no wind so cal

So I made another trip down to southern California for the SoCal Cup
but alas there was no wind- or not much of it compared to the summer we've been having in the SF Bay. I havn't had much success with sailing in Long Beach with last years Olympic pre trials and this years no wind calcup.
Makes me realize how good we have it in SF with a great organization and plenty of wind!
Nonetheless with just the slightest breeze near shore- we had to sail up to the breakwater- nearly 3 miles out to get to the wind-line with 11.0s.
There was plenty of motorboat chop in and out of the harbor and the moored freighters provide a bigger wind shadow than you would expect. I did get a chance to test out a new 70 cm soft fin and also got a chance to find out some light air settings on my 11.0 which I havn't sailed since May!
Some light air settings that I found useful were:
higher booms,
mast track back 2-3 cm,
outhaul on upper clew grommet,
longer harness lines ,
a forward raked fin,
as well as a really loose outhaul setting to get going when beginning to pump.

These are all things you can do before going out and on the water to get better low end from your kit. Of course having a broken batten doesn't help at all. After realizing this I came in and de rigged and watched a handful of so-cal sailors- along with Eric Christianson from the Bay area sail 2 laps around a set course in marginal conditions. Oh well- sometimes you've got to learn the lessons when you can!
Meanwhile back in SF, the kite fleet held their first national championships with 59 kiters racing 16 races over 3 days and a big air day and boarder cross on the w-end! Local crissy kiter Anthony Chavez took the honors while all around waterman- Seth Besse- placed a respectable 26th in the gold fleet. A complete report can be found here on Kimball's Sail magazine blog site.
Well at least nobdy was killed- a plus for the kiters in their 3rd season of kite racing on the Bay!Thanks to Chris Ray for the pics!
For results- check out the StFYC site or here
Also some great videos of the kiters in action at crissy during their nationals:

As well as the new all time record for hang time- nearly 12 seconds:


For more kiteboarding racing check out the video section at www.myhuck.com

With one more week before the US Nationals in SF, the pressure is on.
Several top notch sailors will be coming from around the US, South America and Europe.
Looks like the action will be in Formula and slalom but several RSX sailors will be there in preparation for next year Olympic games.
If you cant make it down to crissy field to watch- check out the action on the exploritorium web cam

SF Classic/ UN Challenge Day 2

Sundays course racing on the San Francisco city front was another lesson is endurance, pain and hopefully some lessons learned at the end of the day. If theres one thing for sure in this fleet- its to make sure and leave your ego ashore. Windsurfing is a humbling sport but you just have to remember- if your hurting that bad- just imagine what the guy next to you is feeling!

