2010 SF Classic/UN Challange

What can be said about the SF Classic and Ultra Nectar Challenge that hasn't been said before.
The longest running long distance windsurfing race in some of the toughest conditions imaginable!
A 40+ mile distance taking the formula boards and kiters out the golden gate and 8 times across the SF Bay, down to the bottom of the Berkeley pier for the SF Classic and back the the StFYC for the UN Challenge.
Seth Besse dominated both races in the 25 board formula fleet with an elapsed time of 1 hour and 46 minutes while kiters Johnny Heineken and Joey Pasquali each took the upwind and downwind portions of their race respectively but still were well off the pace of the top boards with best elapsed finish time by Chip Wasson in 2 hours and 2 minutes

The wind graph off Angel Island pretty much sums it up.
35k at Point Blunt.
I did not sail to win.
I sailed to survive.

Multiple blow ups on the way downwind and upwind had me thinking about about stopping to retire at Treasure Island at least a few times as that was our designated safe spot- guaranteed for a ride back to SF with the RC.
Each time, however, I was able to dig a bit deeper and hang on a little bit longer.
It was a respectable 5th for me in the SF Classic and just happy to have made it back home across the finish line for the UN Challenge.
Ive sailed in 8 or 9 SF Classics and can say this was one of the windiest and most challenging Ive ever done.
My muscles are still sore thinking about it.

Anyways- here's my recollection of how things staked up.

With a 2pm start- it still looked manageable with 15-20k at the start set just off Crissy field.
I lined up prepared with my fastest set up- NP 9.5 rig, ML10 and 67 kashy fin.
I'd been running the top half of the course the last few days and felt comfortable - even fast but wasn't pushing 100% with my back still recovering from over training a few weeks back.
I got off the start brilliantly on port tack- getting almost up to the bridge only to realize it was a general recall. I high tailed it back and just made the restart- getting a decent position off the line on starboard tack.
I flopped over taking advantage of the shore lift and set up for the long the first of many grinding legs. Ben Bamer was gunning from the start but over stood the top mark while Seth called it perfectly tacking under the bridge and straight out to the red nun buoy set west of the south tower of the golden gate bridge. I lost Xavier here over standing as well but was in the hunt in the top 4 with Wells, and Purcell in hot pursuit towards the next mark- set just inside the north tower. We gybed in a messy stew of vodoo chop, current and boat wake and in no time were off to the presidio shoal buoy set just off the old coast guard station in from Ft. Point.
This can sometimes be where the race is won or lost as there's a huge opportunity for separation as the wind is much lighter set in the lee of Presidio just out from the wind line.
I was able to overtake Xavier as he showed a moment of weakness coming into the mark high as the rest of us put some money in the bank and heated it up as it got lighter
Seth wasnt able to make a break yet but had a good lead as we headed back upwind to the red nun for the 2nd time.

