dueling winds- sf classic day 2 course racing

The iwindsurf forecast was spot on for Sunday for the SF city front
Dueling competing NW & SW winds fighting for control
The gusts were spastic and sailors 50' away would be getting lifts while others would be getting knocked.
To say the least- it was a challenging day of racing but everyone had to deal with the same conditions.
By the last race however, the wind jumped from 10-15 to 35K and only 3 of us were able to make it around the course.
 
I used the opportunity to try to test my 10.0 in as many conditions as possible.
The big difference was rigging with more downhaul.
The sail performed well but the 68 z f series fin felt a bit too soft especially in the spastic gusts where I would get completely lifted out of the water and spat down like a fly. Believe me- I wasn't the only one.
Cm by cm I moved the mast forward after every race for better control and by the last race it was pegged almost all the way forward.  I still think the track could be a bit more forward on the *167.
Its really important to know the limits of your equipment and to take advantage of switching to the optimal sail or fin when you've got the opportunity- or else others will .  Even how you trim your sail or your mast track position can affect  a lot of things

Thanks to StFYC for the photos

Our fleet is really tight and any number of sailors can win a race on any given day.
Tom took the weekend by surprise winning the SF Classic and the course racing on Sunday.
His equipment was optimized for the conditions.
The north 10.0 and 9.3 like a lot of wind and that's pretty much what we had.
Toms using a 68 kashy and a dialed in L10  so no excuses from his quiver.
Xavier ended up in 2nd but I could tell in the lighter stuff he was suffering on 9.0 and 61 cm fin in terms of angle.
We had 1 race where it was only 8-12 at the start and you had to stat in the pressure otherwise you were screwed.
The trick is just not to get stuck below as you'll be footing at the same angle while the rest of the local fleet pinches in the puffs.
I snuck ahead of Soheil in the last race of the series otherwise he had me in almost every race.
He's found his optimal trim conditions with his NP evo4 9.5, ML12 board and ifju 67 fin.
Awesome to see him get it all together as dialing in your kit can be one of the hardest things to do.

I was a bit up and down in terms of performance although you cant expect a results if you start in the 2nd row, I got screwed 2x upwind off the starting line in bad air and had to foot like crazy to get a lane I could sail in.
Downwind Im still very impressed with the 167.
It goes really well except when it gets too over powered.
Im finding you need to fin down sooner as the board already has plenty of power
Upwind there's a fine line of too much power or not enough.
Ive experienced the 71 Z F to be too flighty in anything over 15-16k and chop but also the 64 kashy to be not quite enough upwind when its not completely lit.
Still searching for those optimal trim settings....

Race 1 saw Xavier edge out Tom, Soheil in 3rd and myself in 4th as I got hosed off the start and didn't have enough time to recover in the 18min 2 lap races. Everyone's got their stuff dialed and there's no room for error.
Race 2 saw me ducking Eric off the start as I started on port but ended up with Soheil on my hip and no room to breath so I again went to foot and lost a lot in the 1st 20% of the race. Downwind rounding the gate- there was only one option- to go back inside and get the shore lift. A parade but it kept you on your toes. The spastic gust made it interesting as racers on the same tack were getting lifted and knocked.  Again 4th
Race 3 was really light at the start. In fact light enough that you need to stay up on the line almost 4 min before the start. I immediately tacked over with Soheil 20 seconds after the start to get back in the fresher breeze in the middle of the Bay while Tom, Xavier and Eric got stuck on the inside. Downwind it got lit up pretty quickly and Tom ate it on his gybe and it was clear sailing into 2nd as Soheil maintained control and got the bullet. I nearly lost it heading in the seas wall from the  leeward gate as I got a spastic gust that lifted me right out of the water. Luckily it spat down into a waterstart position and was able to recover relatively quickly.
Race 4- My mistake- not rigging down as Tom switched down to 9.3 and Xavier was already on 9.0. The wind shot up to 35k + on the first upwind. It was stupid windy to the point where control was the only issue with my 10.0. Tom just edged out Xavier for the win while I held it together for 3rdedging out 'Mr Comeback' Jean Rathle!
Never ever give up!