I should have taken note when Steve S only rigged his 9.0 Sunday morning. My legs were still like jello from yesterdays 45+ mile jaunt. It was still borderline 9.0-10.0 when we left so I decided to take the 9.9 again with the 70 cm fin.
Race 1- Pin end favored with more wind on the outside so I decided to start on port and go right. I should have gone for the cross but decided to duck a few starboard takers and take their sterns in the beginning as to get to the favored side early. I ended up finding a lane to leeward of the rest of the port starters and began to climb with David Wells on my leeward hip and Al just above to windward. Al, Steve and I rounded the top mark and all headed downwind near the San Francisco city front. I was in the position where I could put on the heat going into the bottom mark and have a close rounding with Al or ease up a bit and stick my bow up a the rounding and go for the inside lane. The later worked as I was able to climb on Al and by the time we got to the layline was up 10 board lengths to windward. I waited for him to tack so I could cover and headed to the windward mark for the 2nd time around. I'm not sure if I was just too overpowered at this point but in hindsight I had my sail fully flattened to de-powered to deal with the gust coming down the course. I lost all my angle while the rest of the fleet made it around the top mark. I double tacked and somehow salvaged 3rd passing a few boards off the breeze before coming to a photo finish with Ben across the line. Steve S took the bullet and Al got a safe 2nd.
Race 2- the breeze was building, the chop was increasing, my energy was running low. I decided on the same strategy to go right and start on port. This time around I was getting worked to weather as I didnt have the strength to muscle the 9.9 and 70 cm fin upwind. I was in damage control and rounded in mid fleet- having to double tack the windward mark again! Racing in the pack is always fun as it keeps the pressure on. Percy and I had some runs off the breeze where I thought I was going to blow up if I pushed any further. I had to pass him to make salvage what ever was left. Up front it was Ben who worked the fleet with his great speed to take the bullet with Steve and Al close behind. I crawled across the line in 6th- trying to save face for the final race ahead!
Race 3- This time around I knew I had to pull something out from deep inside of me. I really wanted to finish strong to prove to myself that I had it in me. After all that's why we race this silly sport. Its not bragging rights or trophies, its a test of one will, determination.
The pep talk worked as I got off the line clean on starboard- heading in towards shore and the lighter (relatively speaking) breeze with the rest of the fleet in tow. Percy was putting on some serious pressure and I had to temporarily duck him to get clear air but soon enough got it back near shore. He was the first to tack as Steve S and I took our course as close to shore as possible. Meanwhile Ben was working the outside fully wound. He rounded to top mark in first while I lead the rest of the fleet coming into the top mark fully wound. I looked back to see 5 boards on the layline fully lit and out of control. Off the breeze I thought it would be safe to stay inside but really should have learned my lesson from the previous downwind legs where the guys who gybed early where coming in strong at the bottom mark. Eric did exactly this and rounded in 2nd a the bottom. I had to again keep some serious angle to work my way back upwind. At this point Ben was gone in 1st so all I had to do was not mess up and cover the fleet. Upwind I grinded with my last ounce of energy - fully wound on the outside. Immediately rounding the top mark in 2nd I gybed so to get the better breeze outside and held on to 2nd.
The fleet was so mixed I wasn't sure where we finished but it was Al who edged me out for 3rd by 1 point and Steve S grabbing 2nd and Ben getting honors again. I'm looking forward to some rest the next few days to recover before making it my mission to train hard for the upcoming US Nationals in San Francisco next month.
For all the photos of Sundays course racing, click here
Thanks to Chris for an amazing eye and lens on the water
Thanks to another stellar race provided by the StFYC and John Craig managing the RC solo.

SF Classic/UN Challenge Day 1

7.7.07- may have brought some unforeseen luck for some sailors but anyone of the 15 windsurfers and kiters who finished this years SF Classic and UN Challenge had been training hard all season for the premier long distance race in the US Windsurfing National Ranking Tour.