photo credit: seirra photos

Xavier and I were batteling it out for 3rd grinding upwind as Tom Purcell held his own in 2nd with Well and Bamer not far behind.
Once more out the gate and across to the north tower saw things stay heated up and finally we were off downwind to Anita rock with Seth in first, Tom in 2nd and me holding onto 3rd with Wells and Xavier breathing down my neck.
I let the 2 of the get by me the next leg as Xavier went high Wells went low to Harding rock set across the Bay on the western edge of Angel Island.
As we gybed and made out way down to Blossom rock, things really heated up
The swell below Alcatrez was big and the breeze building to 25k+
I went from running in the double chicken strap to running with my foot in the leeward strap just for control. The next thing I knew I was blind sides by a wave the took my feet out right from under neath me. A quick water start but Wells was able to slip by.
Blossom Rock was a feat to maneuver around with my cams still fully inverted fighting for control as I made a conservative gybe trying not to explode
The next leg was pure hell with no comfortable way around it.
Somewhere between a beam reach and a close reach on a formula board is pretty much the most uncomfortable position you would ever want to piut yourself in. Add 4-6' breaking swell and the wind now gusting above 30k.
I made it around Point Blunt only to encounter more of the same on the way to Blossom Rock set west of Treasure Island.
At that point it was a blur of some of the hairiest sailing I have ever done on the Bay.
Im not sure when Eric went past me as I didnt even see him till we got in.
I tried to reel David in on the way down to R4 and R2 set below Alcatrez and Angel Island but was fighting just for survival. I missed the opportunity to gain more as David extended his lead by sailing well past R2 before gyning and finding some flatter water for better control.
I gybed immediately and stumbled upon the top of the pier.
At that point I was hurting but had enough momentum to keep pushing as Sylvester was now with in striking distance behind me.
I held on the last 2 legs going to the Olympic circle X mark and finally down to the bottom of the pier unable to catch Wells for 4th as top 3 squeezed in a good 2 minutes in front of me. Besse, Eric and Xavier took the honors.
There was a bit of confusion as the finish boat that's normally at the bottom gap in the pier was stationed in the middle of the pier but in any case we were back grinding upwind for the long beat home and the Ultra Nectar Challenge.
With Sylvester hot on my tail and slowly gaining I looked down to see a good patch of sea grass trailing from my fin. A quick back down let Steve get by me but the real test was coming ahead.
Port tack seemed an eternal punishment for all the bad things I had done in my life.
I was getting pounded never able to put the hammer down.
Wave after wave- the board was flying well out of the water across the top of the 4-6 swell.
In hindsight its easy to look back and say- yea another 1" forward on the mast track would have quieted things down. Picking the right direction upwind and staying out of the big stuff would have been another step in the right direction but I was getting all the punishment that was coming to me.
Just as I was making up some distance on Wells in front of me, I got slammed several times and ended up in the eddy behind Alactrez fighting against myself as I got too close to the shore.
50' later it was blowing 25k and I couldn't even get to it.
The fishermen around me must have though I was quite a spectacle, cursing the gods above, uphauling and falling in multiple times in the swirling eddy.
I thought to myself- keep it together and just finish the race.
10 minutes later I made it across the the finish line but well off the pace of the top boards who made the journey in 41 minutes.

Sunday was a blur with my head never in the game for course racing.
Choosing the right sail would have at least got me in the top pack but I struggled with a hangover and being underpowered with the 9.5 rig in what seemed like a mild day of racing in 12-17k.
Besse pulled another string of bullets.
I came ashore and collapsed after 4 races.
1 week to recover before doing it all again for 5 days of racing on the city front for the 2010 US Windsurfing National Championships.

Friday Night Series- July 2

I'm not sure what was worse these past 2 weeks- no time on the water or lower back pain every time I bent from the waist. My recovery was going well and I decided to give it a shot for Friday night racing at the St. Francis YC.
I was still feeling stiff but manageable.

Conditions were 13-17k and gusty so I rigged NP 10.7, ML10 and Z fin.
Most of the 14 board fleet was on 11 with a few on 10's expecting the breeze to fill in.

I got lucky and sailed smart tonight taking 3 bullets.
Race 1 saw Soheil fall just at B leaving me a nice lane to go upwind with no pressure from above. Eric called weather lay-line first and we rounded close and rode a puff 1/2 way to beach. I gybed sooner and got going again as the breeze was steady outside. The NP 10.7 really accelerates well off the breeze from a standstill. I left the other guys behind and rounded the leeward mark in front carrying in to the wind line just shy of the wall and having to make 1 more tack to the finish. Eric finished a close 2nd with Al, David and Crad finishing out the top 5.

Race 2 saw Crad and myself well matched upwind off the line. He had angle while I had speed. I'm finding the Z fin is faster if you let it sail it's own course.
Fins like the cut down F4 BB with a wider chord (that Crad was using) have more upwind grunt and seem to be very well matched with the wide ML10.
After rounding Anita rock just behind CRad, we both gybed and headed to the outside
I got the jump on Crad downwind by calling the layline to the leeward mark and just sailing in enough towards the sea wall to make finish in 1 tack while others has to double tack.
Rounding out the top of the fleet was Crad, Wells and Soheil.

Race 3 - Ebb was increasing so I made my approach with enough room below the line to get going at 2-3 seconds and not be over early. It was a good start- winning the pin end and climbing on those below me with the inside lift. I rounded just behind Crad in light breeze.
We both immediately gybed only to have fleet sail over us and finally get going.
As we headed out to the middle of the Bay- it was apparent we were going higher and higher just to keep in the fading pressure so I looked behind and saw Wells riding a nice puff down the middle. A quick gybe to get back in the pressure and that was enough to send me deep in the puff right to the mark and take the final bullet.
Racing called for night as things lightened up too much.
A wise call by JC on the race deck.
5 minutes later there was no wind at Anita but the fleet took off for some upwind training.
Below is Al video from post race training.