Thanks to StFYC for the photos and great day of racing

Friday night smack down

5 races tonight in a gusty 15-25k breeze & big flood tide. It looked pretty tame by the time we rigged at 4:45 and I was almost ready to rig the 10.7 in anticipation of a dying breeze but Im glad I didnt as the city front spastic puffs rolled through making it a hang onto your pants kind of day!
Race 1- I started just I windward of Crad & he pinched me off on the 1st upwind as I was still trying to dial things in. I footed below him, rounding 2nd  but caught up on the downwind passing right over him on the 1st reach. Gybes were super sketchy as you had to do 3 in about 30 seconds in course B.
I rounded just behind him at leeward mark and he exploded on his tack near shore as the puffs were really coming in strong. I tacked and it looked like I would have it but got a big knock just at the finish forcing me I do 2 tacks and CRAD got the win by a few feet
I was super op'ed so I came in between races and put 1/2" more downhaul on and  had better control the next race
Race 2 slow getting to start line as I left beach at 4 min and got rolled again with Crad jumping right over me off the line.
Big puffs were super spastic & the fleet was getting lots of knockdowns. I heard a big bang off the start and looked back to see Tom had just broken his north mast right off the line. (That's the 2nd north mast in a week that broke as Eric suffered a broken mast on his way out to the Calcup last week.) I barely held onto 2nd as the Fz 71 was as still very powerful and I was getting lifted right out of the water in several of the big puffs.
I came in and switched down to zf 68 fin and had much better control in 3rd race but got screwed at leeward mark rounding in front as the GGYC big boat fleet was starting and Eric snuck in there to take the bullet while I managed another 2nd. Sometimes its all about timing and there's not much I could have done.

Race 4- I didn't call layline on flood tide again and sailed too far. Eric stuck in there again to get to the top mark 1st. He's got good speed in big breeze both up and down and I couldnt catch him at all. The good news was my equipment was starting to feel very comfortable in the breeze and no problems on startboard tack like I was having before.2nd again but happy.

Last race. Good speed and angle all around leading the race but carried it to the wall too far and got stuck in a really light spot letting Tom get the last bullet just overlapped at the finish.
Overall- good leaning more about the equipment. 10.0 avanti sails better with 1-2cm not downhaul than I had before. Z 68 fin has much better control and still good speed and angle. I m beginning to get a much better feel for my quiver- knowing how it will react in what conditions but in hindsight should have had the 9.5 ready to go as that's the better high wind sail.
I made several small mistakes costing me 2-3 bullets but sailed consistantly 2nd with 5 2nds.
Eric took the bullet for the night grabbing 3 bullets while the rest of the fleet sailed somewhat inconsistently in  crazy puffy winds.  At the end of the day, its not really how the rest of the fleet sails but how well you sail against yourself!

2012 FORMULA NORTH AMERICANS

 

Registration is open for next months North American Course Racing Championship for the Formula Windsurfer & Kite boarding fleets hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club- http://bit.ly/OJkFpe

5 days of races are planned with the starting line just off Crissy field on the San Francisco city front from July 18-22nd.
Bring you 'A game' because this ain't your normal dog & pony show.

Each fleet will be racing with their own start and a combined 'Round the rock' race will be held at the conclusion of racing on Sunday where kites & boards will attempt to navigate around San Francisco Bay's most famous rock.

See you on the starting line,
Steve
USA-4

CalCup 3- still learning...

Getting rolled off the start...
Getting passed to leeward...

These cant be signs of a good regatta but depending on how you look at the mistakes you make, can determine how well you succeed.

photos via Lyrah Colvin

I used this past weekends Calcup as another round of testing before the big events in July on the city front and in the gorge. I played with a few downhaul settings on the avanti 10.0. Some worked. Some did not.
I tried my small fin in medium breeze. It worked well when I had clear air and room to foot but the moment I had to fight to keep my position on the first beat or around the leeward mark, I was suffering.
The 64 kashy is great for downwind and more than manageable upwind but there was to be sufficient breeze to keep the foil lit up. On the other hand- Ive been having good success with the Z 71 F fin in terms of being able to pinch well in the flat water and flood tide. The softer tip becomes a bit of a liability downwind in the breeze. The one fin Im anxious to dial in more is the 68 Z F.
Having good equipment is golden but knowing how and what limits your equipment can perform at its best is priceless.
Im still feeling boom height plays a huge role in upwind performance.
More so on this years starboard 167 than any previous board Ive sailed.
The higher I can run my boom, the better angle I have.
That is, up until a point where a high boom is preventing you from keeping the nose of the board down when it starts to get overpowered. Then. when you're overpowered, the low boom is better for control.

2 good races in 2nd & 3rd and 2 mid pack races were enough to give me an idea of what was working and how far I could push my small fin- not too far!

Xavier look comfortable on the 167w and NP9.5 taking all the bullets with Tom stepping it up on his North 10.0 for 2nd. Interesting to see Xavier running his mast all the way forward in the track for control. Im pegged at or just forward of the recommended trim settings with my 9.5 and 10.0.

Although I haven't had as much time as I would have liked on my NP evo4 10.7, Ive been relatively successful with making the 530 x9 mast work in lieu of the recommended 550 x100. Crad and Al have found the 10.0 evo 4 is working much better with the older 530 x9 mast vs the newer recommended 520 X100 masts. With that said, I expect them to up their performance in the next few weeks and for it to be very close racing for the North American Championships next month.