A light wind and fog greeted the formula and kite fleet on Saturday morning for the skippers meeting on the race deck of the St. Francis Y.C. Soon enough by 2:30 the breeze filled in for a start just off Anita Rock in front of Crissy Field. The tide would be flooding all afternoon and the race would take sailors on a 45+ mile journey outside the golden gate and around 14 downwind gybe marks before heading through the end of the Berkeley pier and coming back upwind for the Ultra Nectar Challenge. Most sailors choose their 10.0 and ML boards as thats the unofficial SF one design.
The fleet was split at the start with half on port and half on starboard. I opted for port at the pin just above Mike Z and Ben. We crossed the starboard tackers with no problem and headed out to the breeze. Ben pulled away with some amazing speed while I worked my angle the best I could to shut Mike Z out. It was the beginning of a long race but every battle counted. David Wells got away clean on port below us and was out to a good start on his new L6 and finworks fin. I looked back to check the starboard tackers who were getting a nice inside lift at this point and climbing but it was still a bit sketchy near shore. Ben was the first to tack as he ran out of room heading towards the north tower. I carried it out further as I knew there was a strong flood and clearing the south tower was number one priority. As we got closer to the red nun just outside the gate, it was evident, the San Francisco conditions were indeed classic. The standing 4' voodoo chop hit the fleet like a mack truck in LA traffic. Boards were going down left and right...The leaders falling like trees in a storm.
I rounded the top mark with Mike Z in town and Eric just in front of us. Ben was down, Steve S was down, Percy was down and soon enough I was down as I tried to go for the chicken strap and go deep through the chop. With a quick recovery in the crazy conditions I was back up in the race heading down to the mark just inside the north tower- still in 3rd place. As we headed down across the bay towards the Presidio shoal marker, it was evident the flood was strong and the wind light near shore- what to do- come in low with speed or take the high route and work the flood?
Neither route worked for me as I was at the mercy of the puffs coming down the course. Percy , Al and Steve S all came in strong an managed to pass me while I was cursing to myself- standing still near the mark, waiting, just waiting for a puff to come down the course. Its all about recovery I though as I proceeded back upwind with Steve S. and Al just in front. One more time around the top mark separated the boys from the men and soon enough we were off on the reaching part of the race. There wasn't a whole lot of passing here but up in front David Wells was walking away from Eric in 2nd. The rest of us followed in tow zig zagging across the bay from Anita rock to Harding; under Alcatraz to Blossum, back to Harding- over to R4 and back to R2. It wouldn't be the Classic if something exciting didn't happen.
Being out in front gives you a great opportunity to sail your own race but this time Davis forgot to round R4 and gave the race the Eric who was well prepared with sight lines on all the marks. On the reach to Blossum Al, Steve S and Mike Z were all putting the petal to the medal. There wasn't much I cold do with those guys in front of me except wait for them to make a mistake. Not likely as Steve S has only missed this race 2x since its start in 1978. Last year he didn't even stop for a boat load of drowning sea-scouts! The man has priorities! Al had the unfortunate experience of finding some waterfowl to make the leg interesting. He slammed into a bird sending him into a great catapult. I quickly turned on the afterburners to catch up but he hung in there for the next 2 legs until we turned the corner to go downwind to the Berkeley pier. I rounded just in front of him but at this point there was only 2 more legs left to push. Steve and Mike Z were a good 30 seconds enough ahead and Eric and Percy were a decent minute up from me. David Wells snuck in there to salvage a 5th in front of me but was obviously disappointed after leading much of the race.
Nothing to do but forget about the previous hour and ten minutes and concentrate on the next half of the race back up wind. I immediately tacked to port going back to the stronger breeze shooting a gap in the Berkeley pier with David. I was climbing on most of the fleet and by the time I got to the first cross I had made up a lot of distance. My goal was to stay left of the fleet to get out of the flood. Eric took the Angel island shore a bit too close while Percy was getting some great wind just below Alcatraz. The chop at this point was steep and close together. I was just trying to eep the board going with the best VMG possible. I tacked back early once when I could clear Point Blunt and sailed up towards the Tiberon peninsula. It was getting lighter in there but I had some decent separation between the fleet and on the way back managed to cross Percy. It wasnt untill I was coming across the middle of the Bay did I see Steve S who chose the city front side to come up wind on did I realize I had a chance of winning.
I think they key was just wanting it. I knew I didn't have the best downwind race so coming back upwind I gave 110%- even when sailing on my own not in close proximity to the fleet. The 70cm kashy fin points like an Americas cup boat even when overpowered- theres a lot of lift. Off the breeze, its a little hairy in the voodoo chop but Mike Z factored that in with the double chicken strap this year.
It wasn't until later in the evening when the elapsed time came out did we realize that Ben- who rounded the bottom mark 10 minutes behind me- sailed a faster upwind course than me by 73 seconds. He was really flying with his 11.6. I didn't think it was possible but over the long haul it was his better vmg than won. Ben goes for speed. Hes a big boy weighing in at 210-220lbs. Combine that with a fast rig and some serious footing and you've got your upwind champion.
Congrats to him and Eric for showing us how to get the job done.
A couple of hundred photos from the race- can be found here
Thanks again to Chris for enduring a wet day on the water!
Results and Al's gps tracks can be found here

June 2007 training and racing

Its been a windy past 2 weeks of windsurfing on the San Francisco city front with lit up slalom sessions after work 4-5 days a week. Soheil, Royce, Bill Wier, JK and others have all been getting their kits dialed in for the US Windsurfing nationals next month- more info here