2010 US Windsurfing National Championships

Waterhound.com is the official website for the upcoming 2010 US Windsurfing National Championship and Formula North American Championship.
The regatta will be hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club from Tuesday July 20th to Saturday July 24th.
Disciplines include course racing, downwind slalom, long distance and freestyle all at Crissy Field on the San Francisco waterfront.
Registration, NOR and a who's coming list has been posted.
Don't say we didn't warn you....
It's gonna be EPIC!

I remember my first US Nationals like it was yesterday-1994 Lorain Ohio- 2nd place in the IMCO heavyweight division. A right of passage!
Every year, a different location.
Always a great time.
Ive always tried to make as many as I could- each year gaining a few spots in the ranks
We had at least 1 Nationals in Georgia in prep for the '96 Olympics- huge swell as I recall.
Kent with his flaming booms! Long-boarding was still king
'98 was the first year I sailed in SF at the Nationals.
Rounding Alcatraz in the long distance race seemed like a huge feat!
3 years later I was here permanently!
After 2003, the formula class gained momentum with some unbelievable racing at the nationals in Corpus Christie, the Gorge and SF.
2004 saw 80+ formula boards on the line in SF with classic conditions.
2005 was epic in the gorge. Slalom at its best!

2006 saw the US Nationals In Maui in 30-40k. 5 of us ran formula in 30-40k w/ 7.0 slalom rigs. Somehow I took the bullet

2007 was the last time we had the nationals in SF. Besse cleaned up. I held onto a respectable 2nd.

2009 saw great racing in the Gorge with local Bruce Peterson claiming rights to his river!
2010 is shaping up to be huge with several top international pros coming to SF for the first time.
Freestyle is back on venue with Wyatt and crew putting on the show at the beach.
Doc Doolittle will be back as the announcer.
You wont want to miss this one.

Day 2 Ronstan Challenge

Day 2 of the 2010 Ronstan Challenge saw another day of epic San Francisco conditions for the the 16 board formula fleet and 12 board kite fleet racing on the San Francisco city front.

If racers felt cheated from the lack of a full long distance race on Saturday, the course more than made up for it on Sunday with the windward mark set near the presidio shoal buoy and the leeward mark set off Pier 39.

3 races were run for each fleet with no throwouts- meaning everything counted!
That didn't bode so well for me as I came barreling into the first start only to land in a heap above Al Mirel as the gun went off. Not a fast way to start the series!
Al however recovered quickly and followed the fleet left to the shore and caught the inside lift up the course and kept 2nd to the finish.
After spinning my circles, I reviewed my options and went right concluding better odds than following the fleet from behind.
In the middle with 3 other racers, the water was clearly greener- a clear sign of the flood tide. Not somewhere you want to be when going upwind.
9/10 times when racing on the city front you want to take advantage of the lift at the shore when you've got the chance. When there's an ebb there- you go there no matter what!

The video shows the example well with the ebb tide starting near shore and building later in the day in the middle of the Bay.

Looking back I made the mistake all weekend while the leaders constantly played the inside.
Downwind was a wild ride through the tide line as the breeze freshen up to 20k+.
Seth had a huge margin of victory in race 1 extending his lead around the course with Al and Crad putting in solid performances in the top 3.

Race 2 saw the breeze building even more with most of the fleet on 9 and 10m rigs
This time though, a more conservative start on my part in mid line.
Unfortunately sandwiched between Besse and Crad.
The speed demon and the pincher.
I found myself immediately ducking below and going for speed to the wall.
The NP 9.5 and 67 kashy fin seemed to go well in the breeze but I never really managed to put it all together this weekend. For one reason or another I was out of the top pack.
Choosing the wrong sides of the course- certainly doesn't help!
The rest of the fleet has sure stepped it up a notch with Eric, Sylvester, Crad, Al, Besse and Purcell all going extremely well in the big breeze.
One mistake and you were shot out the back.
The long down winder was brutal flying over the short steep chop at 25K+.
If you could just hang on it was all good.
I kept the pace with Sylvester deep in the double chicken strap all the way to sea wall near the Pier 39 making the last gybe and the final beat to windwind. We were well matched upwind but I let him tack and take advantage of the inside while I worked the outside.
Even with 2 more tacks, he came ahead proving the inside was the way to go.
I rounded out the top 5 with Besse taking another bullet, Al in 2nd, Eric in 3rd and Sylvester in 4th.
By race 3 the wind was up to 25-30k with most of the guys on their 9.0s or 9.5s.
Upwind on port tack was viscous going right into the chop.
If you could settle things down for the long haul you could make some gains.
After the first tack at the seawall, Crad, Sylvester and myself all were lined up well.
It wasn't until the last minute of the beat till I was able to pull ahead squeezing them out but at that point, we were at the layline already.
If you're going to put the kabosh on someone- do it early in the leg!
Downwind was another wild ride.
I gybed with the top pack but immediately went over the handle bars as I accelerated right into San Francisco finest voodoo chop!
I lay spread out like a yard sale in the middle of San Francisco Bay.
I slowly picked up the pieces trying to uphaul, then water start.
2 minutes later and the leaders were gone.
The final beat to windward was a real test.
I saw Jean's 200lb+ body getting tossed like a rag doll as he exploded ahead and the leeward.
Jean's video captures the spirit of the racing pretty well- not to mention my crash with Al in race 1- Brilliant!