June triple header

Racing on the San Francisco city front course can bring plenty of surprises.
There's the 40k+ gust that hit you like a slap in the face!
There's the 4' voodoo chop that can stop a keelboat in its tracks!
There's the 5k ebb that that makes calling any layline nearly impossible!
There's the ferries, commercial fishing boats and freighters who go right through your course!
I wont even begin to mention the 40 degree foggy & cold summers...

But this past weekend- we had none of that.
For the first time in ages, we had a pretty civil conditions racing on the city front course with a flat flood tide, sunshine & a manageable 14-22k of breeze every day.
The Formula windsurfers and kite boarding fleet had 3 days of spectacular racing from the St. Francis Yacht Club.
Racers were treated to a combined Friday night series with the kites joining the windsurfers for a make up race on the outside course; a combined long distance race to Berkeley and back on Saturday afternoon and 5 more course races on Sunday afternoon.

Overall- pretty stoked with podium finishes every day!
I introduced a new sail (err..Technora fiber loadpath membrane) into my program the last 2 weeks and finally got a chance to race with it for 2 out of the 3 days
The avanti 10.0 performed really well right from the start. Despite being built as a light wind slalom sail- it's got great stability and control in the puffs and great range.
The biggest difference from my other formula sails is the weight- almost 1/3 lighter!
Oh yea- its pretty dam sexy too- in a twisted carbon, laminate polymer kind of way...

\

The Avanti website gives a pretty good explanation of the technology involved in membrane sails.
I was impressed right from the beginning.

Avanti Machine M-1 from Avanti Sails on Vimeo.



Despite starting strong on Sunday and finishing a bit slow- I learned a lot about the new sail.
Unlike most other formula sails that have 1 downhaul setting, the avanti 10.0 has a 1-2" range.
The big mistake I made was not to add more down haul as Sunday's breeze increased.
But any negative you can turn into a positive is worth it's weight in gold in your long term performance!

Friday night began with a roar.
Literally as the wind was 20-30k
I opted for my NP evo 3 9.5, 67 kashy and starboard 167 for the best control around the course.

At the start of race 1 I had my booms set 1/2 way down in the slot just to keep the nose of the board from flying around
As it lighted up to a reasonable 18-20k, I raised them back up and subsequently got better angle.
The starboard 167 has great speed downwind.
It's the quality Im most impressed with on that board.
If I'm behind the pack, I'm usually able to pick up a board or 2 on the downwind legs with better speed.
In the 1st 2 races, the north crew on their 9.3's showed really good form.
That sail works really well in op'ed conditions and Al and CRad pulled ahead.
However as it lighter- the NP evo 9.5 and starboard 167 combo pulled away with better speed.
I managed to get the last 2 bullets but with a 2nd and 3rd in the 1st 2 races, I was tied for 1st with Al who's throw out was a 2nd and thus got the tiebreaker. It just goes to show- at the end of the day you're fighting for your best finish even if it's your throw out.

Saturday's Ronstan Challenge was a combined start with 24 kites and 16 formula boards for a 24 mile windward leeward course from the San Francisco city front to the gap in the Berkeley Pier and back. The conditions were light at the start with 14-16k of breeze and a flat flood tide running all day but the forecast was for big winds later in the afternoon.
I choose to use my new cut down kashy 64 and 10.0 avanti so that when it got windy, I would be prepared. Plus you want to be comfortable for a long distance race.
I opt'ed for a port tack start with most of the fleet but got shafted out of a front row start by a flurry of kite lines all around me.
It's a long race I thought to myself- settle into it.
I rounded the windward mark behind  the top 5 kiters and Xavier and Tom who managed a great start pulling away from the rest of the fleet.
As I looked back, it could have been worse and a lot of the fleet was double tacking to make the top mark.
I settled in for the long ride down to the Berkeley pier passing Tom just above Alcatraz and trying to pull in Xavier.
The 64cm fin made the downwind ride almost a pleasant experience.
Really-  it's a whole different game when you're not fighting the fin for control.
I was pleasantly lit but not over powered.
The avanti 10.0 was really stable pulling like a truck despite being a flatter light wind slalom sail.
I pulled the track strap pretty tight to put some draft in the lower 3rd of the sail.

Mike Z was putting on the pressure from behind as I saw him a few times but never let him pass me.
At the leeward mark- set just north of the gap in the pier, I rounded with a group of kiters and Xavier with a 30 sec lead.
The top kiters were dominating with Johnny pulling a horizon job heading back up the city front.



Photos by Chris Ray www.crayivp.com
As I made my first split form Xavier, my game plan was starting to develop.
I tried to stay in the lee of Treasure Island and Alcatraz to avoid the flood tide.
Xavier choose to go up the north side of the Bay so I opt'ed for the city front as thats the only was I knew I could beat him.
I was having a good tacking battle with Tai on his kite up the city front and lost track of Xavier on the other side of Alcatraz.
My heart was racing knowing that I might just take the top spot for the boards.
Soheil was making up some distance from behind in 3rd so I had to put my efforts into covering him and not loosing the left side of the course.
As I made my last approach to the finish line set in front of the club, I saw Xavier come flying across the other side of the Bay from what seems like nowhere but the kid's got some real speed. He crossed me on the last tack and got the bullet for the windsurfers while I held onto 2nd and Soheil in a close 3rd.