I put formula training on hold until last Friday when we had another twilight series - and man did it show. I made plenty of mistakes and sloppy board-handling transitions.
Despite getting a good jump on the competition with good starts and weather mark roundings I fell 2x off the breeze in the voodoo chop just outside mark A from the St. Francis YC.
Race 1- I lead all the way around only to sail myself into a hole near the shore on the last upwind and fall on a tack- letting Eric take the bullet.
Race 2- With the breeze up to the low 20's on the outside, Ben gets some good speed off the line and rounds the top mark in 1st. He has been flying with the Hansen sails in the breeze. Off the breeze-its a case of staying in control. Ben goes down hard. I ride the 3/4 chicken strap in the chop with the 70 cm fin just to stay upright. Last upwind I make sure to not sail too close to shore to avoid the wind shadow and tack close enough to make the finish in 1st. Bill Weir gets a good race to finish 2nd
Race 3- JK put the pressure on me upwind with his 70 cm mikes lab fin on the first upwind. No doubt this has given him a better upwind performance despite being on the stiff side. I duck him and search for clear air then having to foot through Ben's bad air. Eric and Ben round clean and get a good distance established and not enough time to claw back. I fend of the rest of the fleet to take 3rd. Weir retires after a broken mast.
Race 4 - breeze is up again. I start at B and get a good lane to climb and be the inside boat in the lift off the shore. Off the breeze I go down hard but a quick recovery to salvage 4th- my discard.
Race 5- pressure is on. I sail solid race leading entire way around to take bullet and series. North 9.9 and 70 cm kashy fin seems to be good set up for most conditions. Booms are set a bit lower this year for more control. Mast base in mid track or just a bit forward in op'ed conditions.

Plenty of good slalom training this year as I'm getting my kit dialed in for nationals and hopefully some slalom 42 racing this fall in Europe. Slalom 42 is another discipline of racing like the Olympic class and formula class. This time instead of formula's 3 rigs, 3 fins and 1 board rule, slalom 42 gives you the option for 4 rigs and 2 boards for downwind slalom racing More people can relate to slalom gear as it isn't as gear intensive as formula racing- but still its alot of equipment!
I added a F2 sx medium 105 l board as well as a f2 large 130l board to my quiver. They both are a lot of fun to sail and aren't as intensive as grinding upwind and downwind on formula big gear. Dave Lasilla from finworks has hooked me up with some good slalom fins as well as finally getting some fast formula fins developed. Look for them at the front of the fleet by nationals this year!
Im finding some really good results with rigging the 6.3 with just a tad more recommended downhaul than suggested. With the mikes lab 95l slalom board- this is the set up for San Francisco voodoo chop and gusty city front conditions.

Twilight Series- June 16th StFYC

If you are having trouble slides, click here and go strait to the online photos.

The breeze has been up the past 2 weeks with lots of training. Ill try to let the pictures speak for themselves this time around with a brief race summary.

Race 1- Seth starts just upwind of me and gets the southerly lift off the shore with Al in 2nd. Downwind the pressure is one and I pass Al near the leeward mark to keep a solid 2nd. Breeze is up to solid 20-25k. The fleet is all on 10.0's

Race 2- I decide to put a bit more pressure on Seth knowing my upwind angle is as good or better. We grind off the line and I am able to pinch him off my the first upwind mark. Seth bends a fin bolt after hitting something in the water and retires. Eric and I battle it out downwind with a tight rounding in front of the St. Francis. You know you cant blow that gybe! I round the leeward mark in first with Eric and Al close behind in the solid breeze.

Race 3- I get stuck in a hole just before the start and am late for the start. its catch up time. I pick my way back through the fleet one at a time. Seth and I are neck and neck heading up the last leg. He pushes hard to leeward to make the line. I cant keep his angle for that long and duck below seeing the finish is further that we both think. I tack and cross the line just feet in front of him. Another bullet.

Race 4- Another good start and round up top with Seth but I get the puff and ride it down to make B in one gybe in front of Seth. He gets me back on the downwind where we round the leeward mark with the Red and White ferry crossing between us. Good time to tack I think as it looks light inside. I get a good breeze outside and make the finish in first.