Besse again took the bullet with Eric showing some brilliant form downwind through the chaos to take 2nd.

Overall a good weekend of racing.
Sometimes even with a great set up, you can go fast in wrong direction!

Thanks to the StFYC for running a great series and Ronstan for the awards.

2010 Ronstan challange

The Ronstan Challenge is billed as a comfortable tour of the SF Bay taking the formula windsurfers and kiteboarders down to Berkeley and back to the SF city front.
Unlike its older- the SF Classic- it's a straight shot downwind and back.
The biggest thing you need to take into account is the current.
Line them up correctly and you could be riding a magic carpet straight to the finish while your competitors fight it out in the flood tide.

A 12:30 skippers meeting saw the 1st possible start delayed till 2 and shortened course to Treasure Island vs the full deal to the Berkeley pier and back.
With this in mind, I switched to the 10.7 and Z fin just moments before heading out.
After a rather strange morning in SF with 70 degree temps and a raging north wind, things settled down a bit and the wind switched left. The RC set the line further upwind to accommodate for the lighter winds- which caught a few people by surprise as there were only 4-5 making it on time with the rest of the fleet struggling to get going in the light stuff.
I lined up for a port start thinking there would be more wind in the middle as the inside looked light.
S3 and Xavier got the jump on starboard while Eric and I started on port.
The rest of the fleet sat park below the line in a very light 8-12k
I rounded topark in 4th with Xavier on 9.5, Eric on 11 and S3 on 11 in front.
Quickly I gybed to get control of the outside. Mid bay I gybed back finally overtook s3 below Alcatraz with better speed. Coming into TI I called the layline perfect and pumped into the leeward mark- while Eric, S3 and Besse on 9.5 all had to double gybe to make it.
Thanks to Chris Ray for the great shots on Saturday!
I lead upwind on port tack to Angel Island but tacked too late to cover the fleet behind me. On the beat back to starboard, I collected so many weeds my angle and speed were off significantly. I lost S3 from behind & Eric and Seth to leeward.
In hindsight, I should have back down to clear myself but kept forging ahead in hopes the weeds would clear themselves- wrong move!
All I could do was head back out to mid bay while the 3 leaders played the cityfront.
I never found the groove up wind.
And now I know why.
Sailing to the wrong side of the course and not taking advantage of ebb tide really put me at a disadvantage. S3, Eric and Besse battled it out to the finish and 4th was all I could salvage.
S3 sailed a brilliant upwind in front claiming the gun.
44 consistent as ever - claimed the no 2 spot while Seth- just falling short to take the bullet managed 3rd.
Overall a good day!
Can't get too upset over weeds as it's all part of the game.
Meanwhile the kiters started 25 minutes behind us in a fresher breeze and leader Andrew Koch took the line honors with an elapsed time of 49 minutes and 35 seconds- almost 6 minutes faster than the formula fleet.

Sunday 2pm start w/ 3 course races scheduled.
Thanks to Shawn Davis for the photos- be sure to check out his gallery at
http://www.picyourshot.com/Sports/Windsurfing/2010-Windsurfing/11857060_qfDUN

Friday nite series June 11

New NP9.5 & 490 x9 arrived today. Just in time.
Thanks to Shawn Davis for the photo

Booms as high as possible
Tack strap tight to give bottom deep shape
Good upwind drive and angle w/ kashy 70 and mast at 44"
Started low on the line as windy looked iffy on inside.
Wind18-22k
Race 1 rounded 4th behind Crad, All and Seth all going deep to B.
I stayed out of the harness pumped and got around B in 1 gube w/ Seth
rounding wide.On the exit, I got the jump and was off to X
NP accelerates nicely. Rotates with ease.
I rounded bottom mark with Seth just behind but let him call the layline and he just beat me.