I didnt feel as fast upwind with the smaller fin in the medium breeze as Im usually a pincher but the small fin takes a different sailing style.
You need to get the flow around the foil first and then come up for angle.

Sunday's course racing started off great. I got an early start and sailed the course and developed a strategy for the day.
The flood tide was building all day- stronger on the inside early then building in the middle of the bay as the day went on.
However- the breeze was pretty weak on the inside.
It would be a gamble to go there downwind unless it was filled in.
My plan was to stay in the breeze at all cost and take advantage of any inside port tack lifts and flood tide I could.
I started off with the avanti 10.0 and Z F 71 fin. The fin is soft and allows great angle when pinching- especially in a flat flood tide. In the ebb, I find it easier to use a smaller fin when the chop is more of a factor.
Race 1 started with winning the pin end on port and holding my angle upwind well. I rounded in 1st but carried it into the shore too long while the rest of the fleet immediately gybed out for the fresh air. I was able to grind them down one by 1 and grab the bullet. 
That's the way to start!
Race 2 was similar but I had Xavier on my hip 3 out of 4 legs. I was able to pinch him off on port tack 2 out of the 3 upwinds and just missed calling the top layline and let him get an inch which he turned into a few feet. Downwind I noticed the 167w he was on was going a bit deeper in the lighter stuff and he put some more distance on me and I finished 2nd.
Race 3 is when I came in and switched down to the 67 kashy as the breeze was up to 18-22k.
My mistake was not putting more downhaul on and switching gears on my sail like I did with my fins.

For the next 3 races I felt really over powered - especially on starboard tack.
Its the tack you need to foot more on as the flood tide is 90 across your bow vs right into it on port tack.
Soheil was able to pass me on the last 30 sec starboard beat the the finish to grab 2nd.
He subsequently sailed a very consistent series while I struggled to pull it together and just managed a 4th and 5th as it got windier.
He's got his ML12 and NP 10.0 dialed and that allowed him to sneak into 2nd overall while I held onto 3rd overall.
Meanwhile Xavier walked away with the rest of the bullets.
A solid performance on his part.

In the kite fleet, Heineken continued his domination with 5 more bullets.
Final results can be found at the STFYC site 

BIG THURSDAY

5-24-12 will henceforth be known as BIG THURSDAY.


Mike Godsey's 7am  forecast was spot on with the pressure gradients reading off the charts @ .24!
I usually start to pay attention when they reach .07 to .09.
The "skirt alert" was quickly turned into "hang onto your car" warning!

The wind and the swell in the upper half of the San Francisco Bay went off like Ive never seen in my 12+ years of windsurfing here. The Bay was turned into a frothy mess. By 5pm the wind spiked up to a solid 30k and gusting up to 40k+.
City front gust are spastic gusts like a back hand slap to a raw cheek!
They turn whitecaps into liquid spray.
They separate the boys from the men.

The port tack ramps lined up with such precision they practically launched you into orbit.
The starboard tack swell, not to be outdone, was of epic proportions- similar to that at the hatchery on a good day in the gorge.
Did I mention sunshine.
The golden gate was at it's finest with a warm orange twilight glow coming across the Marin headlands and through the iconic golden gate bridge.

Without a doubt- it was one of the finest sessions I've ever had on the San Francisco Bay.

I hesitated on what to rig when I got to the beach as it was already gusting into the low 30's in the early afternoon but we were in a 4:30 lull that calmed things down when I arrived.
I rigged up the bread and butter of my slalom quiver- 7.0 and 39 cm fin on my 105l light weight ml slalom board.
10 min later after a few runs to the middle of the bay and I already knew I was in trouble.
I'm not ashamed to admit defeat when I'm there.

Windsurfing is no fun when you're not dialed into your equipment.
1-2m2 can make the difference between being powered and stupidly over powered.

I came in and switched down to my 85l ml free ride slalom board with 32cm fin and 6.3 north warp.
I was still super wound but beginning to enjoy the flow rather than being at the mercy of it.
Finally I moved my booms all the way down in the boom cut out on my sail and had way better control as I carved down the 5-6' breaking swell and flew across the San Francisco Bay.

There was just a handful of us windsurfers as the kites were off racing to leeward and only came upwind a few times to round their windward mark set near the Presidio shoal. I saw some kite mares unfolding before my eyes as the race crew tried to make their way around the course on their 70cm race boards and 9m kites in 30-40k winds.

