3 more races today in a building breeze with better results for me with 1 race in the top 30- moving me up a few spots overall. I was making some big gains today in the middle of the fleet and was finally able to make some good decisions based on my speed and angle. Up in front of the fleet it was Antoine taking another 3 bullets with Gonzo and Steve Allen pushing hard. Ill make this report quick as the last 3 days have taken a toll racing and being in the sun all afternoon and still another 2 more to go. In the first race, disaster stuck as I found some plastic bags around the course and had to back down to get them off- loosing 5-10 boards each time. I wasnt too lucky holding my position off the line being slightly underpowered on the 9.9 and 68 kashy. I was forced to sail in dirty air and even had to double tack the windward mark. Thinking the race was over, it all came back the 2nd upwind when I got a great right shift putting me back in the top 25 and then finding the plastic bag on the next 2 lags. Race 2 and 3 brought better results as I was able to find the groove and make some good moves around the course. I changed a few settings but most importantly I made my sail more powerful by sailing with a lot more draft. Upwind, I really tried to stand the rig up and hike out- using my height to all its advantage. This worked well especially off the leeward mark, climbing to the finish- gaining 10 boards on the last leg. 5 more races over the next 2 days. Forecast looks lighter.... here's the video of days 3's racing from Bogo:
Sieplywa.pl : 3rd racing day in Fortaleza from Bogodesign.net on Vimeo. Special thanks to the following organizations for the funding at this event: The St. Francis Foundation, The Richmond Yacht Club Foundation and The Belvedere Cove Foundation. In addition- Eduardo Owen of NEXT SPORTS for his generous equipment sponsorship!
The Fortaleza breeze finally came up for Day 2 of the World Championships. Thurday's conditions were 17-22k with chop and swell then dying off to 12-15k by the end of the day. The RC set up double windward-leeward courses with gates at the top and bottom then a broad reach to the finish just in front of the hotel.3 races were scheduled but during the first race the fleet got off without hearing the general recall flag and ran the entire race. Race 5 was rerun, a quick lunch break back on the beach then back out again for race 6 and 7. I had a good first practice race, slipped a bit then finished strong at the end of the day with 2 finishes in the top 30 in the breeze. Up in front of the fleet, it was Antoine taking 3 more bullets. results after 7 races
Sieplywa.pl : 2nd day of FW Worlds 2007 from Bogodesign.net on Vimeo. video credit: Bogo I finally felt back in the game again going back and forth in the middle of the fleet, rounding well, and finally getting some speed and angle to keep my position and even gain a few boards each leg. With an oscillating breeze, both sides of the course were paying off well but more so the right side with the shift off the beach. I decided it was better to start on starboard into the waves (my favored tack) then half way up the leg tack over. With more than half the fleet starting on port on most of the races, there were some interesting starts today.
Proto Credit: Bogo I finally found more angle and speed in the 2nd and 3rd races today after the lunch break when I added more downhaul. That was the key for the north 9.9 and 68 cm kashy fin. Most of the fleet was on 10.0 with some staying on 10.7's in the breeze. I played the laylines a bit more conservative today making sure I didnt have to double tack- in this fleet it will cost you 15-20 boards. Just once I got on the wrong side of the shift and got shafted at the end of a leg - missing the mark. Todays big lesson came with maximizing my strengths. The Mikes Lab board finally felt in the groove upwind on starboard through the chop with the 10.0. Thats the conditions I practiced in most this year, By favoring starboard tack off the start I was able to hold my position off the line and gain on the first leg. After that it was sailing smart and looking for small opportunities to move up. Here's a video from the Dutchie's point of view: credit Gerrit de Jong Also check out Dennis Littles blog as hes been reporting on every race as well
3 more days to move up in the fleet. Check out formulawindsurfing.org for the detailed blow by blow account from the race deck.
Special thanks to the following organizations for the funding at this event: The St. Francis Foundation, The Richmond Yacht Club Foundation and The Belvedere Cove Foundation. In addition- Eduardo Owen of NEXT SPORTS for his generous equipment sponsorship!