Race 5- Seth and I switch boards. The F2 is a handful in the breeze. Good but just different than the Mikes Lab. It takes more to keep the nose down. I'm glad I got the Lab again this year. It looks like a windy summer ahead!
Thanks to Chris Pommodoro for the great photos- available here

Ronstan Challenge Day 1

The Ronstan Bay Challenge has been a tradition among Bay Area windsurfers since the early 1990s. Unlike its often confused sister race- the Bay Classic- run later in the year- this downwind and upwind 20 mile + marathon is run with only 3 marks- an upwind mark set just inside the Golden Gate Bridge, the Berkley Pier and the finish line in front of the St. Francis Yacht Club. It's a no holds bar VMG race with unlimited opportunities to sail your own course- find the secret ebb behind Alcatraz and you could be golden but never-ever forget to take yours eyes off the racers around you.


Day 1 of the Ronstan Challenge brings the long distance race while Day 2 is reserved for course racing on the city front in front of Crissy Field. Its always a tough call what to rig for the Challenge as you'll get exposed to lots of different variables throughout the course- gusty wind and ebb chop just inside the gate, a suicide path of gnarly stand up chop at the shoals just east of Alcatraz and the possibility of a fogged in Bay to keep you guessing where the finish line might be. It could be any one's race.
I gambled and rigged the 9.9 slalom sail and the 70 cm kashy fin. This would be a fun race no matter what happended
The starting line was set just north of Crissy field. Approximately 23 formula boards and 15
+ kiters took the line for 2 starts. The boards were off first with Mike Z winning the boat and sailing the first beat with rather quickly as the rest of the fleet struggled to double tack around the top mark. With 4 or 5 sailors in front of me already I knew I would have to work to get myself near the top. I was able to work deep with my 9.9 in the first few puffs and stay below Sylvester and Radkowski who were on their 9.0s above me. Seth and Mike Z were ahead but within stiking distance. Also in the hunt was Eric Christenson who found some decent speed this year with a kashy fin. At our first gybe near Harding rock Sylvester got a good jump on me and we evened out side by side for the ride down to Berkeley. A few minutes into the run we started to run into some decent chop, cross traffic of barges and ferries that finally separated us. Sylvester was able to go deeper with a smaller 65 cm fin while I struggled to keep my 70 cm fin in control in the chop. Midway down I saw Mike Z gybe back as it was getting lighter as we approached Treasure Island. Seth and Sylvester keep going but I split the difference and gybed back to get into more breeze. It was only a few minutes into the run that I realized the far side was paying off big. Eric and Percy both crossed me and I ended up rounding the bottom mark in 6th with another group hot on my tail.
Time to put that 70 cm fin into overdrive and start working!
As I got back into the upwind mode I was struggling with dirty air from the 5 sailors rounding in front of me. I had to foot some to get some clear air but once I was able to go I felt I had better speed and was working the angle when I could. The fleet all stayed north banging the Angel Island shore and getting a double lift in and off the island. For Percy and Eric who tacked too early- they lost this opportunity and I was able to pass them by the next crossing. I headed back and tacked just shy of Alcatraz and headed back upwind. At this point the fleet was spread out. I saw Seth in front of me but lost track of Mike Z and Sylvester. It was only a matter of time before I would have to call the layline from across the Bay and judge how much flood had actually kicked in. Seth was first to tack with Mike Z 60-90 seconds back. I went 10 seconds beyond Mike Z line as to compensate for any flood. Immediately to leeward and 5 board lengths ahead was Sylvester who tacked and we were on a drag race across the Bay to the finish . My last card that I could play and possibly beat Sylvester was if I put some money in the bank, stayed high and Sylvester got flooded down and had to double tack the finish line. I knew he had a smaller fin and I could get some leverage on him. I began to get some separation and things looked good but playing out in front of us was Seth and Mike Z who were now reaching across the finish line. We had all overstood! Back to footing mode as I tried to put the distance I just gained on Sylvester back into some speed. I could feel myself gaining but there just wasn't enough time left. Sylvester rounded the finish line 9 seconds in front of me with Mike Z just 16 seconds in front of him. Seth took the honors with a finish time of just over 54 minutes and a new course record.
for complete results, equipment used nad a gps track of Sofeils long distance run- check out: http://www.calcupevents.com/Results/2007/07RonstanChallenge.shtml