The consensus from the windsurfing side of the beach - "the best day this season."
The consensus from kite beach,"OMFG- I cant believe I survived. WTF was I thinking kite racing in that breeze."

Oh to be a windsurfer!
Everyone one of stayed out as long as we could, not to be outdone by the lucky few who were ripping it up. Every time I came back to the beach to catch my breath and let my pulse drop below 150, I looked out and saw 10 locals having the time of their lives.
I headed back out for 'just one more run,' which turned into 5 or 6.

The stoke level was at it highest its been and the grins on our faces couldn't be wiped off.
BIG THURSDAY will go down in the record books as a day to remember!

Calcup 2- report form the Berkeley circle

Another busy weekend of formula training and racing on the SF Bay.
Saturday was the 2nd Calcup race of the year in Berkeley with 19 formula boards on the line for racing.

Stellar job on the RC boat by Lyrah, Anders and Nick!

Race director, Mike Percey mixed it up a bit and set a 2 gybe mark slalom course at the top of the course just after rounding the windward mark. This provided for a bit of a parade but made board handling skills like gybing extra important.
Winds were 15-20k so most of the fleet were on their 10.0's, some on the 11.0's and even some on their 9.0s-proving that it doesnt matter what gear you are using but how efficiently you are using it.

Efficiency was the name of the game for Xavier who took another string of bullets. Hes got some amazing speed that allows his to get back into the game when behind and extend his lead when he's in front. Looking at his set up more carefully, he's using the 167w with a 61-63cm kashy fin and np rs 9.0.
I wouldn't think that would be the most efficient rig in medium wind conditions but he makes it work.


 Xavier- on top of his game!

I was only able to pull ahead once as it got lighter downwind and I got out of the harness and pumped my way down to the leeward mark while the rest of the leaders had to double gybe and go to the opposite end of the gate. Little did I know there would be more pressure on the other side of the course and my quick lead vaporized in the wind...

All in all- 5 races in 15-20k was pretty good.

Our local fleet is still really competitive with Soheil and Eric showing some good results at the top while Al and Chris were trying to dial in their new NP evo4's on the water for the first time.
Tom also had a good showing getting his new 11.0 north  & ZF1 up to speed on the course.
The L12 update form Soheil is that it's better than the L10 in transitions with a bit of an extra umff to stay powered. He was also using the new ZF0 fin.  Ironically, the guys in the east bay on the L12 are all now going back up in fin sizes to account for the bigger board while Xavier on the biggest board is finding success with smaller fins

I was running on my 167 & NP 9.5 evo3 and Z F1 s- fin with good results
As it got lighter in the day I bumped my booms up to max and was holding my uphaul upwind for better angle.  I feel pretty confident with the 9.5 as a good medium to high wind sail but could use some extra power when it gets lighter. The powerful ZF1 makes up for that and gives great drive even as it gets lighter.





2nd row starts look pretty painful with all the chop and bad air

I was pretty consistent around the course grabbing a 2,2,6,2,3.
The 3rd race I got rolled at the start and should have tacked over but tried to dive through the fleet to get clear air and was never able to find a lane to come back. I almost scored big getting back into the hunt by tacking early for the windward mark with 3 boards on my windward hip but got denied at the last minute with a big knock and forcing me to double tack. Sometimes when you're behind you've got to take more risks to get back into the game
Other times, however, you've got to minimize your risk when you're in front with a close group behind you. That was the case in the last race as it got lighter and I kept my strategy to keep going to the left side. I almost blew it as it the rest of the fleet went right to the pressure but somehow managed to claw my way back one by one and grabbing a 3rd for the last race.
The lesson- keep your head on a swivel to keep track of the fleet!

Sunday saw more training with Xavier on the SF city front.
I though maybe Id get some light air training on 10.7 with an early 1:30 session but got blown off the water as the ebb tide and 10-15k breeze quickly built to 18-24k gusty sw gale and bay full of voodoo chop.
I switched down to the 9.5 and we had some good sparing upwind to Baker beach and some really lit up downwind runs. The 68 Z F s- feels better in those conditions but I think I need something even smaller to handle what the SF Bay is capable to delivering.
Upwind it's usually easy to cope with the wind and chop- especially in an ebb where you can pinch to depower but downwind is where things start tot get hairy...
Im getting more used to the double chicken on the 167 with the chicken straps set more parallel. 

Another round of Friday night races this week at the St. Francis YC to look forward to.
See you on the water!
Results and more photos at calcup site

2012 Elvstrom Zellerbach regatta report

 This past weekend's Elevstrom-Zellerbach regatta at The St. Francis Yacht Club will be remembered  by some as the supermoon regatta. For the formula boards and kites who started later in the day during max ebb, racers got the full brunt of the San Francisco voodoo chop & 15-25k sea breeze; For the foiling moths- a smooth flood tide and low teen breeze made for equally impressive racing.