Things got off to a slow start at the first day of the 2007 Formula World Championships. With 3 finishes in the mid 40's and equipment failure that forced me out of race 2, I'm sitting 18 places from my goal of the top 30. Nothing like a good challenge to keep you going for the rest of the event!
photo credit: BOGO By 1pm the breeze was up to 13-15 knots. I choose my light wind set up of 11.9 and 73-3 cm kashy fin. The right side of the course looked favored as well as starting on port. I lined up with the fleet split around 50-50 on port and starboard. I wanted a lane so I started a bit early down the line and ducked 1/2 the fleet getting over to the right early to the first shift. Near shore, the breeze was lighter and my angle really suffered compared to the F2 and *boards. I got around the top mark just behind the pack and had some tough battles back and forth in the middle of the pack. In this fleet, a mistake will cost you 15-20 boards minimum...but then again you can pick up just as many if you come by a lucky shift or place yourself well at a mark rounding. On the last leg to the finish- a broad reach- I found myself pumping hard with BRA 5 and DEN 112 with 100m to the finish. We are running out of wind and really putting on the pressure when BAM the guy next to me breaks his mast. One less person to worry about! There was a few other breakdowns as well with Sherman breaking a mast on the starting line just before the start. I looked down and saw my number 2 batten was broken- which really did a number on my angle but you have to deal with the cards you have and make the bet out of them! Next race things start off well, starting on port tack again getting to the right early working my way through the mid pack for the next lap when on the 2nd upwind my harness line blows out. This was one of those things that you always say in the back of your mind- You can never be too prepared! The good thing was I only had to miss one race and yelled and cursed at myself on the sail in and then forgot about it- moving onto the next task at hand. After a 45min lunch break we were back out on the water again- this time I switched down to my 11.0 and 70 cm kashy fin. I found better angle and speed but still didnt feel great as I got woked around the course by several other faster sailors. For the next 2 races I had a clean start on starboard getting off the line well but again not great as a few other guys popped out in front of me forcing me to tack over for clear air. I got stuck double tacking the top mark once and that immediately shot me back 15 positions- putting me in a worse position having now to deal with their dirty air at the next mark rounding. With 3 upwind legs , there's plenty of opportunity to gain or lose but in the light stuff you really cant hide from your weakness. Again I just couldn't find the angle or speed which was killing me. I had to give up several small battles on the course forcing me back in the fleet.
Things could be worse though as I looked around at the end of the day with several guys with broken boards and in the protest room. Seth had an unfortunate incident with BRA 5 in race 3 at the leeward mark where he ended with a good 6" gash from his board. Fortunately- hes found another board and got redress for the 2 races he missed. Results after 4 races Up in the front of the pack it was Antoine and Gonzolo battling it out for the top sports. Lucas- BRA 25- also showed some great form getting into the top 5 in to races for the top Brazilian spot so far! Consistency is going to be the key to this regatta!
Special thanks to the following organizations for the funding at this event: The St. Francis Foundation, The Richmond Yacht Club Foundation and The Belvedere Cove Foundation. In addition- Eduardo Owen of NEXT SPORTS for his generous equipment sponsorship!
I managed to put together 2 decent races today finishing just in front of the peliton but out of reach from the top group. In 15-18k I was let lit on my 11.0 but switched down to a 68 cm kashy fin. We raced 2 additional races in true course slalom fashion- with a reaching start, upwind down wind for 2 laps then up wind to the finish. More importantly I found a good set up that works in the breeze. First race started with a general recall then a black flag- then going into the first mark beam reaching with 50 boards coming down on top of me, I thought I would be toast at the first mark but managed to get by in the mid pack. I immediately gybed for clear air but it was apparent there was more breeze outside. Rounding the leeward mark I had the chance to get a clean rounding and really gain a lot of distance to weather on the boards who rounded ahead and were getting knocked The next 2 legs progressed well- keeping my spot on most of the guys I just passed. Race 2 started in a similar conditions. I got off the line low below the fleet and came into the top mark in good position just getting rolled at the mark rounding by the fleet coming down. Still in decent position I held my lane and position to the leeward mark rounding in a tight group. Sailing port tack effectively takes good concentration to the swells- similar to racing in Maui. Overall just behind the group- but plenty of room to improve before Wednesday. results thanks to windbrazil and bogo for the photos
Next 2 days are measurement and rest the big event starts wednesday. Meanwhile back in the states- the US Olympic Windsurfing Trials are still being appealed by Gebi and Farrah for lack of a compitant jury. See Sailing Anarchy story for more. Ahh the Joys of US-Ailing!