Race 2 saw similar but fading conditions on inside. I went for mid line start again. And overstood top mark to accomdate for flood. Good choice as other had to double tack.
At leeward mark I rounded behind Seth and tacked immedialy as it was dead and flooding hard inside. As we tacked Jean Eric and others came around leeward marknin cluster. I pumped off well below Eric and went for speed and I looked like I would get the win as I tacked to make
the pin and crossed Seth but the flood shut the door as he and others overstood and came down with speed and hooked the finsih.

Race 3 saw just a few get off the line. I was mid line while Crad got the jump at B and the inside lift with Seth behind.
Downwind wind was still squirly and we had to make 4 gybes down to X. Sailing in close proximity to Seth I felt new sail performed well- very easy to handle, draft stable.
I should have pulled off a 2nd but again didn't line up the finish line and got pushed down in the flood.

Overall 3rd behind Crad and Seth for the evening as the wind line was just far enough out to make 2 more races nearly impossible.

After 3 races Seth and I sailed up to GG bridge. Testing angle and speed.
Well matched.
Downwind sail lacked the grunt of north 10 and was a bit higher in the lulls.

Still time to work on this!

Frustrating Finish 6-11-2010 Friday Night Formula from waterhound.com on Vimeo.

Knowing the limits...

Sometimes knowing the limits of your equipment is more important than the equipment itself. I found this lesson out the hard way at this w-end Calcup.
Soheil and I decided to sail down from crissy field to the Berkeley cal cup in order to get some long distance runs in prep for next weekends Ronstan Challange.
Choosing to commit to a sail and fin for 4 hours on the Bay can be a daunting dilemma.
The SF Bay can seriously kick your ass if you are overpowered on formula gear.
At 12.30- the golden gate was still socked in with fog with westerlies at 10-15k and the forecast not expecting anything too much greater.
I chose my NP 10.7 rig and most powerful Z 70cm fin.
The downwinder to Berkeley went well with nothing more than 15k and some good ebb chop.
We made it down about 35 min and were the first sailors on the course with the RC still setting the marks.
As we lined up with a few more sailors, it quickly became apparent the conditions were changing.
10-15k quickly became 15-20k with some bigger gust rolling throughout the day.
The majority of the fleet was on their 10.0's
Berkeley's shallow water make for a short and steep chop- especially on port tack taking you almost directly into the waves upwind.
I was having a hard time keeping the hammer down upwind always having to adjust for the chop. The Z fin works especially well if you can find the groove and lock it in- something I wasn't able to do easily.
The only redemption came as things lightened up in race 2 and 3 and I was able to get things into 5th gear and keep them there and make some good gains both up and down for a 2nd and 3rd place finish.
Otherwise it was damage control- trying to salvage 4th in the other 2 races behind Xavier, Al and Eric.
Race 1 saw some confusion downwind as the leeward mark drifted almost to the far end of the Basin. Al took a good lead with his new BB 67 fin with Xavier and Eric in tow and me following closely behind. All it took was one mistake and the positions changed just like that. Al, Eric and Xavier all swapped for the lead- grinding it out upwind in close quarters for a great battle till the end.
Race 2 saw the 4 of us off the line again but with Tom Purcell to leeward showing some great upwind form. He managed to squeeze me off as I couldnt quite keep things locked down in the chop. Over standing the top mark again was torture knowing I could have made some serious gains and even worse trying to man handle the 10.7 and powerful fin reaching into the top mark.
I managed to stay in the hunt and finally passed Al to move into 2nd as the 10.7 really motored downwind as wind was down to 15k.
Race 3 saw similar conditions with Xavier getting the jump and staying in front the whole race.
There were a lot of holes around the course which provided for some opportunities to gain or lose. I managed to just get Eric at the finsih as we both sat parked near the line in an anti-climatic finish - shlogging across the line.
Race 4 saw the wind up near 20k with the gust coming in stronger. It was damage control from the start for me as I was feeling the pain of my legs absorbing all the days chop. Over standing the top mark again felt like adding insult to injury as reaching down to fetch the mark was torture on the big gear. I made it around in 4th but the real test was what was coming ahead.