Sharing the same course as the lasers, radials & kites made for some close encounters around the race track and our formula fleet had some of the tightest racing we've had in years. We we're overlapped at almost every mark and finish and despite Xavier taking 7/8 bullets- the local SF fleet pushed pretty hard both days. Soheil showed the most consistent taking 2nd just in front of me & proved you dont need new equipment but rather to have your equipment dialed in.

The ML 10 is still a very competitive board
The Prydes rigs are still proving to be the benchmark as Xavier, Soheil and myself grabbed the top 3 spots while Al, Chris, Tom and Lyn were sailing their north rigs a bit behind.
Percey is still forging his own path on his Hansen designs.

I got some valuable feedback from sailing the 167 in the breeze.
The first day I was on the new Z F 71 S- fin but it proved to be a bit to much in the chop.
I depowered by lowering my booms but that left me in vulnerable position upwind giving up any angle I had.  Downwind the board is flying although not the most comfortable in the double chicken strap and heel cut outs on the 167.
Meanwhile Xavier on the 167w depowered a bit differently by immediately choosing to go down to a 9.0 after the 1st race and using a 61-63cm fin.
The lesson than became clear the second day was the booms had to stay high on the 167 for upwind performance. During the last race I bumped my booms back up to 90% in the boom opening vs the 60-75% I was running earlier in the day on my 9.5 and held my lane upwind quite well finishing the series with a 2nd just behind Xavier.
I never really got the chance to rail the board to look for more power as I was just trying to keep things moving in the big chop upwind. On Sunday after the 2nd race I switched down the the 67 kashy with more control. 

Both days saw conditions build from 15k up to 25k and 4 races were run back to back to back to back making for a very exhausting series. Its important to stay hydrated while on the water and the camel pack with some goo or cliff bars would have made a welcome addition. Instead the cramps set in both days 1/2 way down the downwind leg. There's nothing quite like your calf freezing up while flying downwind across the chop in the chicken strap.
Camelpack and energy bars go on the regatta check list next time!

After overstanding in the ebb in 7/8 races, I finally was the 1st to tack in the group of port tackers when we neared the layline on the last race of the series. Sure enough it looked disastrous but I got ebbed up right to the mark. 

Another golden opportunity came just when I thought I was out of the game completely reminding me again never ever give up. I blew my tack at the layline at the top mark while still in the hunt but immediate was DFL as I struggled to uphaul and clear the sail in the chop. For the next 3 legs I split tacks with the fleet ahead, took some chances and managed to just miss 3rd by a board length.

There was a lot of pleasure boats on the course all weekend with the ferries, commercial fishermen, freighters and kites to deal with. All you need to do was keep looking around and be aware of what was going to be in your path the next min or 2.  For one brief moment, I lapsed and forgot to look downwind 2 min before the start. It wasn't until about 30 sec that I realized I need to high tail it down the line to avoid being run over by a red and white ferry making his way right through our starting line and cutting the fleet in 1/2.
"Keep your eyes out of the boat" as they say!

A great warm up to an exciting season ahead.

Loscocco posted some great photos of the kites & boards available here.

Thoughts on 2016 Olympics- windsurfing & kiting

Lots of mixed opinions flying around these past few days regarding the decision to include kite boarding in the 2016 Olympics at the expense of windsurfing
Obviously - a very happy crowd here in San Francisco with the kite racers ready to take the Olympic spotlight.

I for one couldn't be more happy for them (and Ive been racing windsurfers competitively since the early 90's- getting on the bus late but nonetheless enjoying the ride.)
It's their time to shine so why not embrace it vs fighting it.

28 years of Windsurfing as an Olympic sport 1984-2012 is not a bad run.

Other classes have come and gone from the Olympics with the sailors having made large investments in their skill sets for that class. They had to move on.

The skills in windsurfing will translate to other classes (including kiteboarding) when it comes to course racing.

Windsurfing's been dying a slow death since it's peak in mid 90's.
Sure some racing classes have succeeded- t293, rsx, pwa, raceboard, formula but you see whats happening. The sports become diluted with so many choices, including kiting which has taken a big piece of the pie from windsurfing in the past 5-10 years. While not entirely agreeing that the RS-X is the best format for the Olympics- I have tremendous respect for the guys sailing that class- they are the most fit athletes in the sailing discipline and probably the entire Olympics.

The fact remain- the Olympics can only be so big- while it would be great to see both classes in 2016- there remains room for only 1.

The kiteboard, on the other hand has had a tremendous evolution with windsurfing paving the way for it's success. The 1st  World Championships in kite boarding course racing were held in San Francisco in 2007 and since then the sport has blossomed. It has evolved and continues to change more than any other form of sailing. I just hope that what's make it so successful isnt ruined by the forces at ISAF. Learn from the RS-X's mistakes and success's and blaze on!