4 more races today on the water- finding out more about the course, the breeze and the fleet- as well as my equipment! As the sun came up this morning, the breeze was strong on the water but the wind here is less dense. I rigged up my 11.0 with 70 cm xs fin and found a few good legs on the course in the first 2 races. I put together race 2 finishing in the low teens and learned a lot more about sailing on port tack across the waves. Coming upwind form the leeward mark its crucial too keep your bow up or else its over. Although with the right shift off the land- it was almost equally important to go for speed towards the shift. Its all about having the advantage at the end of the leg and with a fleet like this every point counts. Race 3 and 4 after the break- things lightened up to the point where I was searching for power on my 9.9. I think its going to be more important to fin down in the Worlds rather than rig down with this breeze. I used race 3 as my throwout as I broke a harness line- using the rest of the race to tune up with Seth- who just arrived. So after 2 days in mixed breeze I got a chance to size up the fleet. With the majority on kashy fins and going fast - its going to be a real important to make the small details come together and take advantage of every opportunity.
The breeze was slow to come up today for the first day of the Brazilian Grand Prix- a 3 series regatta for the Brazilian Formula nationals and a warm up for next weeks Worlds. Racing got pushed back to 1pm and even then most of the fleet was on 11.9's. We did 2 races back to back in a building breeze from 12-14k. A quick lunch break then back on the water for 2 more races in a shifty 12-14k. The triangle course was set parallel to the shore with a side shore oscillating breeze. The finish was just off rocks at the Marina Hotel.Despite the light to medium breeze the rolling swell and chop is present on most of the course- except near the shore where its flatter. I never got quite powered on the 11.9 and got stuck in the middle of the pack. The first 2 races I went to the left off the line carrying starboard tack all the way to the layline. Big mistake as there was a big lift off the land for everyone who went right. In race 3 I hit a plastic bag with my fin with 10 seconds to go and was immediately out of the race but for good measure found another one later in the race and had to jump off again to clear my fin. The next race I sailed smarter (going to the right shift), and won some small battles on the course but was stuck just behind the middle of the pack. 2 costly mistakes were having to double tack the top mark- that sent me deep! Despite having a real powerful 73-3 kashy fin and an 11.9 I just couldnt get the Lab to work well in the light breeze. I was getting killed on angle and speed unless I could really feed the board power. My advantage will come when its windy and choppy- now the F2 and starboards really perform well. Up in front it was Steve Allen who won all 4 races with the usual suspects in the top 5- Arnon, Jesper, Sherman, Gonzo. Locals Fabio Melo and Lucas Fiuza put on the pressure finding the way through the fleet and ending up near the top. The Launch was pretty sketch at the end of the day with 30-40 sailors trying to get out at once- half of them having their rig caddies take either their sail or their board- slowing up things even more. At lunch you could tie off to the rope and swim in...not the best way to run a world championship but hopefully it get better...
After a day of traveling from Miami to San Paulo back to Fortaleza, and lugging 3 formula boards, and 4 formula rigs through 3 airports I was wiped out. Sleep never felt so good and with a view of the race course just out my window I knew I wasn’t far away when I woke up- unfortunately that was the next day!
On Wednesday I got out on the water for 2 sessions – lining up with Brazilians, Dutch, and American sailors. There are a lot of sailors from Europe and South America here but just 4 US sailors…Alan B. and Dave Kashy from the east coast and Seth due to arrive Friday.
