starts on starboard and hold my angle well upwind. The Np 10.7 really trucks downwind in the 12-15k range.
Last start I got below a few slow starters and had too work my back though the fleet. The 10.0 was well powered in 16-18k and I managed to get back to third by tacking back early in the 2nd upwind beat and getting a nice lift behind Wells island right to the mark.
We had a 30min break before switching to slalom where I again was constant with 3 4th places. I was playing it safe not trying to make any mistakes but fully charging in the 1st and 2nd beats.
After that it's kind of a parade so I must concentrated in making all my gybes. The slalom hears are divided into 4 groups of 11 sailed each so 22 on the line or each start.

US Windsurfing Nationals Day 2 from American Windsurfing Tour on Vimeo.

Day 2
Slow start for the breeze to fill in with a 1pm start & 3 course races followed by 3 slalom races.
Wind was lighter than the previous days so 10.7 was working well. I charged hard off the line and was going back and forth with Xavier for 2nd behind Phil. It can down to the last gybe where I was able to squeeze past him by pumping just a bit harder and get going 2 seconds sooner.
Sometimes that's all it takes!



Race 2 started with me winning the pin and getting a good jump on the fleet and was climbing on Phil on starboard tack but his angle seemed better better matched on port. I was running the z 71 fin with the 10.7 with good speed. Downwind I had Bruce for 2nd but it looked like the tacking angles were similar to yesterday so I tried to tack back and gain on Phil but ended up loosing Bruce as both he and Phil were able to make the layline in 1 tack. Downwind it was Bruce who just snuck by Phil at the finish but it turned out Bruce was osc.
Great lesson- keep your cover.

Race 3 started similarly with most of the fleet on starboard except Xavier was looking to comeback strong as he broke a harness line in the previous race. I switched down to my 10.0 as it was already 18-22k. Speed and angle were very good. Xavier was a bit closer to Phil charging the front while I was going back and forth with Bruce. He finally got me in the last downwind as I finished 4th.

Another 1/2 hour break and off again for 3 rounds of slalom.
I was way more consistent today at least for the last 2 races where I picked up a 2nd & 3rd. In race 1 I got hosed at the first mark with Percy sailing right over me as I went down.
The next 2 races I again charged hard making the big gains at mark 1. I feel really comfortable with the 7.8 and ml slalom. The board gybes really well and comes up on a plane soon after coming out of the gybes. I was running a 44cm carbon fin in 16-22k.
At the end of the day- sailing good but still some room to improve as always.
3rd in formula & 4th or 5th in slalom.
1 more day of racing to finish this 8 day windsurfing bender of 2 back to back regattas.

putting it all together

I'm not sure the regatta could have ended on a higher note.
I got my best results of the series on the last day with a 4-4-3 bumping me up 2 positions to 6th overall- just shy of my top 5 goal but at this point Im stoked to have found the speed and angle around the course to hang with the top guys.
Conditions weren't as hairy as the previous 2 days but rather a modest 15-22k and a flat water flood tide. The avanti 10.0 came alive in terms of performance and I was able to use it all 3 races. I had my mast track pegged a bit more forward and everything felt dialed. My starts were much better popping out from the pack and getting a clear lane to grind upwind. Its times like these when everything lines up that keeps me coming back.
Details form the race are a little fuzzy at this point but I do recall making the biggest gains right from the start off the line with good starts. My 1st 2 races I got off the line on port tack with a few others and held strong up the long beat to windward. Im beginning to finally realize what it takes to fly the 64cm fin efficiently. You really need to keep on your toes to keep the foil trimmed correctly or your angle suffers. Downwind- it's a dream through the chop and swell. 
I was playing things a bit conservatively in the flood tide by overstanding and that probably cost me 1 or 2 places but better to be safe than have to double tack the windward mark. Downwind, its just the opposite- you can take advantage of the flood tide by understanding the leeward gate and pushing hard in the flood tide for big gains.
Since we were sailing a single lap course, the legs were quite long so you needed to be aware of how sailing next to the shore would affect the boundaries of the course. I finally nailed it by rounding the leward gate and heading outside and not tacking back until I could cross last chance beach, Once there- you could tack and take advantage of the inside southerly lift and almost make the line wile the others who banged the outise corner had to deal with the flood tide across the bows and with out a doubt had to double tack the finish line.
The last race I rounded 3rd behind Al and Schurman. I had a good lane on Al upwind and was confident I had him but Schurman and the rest of the fleet went inside. Who to cover?
I stuck with my gut and went outside and the puffs inside were still random. The mistake I made was overestimating how much flood was left. When Al tacked for the finish, I waited another 10 seconds but this was too much as he called the layline perfectly and snagged 2nd. We almost got Schurman as he was struggling inside with lighter air.
Overall- very happy.
Now off to the gorge for the US Nationals.
Stay tuned.....