The way I look at the decision is that its actually good for windsurfing- at least in the US.
The Olympics has been a hard call for us in the US- getting funding to support an international campaign from an organization that does not believe in us (rightly so as they're job is to win medals and we have a very bleak chance at that.) At the last trials we had 2 men and 1 women vying for the US Olympic windsurfing spot. At the 96 trials we had 40+. 

We've got several of the top 10 in the world in kite boarding and even the top 2 so for the US the decision was right. We'll get more funding with more medals. A win/win for US Sailing Team.



Now with RSX out, the windsurfing world of racing wont be as compromised as before with so many classes for sailors to choose from.
I see it as a win win for the formula class as the rsx'ers have a choice to either continue racing in a high performance windsurfing class or join the kiting fleet.
The formula class is bound to absorb some of those sailors.

The kiting class will benefit from the all the top racers coming in from the RS-X class.

As I understand, the exact discipline for kiting has not yet been selected. That decision will potentially be made in November or after next years Olympics. Most likely it will be racing as that's the format they loved so much at last months kite evaluation trials in Spain.
There's also a chance ISAF could reverse their decision in November with a 2/3 majority voting for windsurfing if that decision gets to the table. There's a petition by the rsx sailors to do this already.

The technical report from the evaluation trials can be found here.

In fact kite racing takes the same format as formula windsurfing in terms of an open one design class. They have a box rule for their boards (registered by isaf 50 board min production) and kites are limited to 3 per event.
We debated and tried having a formula windsurfing one design in the 2012 Games and came to the conclusion that once you're there- they're are many other interest controlling your fate, politics included and the class takes on a world of its own not necessarily in the sailors best interest. A double edged sword that's tempting but often better left alone.

Im still stoked on windsurfing and we had one of the most competitive regattas this past weekend on the San Francisco city front with 8 formula boards racing and overlaps at every mark and finish. But then I look over at the kiters with 20 kites (and averaging at least that in their weekly series where we can get 8-10 formula boards on our weekly series) and I ask myself what am I doing still racing windsurfers when the kiters have a bigger local fleet, more talent, more potential and now the Olympics. I'm excited to learn the sport and hopefully race with them if it all works out.

If you can't beat em- join em!

Steve USA-4


5-11-12 update
Seems the drama unfolding around the decision is just beginning to come to light.

The Spanish delegate apologized after realizing they voted wrong- link

"The delegates were probably confused or didn't understand the motion fully because of language difficulties, or some may have been napping at the presentations and then cast their votes without realising the implications," Yehuda Maayan told Reuters."

Boards magazine did a detailed interview with Rory Ramsden explaining the decision process and the resulting confusion- link

“The Australians and Americans were consistently voting against windsurfing. They were joined by the Irish, who are not known to have a strong windsurf racing team."

Spring training

2012 has kicked off to be a great year so far for wind in the SF Bay. With just a few powder boarding days in the late winter storms- the afternoon westerly thermals have kicked in earlier than previous years.

To date Ive got almost 40 sessions this season & sailed for the first time in Tomalas Bay- what a treat to sail the big swell that comes in off the pacific in a cold march morning.

 Despite no mavericks competition this season, the swell has been pumping through the gate all winter and spring. Ive had some unbelievable rides in head high to double overhead sessions just outside the golden gate and at fort point this spring. I took it it a bit too far and had to be rescued for only the 3rd time in 12 years of sailing here. My mast broke just at the south tower in a big 4k ebb. By the time I managed to self rescue and get things situated on the deck of my board, I was already 1/2 mile out the gate. Sup'ing my formula board with a broken mast section was not cutting it so I gladly accepted a ride in from a commercial fishing boat returning from their ocean run.

The fog returned in vengeance this spring with a few full white out sessions navigating by the sound of the 2 fog horns at the mid span and south tower of the golden gate bridge. 2 horns every 20 seconds for the mid span horn and 1 horn every 40 seconds at the south tower puts horns at every 20 seconds.
If there's more than that- watch out.
5 long blast means you're in the way of a freighter and he cant change his course!
Without even knowing at the time, the biggest freighter ever to enter under the golden gate bridge came in while I was sailing in the city front. It appeared out fog with an escort of 5 tugs and several coasties.

The spring, Ive gotten the chance to dial in my new mikes lab slalom board in a variety of conditions from fully lit in 25-30k+ &; square voodoo chop to flying across a perfectly flat flood tide with a 48cm fin at 2x the wind speed. Its amazing what that one board does. Ive since gotten rid of my previous 2 slalom boards as its taken the place of both of them. Like any mikes lab board, it feels so comfortable to gybe once you find the right placement of your weight in the turns. Ive found a sweet spot around 7.0-7.8 and a 39-48cm fin range.

Ive taken some of my older formula fins  and given them a new life by repotting hem as slalom fins. Above 40 cm, carbon fins make for a more stable foil and don't breakdown as fast as the g-10 fins. The F4 CRAD fins I also tried were super powerful ideal for light to medium winds and adding the power of an extra  meter of sail.