Day 2- by the 11:30 first start the wind was already up to the high teens and building and by the looks of it - it would be a long day of racing. Race 1 started off with half the fleet on starboard and half the fleet on port. Port had the advantage of heading to the right side with the current. I got off the line on port being the most leeward board just crossing the starboard tackers off the line. My angle felt good where I was able to give Seth some pressure and hold him off to the starboard layline. I held off for 5-10 seconds after he tacked and made it around the windward mark in 2nd while the breeze was building into the mid 20's.
Downwind it was holding on for dear life as the puffs were increasing. Sylvester was far enough back that I just had to keep the pressure on myself to keep going strong. I rounded well behind Seth at the leeward mark and was able to climb as he got a sloppier rounding. One more upwind and downwind for good measure and we ended up in the same position- Seth 1st , myself 2nd and Sylvester 3rd.
Race 2- wind was ramping up to a solid 25+ with some solid random gust. I got off the line well again on port climbing on Seth who was just above me. Bill Weir was holding onto his lane and rounded 3rd just in front of me but off the breeze went deeper and slower. I made my move to pass him to windward but kept going for too far and let him call the layline to the leeward mark. At the rounding Seth was first and then coming up front below was the start of the kiters coming upwind off the starting line. I rounded just inside the kiters and was able to climb on Weir upwind. By this time the tide was switching from an ebb tide to a flood tide and the swell was a solid 3-5 feet on port tack- right into the bow. Although a 70 cm fin was a bit much it was enough to hold a lane upiwnd. Near the port layline I tacked inside Weir just behid Seth and went downwind for another wild ride. I was in the 3/4 chicken strap holding on with every gust . I gybed for the finsih and just barely held on to a strong 2nd.
By the time race 3 came around the wind had ramped up to a solid 30+. The kiters wern't able to hold on any longer and headed in while just a few brave formula sailors armed with a 9.0 made the start. I started off again on port with Ben and Seth just above me. I knew I had to pinch them off at the start to get this race and so I applied the pressure from the start. Seth was the first one to fall below, then Ben. We kept going till the layline with Ben falling further to leeward but with solid speed. We all tacked and Ben led to the windward mark with Seth and I following close. I was really holding on for dear life off the breeze in the far leeward strap- looking for a place to gybe in some flat water. I made it around with Ben exploding just to windward of me in a grand catapult. Seth held strong to the leeward mark with the breeze and swell building again. It was an all out endurance test upwind again. As I made the beat to windward I could see parts of the fleet spread across the course like a bad case of acne. Sylvester was swimming after his gear, Weir was contemplating getting going again but by the look in his eye- be had already been beat dow,. A bit further upwind Percy was swimming hard for his gear as it went end of end down the course.
On the last beat upwind I managed to gain some on Seth but rounded to the top mark in 2nd again with another wild ride in front of me. I looked back and no one was in site so I decided to play it safe and just get to the finish in one piece. That might be a miracle. As I got to the point were I needed to gybe for the finish I was really running out of room near the rocks at the St. Francis. I carved but let the rig slip through my fingers. I spent the next 90 seconds getting everything back in order with just enough time to beat Eric to the finsh. As it stood we were the only 3 boards to finish. No one came close to being able to get around the course. Many got rescued, some managed to get back to shore but the big lesson we all learned was 25-30k is the limit for formula. When some of the best racers in the country cant finish a race, it's time to switch to slalom.
The big lesson in todays race race was the great range in performance of the kashy 70 cm fin. In just about all conditions the fin is able to depower and stay fully lit. I still have to work on the downwind performance but with the 3/4 chicken strap of the L7, things are still well lit off the breeze. Hopefully by nationals in 2 months Ill have the whole set up dialed in for all conditions.