As Soheil and I began the upwind beat back to San Francisco, it quickly became apparent the conditions had changed rapidly. What was manageable, now became almost impossible.
The wind was a steady 25k with gust closer to 30. The chop stacked up like rapids with the swell breaking as we punched through. I got knocked down several times before we even made it up the barges. Contemplating the hour journey ahead, we took refuge at the cove at Treasure Island and decided to wait it out. An hour later conditions hardly changed and I decided to take the safe route home- getting a ride back to Crissy with some SF sailors who decided to sail at TI for the afternoon.

formula and slalom equipment for sale

Every windsurfer knows you can never have too much windsurfing gear.
There's a sail, board and fin for every condition.
Maybe one here for you....

Sails:
2007 North Warp 6.3 slalom sail (available w/ or w/out mast) B condition

Mast:
North viper 430cm

Booms: HPL formula & slalom booms, Maui sails formula boom
(available w/ or w/out adjustable racing rigging)

Boards: F2 sx 105l medium slalom board + 36 cm fin B condition
F2 sx 125l large slalom board + 42cm fin A+ condition


If there's something you dont see and want, just ask, its probably in my garage somewhere.

contact me @ bodnersp @ gmail . com for more info

golden gate stoke

They say the time a person spends windsurfing is not deducted from their lifespan.
In that case, I feel really lucky!
Weve had a great spring in the San Francisco Bay this year with unbelievable wind after a winter of incredible swell.

Sailing under the golden gate bridge can deliver some epic conditions.
The pacific swell pumping in.
The wind funneling through the slot.
The current racing beneath.

When it all lines up, there's no place Id rather be...

Thanks to Eric @ h20shots for dangeling over the bridge to get this shot!
More shots from the day @http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=the_REAL_photoboy&gallery_id=2060331

Finding the groove

Some sailors sail by the seat of their pants, others apparently need a notebook full of data to get them up to speed. I'm finding out that I fall in the latter category.
This year Ive been careful to track all my settings in hopes that I can find the groove easier when it comes time to race. Getting your equipment dialed in is an essential part of the game- especially when racing in a development class like the Formula windsurfer- and when your off, you're left scratching your head wondering, "is it me or is it my set up?"
And when you've found that setting that works in 15-20k, you know you can repeat it and not worry.
After a good month of racing and some serious tuning the last 2 weekends, Im beginning to get a feel for whats working and whats not. Sometimes the "ah- ha" moments come after a good session but more often than none, it comes after comparing the data on several sessions.
Of course, having good training partners is key.
Ive been lucky to line up with some fast sailors- sometimes staying ahead of them, sometimes falling behind.
Either way, at the end of the day, I have a better idea of whats going to get me around the course the fastest.

Downhaul settings: The North Sails seems to have 1 settings that works in most winds.
Too much and the cams have trouble rotating; too little and the sail feels top heavy and slow to accelerate (but still fast downwind.) In the heaviest of conditions, Ill add 1/4" of downhaul but release the tack strap to help with rotation.
The Neil Pryde sails seem to have a broader range of downhaul that works. Ive had the sail work well with a relatively tight leach in low to medium winds and still get great performance when its windy and I have the leach very loose.

Mast track position: Most everyone agrees 44" from the front fin screw in the ML10 is a good place to start. Move it 1/2" forward when using a smaller sail or when the water state is rough; move it 1/2" back when its lighter and the water is flat. Getting the right mast track position is very dependent on your fin as well. A more powerful fin will demand that you move the mast back to compensate for the extra power- but not too much that the nose of your board is flying around upwind.

Boom height:The higher you can go, the better angle you will get but the trade off is control.
Moving the booms higher adds more power to the rig and un-weights the board.
You can essentially sail a size bigger by moving your booms higher
In light to medium breeze, I try to run the booms as high as I can- especially with the 10.7 but as as soon as Im fighting for control, the boom comes down 1/2" at a time. As a result, the harness lines move forward. In 25-35k when its crazy windy, I usually have my booms low and get my angle through pinching to depower the rig

Harness Lines: The 1st 5 minutes off the beach will let you know if you have your harness lines balanced or not. I like to have a set of booms for each rig so the harness lines dont vary from moving the boom from sail to sail. If it gets windier and the boom comes down- the harness lines move forward 1"-1.5" from the center of effort. As it lightens up and the booms move up, they come back an 1"-1.5". In general, its easier to sail with longer harness lines as the breeze comes up so you can depower by siting down and bringing the rig to windward.

Batten tension: Again, its a balance of putting shape into your sails vs poor rotation.
Even with the NP Ultra Cams, you can tension too much and fight the rotation when coming out of a tack or gybe. In general, you want to add more to the bottom of the sail where you need power and have the leach of the sail above the boom fall off gradually.