Also new this spring is the introduction of the starboard 167 into my program.
Here's my thinking- tons of r&d can't be wrong.
Starboard has one of the biggest teams with the top riders on. Their job is to test and develop boards. My goal is to sail it this season against the rest of the SF Bay fleet - who will be sailing the ML12 board and choose the best board for the 2013 season.
We've got the chance to host the 2013 Formula World Championships and I want to have the best equipment possible for the venue.

Ive done some minor adjustments and tweaking but the board is really sailing well out of the box.
It's been a bit of a learning curve to sail that board as its got much more vee in the mid section of the board than what Ive ridden before. As a result you need to really sail the board railed up to take advantage of it's longer rails but once there- its got its own 5th gear. This is harder to do as it becomes windier and choppier but with some more time on the water, Im hoping to find a sweet spot in the rough conditions the SF Bay can deliver.
The other big difference is the rear deck layout at the chicken straps. The deck is recessed so you can apply more fin pressure when you're in the chicken straps off the breeze.

After a few times out, I noticed I wasnt getting any fin pressure off the wind in the chicken strap despite the inverted foot ramps. I mounted the straps as skewed as I could to get the position I was looking for but it turned out the spacing between the rear 2 inserts was way shorter than what I was used to. A quick measurement of the L10 gave me 8-9" between the back inserts. The 167 had 5"
I had Zajicek add 2 new inserts a few inches outboard to get some additional leverage. I also had Mike chamfer the fin bold holes at the deck of the board so to let the fin screws sit flush with the top of the board- much easier on the soles of your feet when getting in the chicken strap!

I'm not entirely convinced the heel cut outs are beneficial as I'm not getting that DDW feeling when I go from the outside strap to the chicken strap. My plan is to fill the void with a temporary hard foam inlay and see if it makes any difference and at what cost.
You never know if you don't try...

For fins this season, Ive got the same approach.
Test as many as I can and go with the best.
So far, not much has been able to beat the consistency of a good kashy fin until recently.

In the lighter and flatter conditions, the Z fins form Estonia seem to have better top end speed and angle. Ive been using both a 71 and 68 F models with a S- stiffness. The 71 performs really well but I havnt been able to find the conditions for the 68 to shine just yet. Ive had limited success with smaller fins but recently tried a 64 and was amazed how easy it was to control in the big breeze and chop.

After 2 seasons of running just 2 sails in my formula quiver, Im beginning to question my own logic. I choose the 9.5/10.7 combo because I wanted to simplify things- 1 sail for high wind, one sail for (SF) light wind. (I say SF light wind as we dont really begin racing till 12k here as opposed to Socal, Florida or Europe light conditions where you'll need a 12.0 to stay alive.)
What this leaves me with is situations where Im over or under powered more often than if I had a 10.0 in my quiver. Almost 50% of out racing is done in 10.0 conditions and Im lacking a rig that shines in those conditions.
Ideally a 3 rig formula quiver in SF would consist of

9.0-9.4 for high wind, OP'ed conditions. Match up with a 54-66 cm fin for more control

10.0- the bread and butter of any SF Formula quiver. Can use either high wind or light winds fins as conditions dictate to power up or depower.

10.7-11.0 Light wind to medium wind rig with more powerful fin to drive board. Must be lightweight and easy to pump!

Ive only had the chance to line up once for racing this season (missing the 1st calcup and 1st friday night race for RC) and was caught jumping the gun quite a bit in last weeks friday night race with 3 OCS's out of 5 races, Either I need to practice my starts more or the RC needs better corrective vision!

Tom Purcell USA-13 showing how to take the bullet in the 1st friday night race of the year.

Photo Credit: Chris Ray  www.crayivp.com

Friday April 13th city front racing from the @StFYC race deck

The goal this season is to get as much time on the water as possible to get comfortable with the best equipment I have access to. 
Up next is this weekends Elvestrom Zellerbach regatta at the St. Francis YC with kites, moths and other high performance dinghies. I cant wait to line up with the moths to see who's faster.
May and June get into the groove with a few Calcups, friday night races and the Bay Challenge.
For the first time this year we will run a CISA clinic for junior windsurfers to be held on June 18-20.
For more info- contact the race office at raceoffice@stfyc.com
July brings the SF Classic, the Formula North American Champs and also the US Windsurfing champs later in the month in the gorge with a big focus on slalom as its the IFCA North American slalom champs.

Im hoping my body will allow me to get through July as August has the Formula World Champs in Latvia. It's on my wish list but so are alot of other things this summer (kiting included.)
Stay tuned, Ill post results, reports and evaluations of the equipment I am using.

And yes- for those doubters (myself included) Ive made it almost 1/2 through the ARE exams and hopefully by the end of next summer Ill be a registered architect!