Summer winds are back

Tuesday June 6 might go down as one of the windiest days on the Bay this year. It was absolutely solid on the outside with the gust in the high 30's and the swell at 6 to 8'.
Classic San Francisco overpowered windsurfing!

I rigged my new 6.3 north warp and mikes lab 90l slalom board with a 32cm techtonics fin.
Through-out the 2 hour overpowered session- I had to come in a few times to fine tune the downhaul and harness lines for the gusty conditions. Having your rig balanced is the key to staying comfortably and being able to sail for a longer session. I experimented with a few different settings and found too much downhaul really makes the cams hard to pop. Too little and its a fight to sail.

Slalom was the choice despite the big Ronstan Challenge this weekend in San Francisco.
Ive been putting off doing some long distance runs on my formula gear as its just been off the wall the past 4 days.
The race will be a long distance marathon of 40 miles or so from a stat off the St. Francis Yacht club- outside the golden gate bridge then straight down to Berkeley- around the pier and back to the finish in front of the club. 2-2-1/2 hours of solid hold on for dear life sailing.

If conditions stay merit- we could be a racing a downwind slalom on Sunday with the kites.
Forecast looks good for the rest of the week 25+ through Sunday!
I just hope there's enough time to get some Formula runs into Berkeley and back!

SF double header

While the Giants and the A's were playing an inner-leagues series on the Bay this w-end, SF racers got a double header with a classic heavy weather survival twilight series at the St. Francis and some lit up calcup racing at Rio Vista on Saturday afternoon.
Conditions have been off the wall all week with 25k+ almost everyday on the city front.
Friday night was no exception. 9.0 was the call if you could hold on. By the5th race- there was just 3 racers left standing. Seth dominated with 5 bullets while I took 2nd with Al and C-Rad battling it out for 3rd and 4th place. US Windsurfing president Jim Mcgrath managed 1 race with his 10.0 and had enough before packing it up and heading home. JK rigged, started but didn't even make it around before coming in and rigging slalom gear. By he looks of it, he was a much happier camper with the small gear.
Soheil tried something new last Friday by racing his course- slalom gear around the course. Despite being off the pace of the formula boards he got around the course. Maybe he's got the right idea. He sure looked more comfortable on a 6.8 and 105l board than most of the formula racers. Last year most of the fleet raced course slalom in Maui at the US Nationals while 5 raced formula. There's was some talk at the US Open 2 weeks ago to promote both formula and slalom at events with a 20k cut off between disciplines. More info at http://www.usa-formulawindsurfing.com

Thanks for Chris for providing the photos on Friday from the race deck- additional photos from Friday nights racing can be found here


Saturday the 1st calcup of the season kicked off in windy and warm Sherman island in the Delta. By 9am when I looked at the iwindsurf sensor, it was already blowing 25-30k. Alan Prussia gave a clinic regarding line and purchase and showed the fleet some good rigging tips. If you haven't already gotten some formula downhaul line from him- do yourself a favor. Its low stretch and works especially well for the high load of Formula downhaul tension. Word is hes got some even stronger more durable stuff in the works.
By the 1:30 start, the wind had died off some but most of the fleet rigged their 9.0's knowing what Rio Vista was capable of. It's not an easy launch from the docks so coming in between races was not an option. I tired out a new set up Saturday with a 70 cm fin and a 9.0. Typically you would fin down as it gets windier but with the wider tail of the ML7, you can get away with a bigger fin. In fact, its becoming necessary. I sailed with a 64cm fin on Friday and my upwind angle really suffered compared to Seth.
Race 1-Boat end extremely favored. Big crowd. Mike Z was able to escape 1/2 way down the line and get clear air. I got bad air and tacked over to avoid trailing the fleet to the left. Meanwhile with clearer air and a more favorable current, I worked my way back to 3rd at the top mark behind Steve and Mike Z. Off the breeze we all had similar speed with positions staying the same. Steve rounded close behind Mike and got bad air and had to foot for speed. That left a hole for me to stick my nose into and climb. This worked a few times throughout the day and I was able to catch Steve at the top mark. We rounded overlaped but he managed to get a smoother leeward mark rounding and beat me to the finsh.
Race 2- OCS but keep going knowing I would get more out of racing than restarting in such a short course. I was gambling here hoping I could take this as my throwout. Another close finish 10 seconds behind Steve in 3rd
Race 3- Same deal- I tacked immediately after the start and worked my way to the right side for clear air and better current- arriving at the top mark in 3rd behind Steve and Mike. This time, Eric and Percy were all breathing down our necks downwind as they caught a nice puff from behind and rounded tight with the top pack. What ever you can do to give yourself clear air while rounding- do it. It was a long battle back upwind and I was able to climb some with a 70 cm fin and get Steve at the top mark and stay lit downwind with Mike Z just ahead in first. Better finish- 2nd place.
Race 4- Breeze was building steadily and the 9.0 felt lit. A few more sailors ventured to the right to get out of the flood but ultimately it was Mike Z, Steve, myself and Eric for the top 4 again.
Race 5: breeze was up to a solid 20-25k now for the final race. I started midline with Ben just above me. I felt him trying to get by upwind and knew he would have better speed with his 200+ lbs . I pinched as to not give him an option and he dove below me going for speed footing to the corner. We tacked at the shore and headed back to the middle together. He has much better speed but I was holding him with better angle. At the top mark Ben rounded in 1st with me close behind in 2nd. Steve was just behind me in 3rd. Downwind Ben sailed too far past the layline and Steve was the first to gybe calling it right. I split their difference and had a good rounding with clear air. Steve and Ben both footed for speed wile I came into the top mark on starboard forcing Steve to slow down and almost hit the mark in the 2k flood. Ben got away clean while Steve and I fought downwind. I had to let up on the trigger a few times I was was getting really over powered back upwind. Another close finish with Ben in 1st, Steve S. in 2nd and me in 3rd. Right behind us was Eric and Mike Z.
Noticeable absent from the top of the fleet was Percy who was preoccupied with racing and race management. Kudos to him and his race crew for setting up great racing for us. Despite a few problems with the boat we got 5 races off and results up the next day. Good show calcup crew! Click here for results.
Additional photos from Friday nights racing can be found here

US Wind and Water Open- Day 3 regatta report

Day 3 of the US Wind and Water Open didn't bring any additional wind and the results stood from Fridays 3- 10 minute races.
Never in the 4 or 5 times Ive races in Corpus have I ever been skunked for that long.
Despite the lack of wind, I did manage to learn a few things from the event about my new sails and better pumping technique. The 70 cm kashy soft fin really has a good grip in the lighter breeze. All you need is some flow to get it going but sometimes the 11.0 just wasn't enough to pump up onto a plane. The top 2 sailors both used 11.8's for more low end grunt to get going and maintain their speed in through the lulls. I managed to hold off Percy and Sylvester but the one time I got lined up with Mike Z he was able to hold a better lane for longer with his new ML 70cm fin.
As we repacked the Hansen Sails van and trailer for the trip home, I began to realize how gear intensive our sport really is. Heres the numbers:
6 west coast racers (Mike Z, Percy, Sylvester, Doug, Steve B and Seth)
7 formula boards
5 slalom boards
18 complete formula rigs
9 complete slalom rigs
25+ fins
+ bases, universals, harnesses, wetsuits, extra rigging, tools, etc...

None of us got the chance to get on anything under our 11.0's and big fins despite being ready for 3 displines and strong winds. Sometimes you can never have enough gear. When in doubt- pack it and take it to the beach!

us open day 2

No wind for the second day of racing. at the US Wind and Water Open
A long day at the beach with only 1 start at 5pm- that was immediatly abandoned.
I got off well again and was the only board planning off the line.
Otherwise results stand as of yesterday.
1.Gonzola ARG 3
2.Wilheim BRA 999
3.Seth USA 64
4.Mike Z ML
5.Phil AUS 3
6.Steve B USA 4
7. Percy US VYV

no throwouts yet.
Tommorows forecast looks dismal.

Steve