By 1pm it was in the mid teens so I took out my north 9.9, 70 cm XS Kashy fin and ML7.
The water state was a strong moving swell and a 1’-2’ chop upwind on starboard. I felt right at home letting my legs work like pistons in the chop and going strong against the other sailors. It feels good to be powered up again and working through the chop. On port tack, however- getting over the swell and chop was a bit more difficult as you were almost sailing parallel to it and really needed to foot to build enough speed to climb. Downwind I was under-powered on both tacks with the 9.9 just not having enough grunt.
I came in for a break and enjoyed some local Brazilian hospitality and then switched to the 11.0 for a more powered up, tuned in session. I was able to stay powered for much longer in the chop as the wind died to the low teens in the later afternoon. Off the breeze running with the swell is really fun- especially with a beautiful Fortaleza skyline along the long beaches. There are several stone breakwaters than extend down the coast about ¼ mile out. The launch is hidden in a protected harbor with just one 10’ ramp down the water- that should be interesting with more people coming and going.
Back at the rigging area it looks like kashy fin central with most sailors having the trademark wood-laminate fin cover. A lot of the F2 riders have switched back to the 2006 board with the thought that it goes better through the chop. The L7’s advantage, I think, will come in its ability to deal with overpowered choppy conditions.
Another interesting thing is most sailors have a local (rigging boy- if you will) to help them rig, de-rig and get their stuff to and from the water. At $25 for the week- the money may be well spend. The difference in Brazilian class is just amazing with just a 5% middle class, 10% upper class and the rest living in relative poverty. To give you and idea of what Im talking about: most of the local sailors have bullet proof glass on their SUV in order not to get car jacked! Stopping at a red light at night is not advised.
I will get 1 more day of training and try out some other fins tomorrow before the 1st race starts on Friday. 3 days of the Brazilian championship series then 2 days of registration and measurement and finally by next Tuesday- the 2007 Formula World Championship will take off.
Meanwhile back in SF- the swell advisory is up for some Thanksgiving sailing- enjoy the ride guys!
Another day of light breeze but stiff competition. Sunday's forecast looked dim as sailors shlogged out the the starting line from the US Sailing Center on Biscane Bay in Mami Florida. Again the RC started the day off with the postponement flag as the breeze teetered to 10knots. Finally at 12pm there was enough breeze to race. The right side looked favorable with better breeze so I started on port tack with Jimmi, Fernando and Ron- all of us able to cross the fleet who sat on the line. Jimmi - on the new F2- and I made it out to the right side first but quickly ran out of wind while the left side of the course filled in and the fleet got a port lift to the mark. I sat on the outside corner watching my lead disappear. Sylvester on his 11.0 rounded in front by a good minute or 2 while the rest of the fleet struggled to get planning and around the top mark. In the cheap seats- Fernando and I waited to get a puff to get going again and rounded deep . Slowly we were able to claw back the next 3 legs and finish 7th and 8th while Sylvester got the bullet. The next race started similarly with most of the fleet not planing off the line. Fernando was the furthest to leeward and had room to foot off and pump to a plane. I was next behind Peter and got off to the left side and some breeze. Fernando was quick to gain in the light stuff- being the master of light air racing and rounded the top mark in 1st. Jimmi and Steve snuck in there to round just in front of me and continueddown on starboard. I had no choice but to gybe and find another path to the leeward mark. It worked out well enough that I found a puff just near the finish and finished in front of Jimmy for 4th. That was enough to keep 3rd overall as Sylvester snuck into 2nd with 2 solid races under his belt today. In the end it was Fernando on the podium in first,Syvester in 2nd and myself in 3rd. I did get a chance to race the new 08 11.9 warp. It had a real good low end- especially with the adjustable downhaul setting that allows you to take up or let out a 1cm adjustment on the water. Time will tell if its durable enough to trust but my first impression was excellent. Overall a good warm up for next weeks world championshipsin Brazil. Im off traveling for the ne day to Fortalezza where I'll race the Brazillian open and the worlds next week. Look for more reports then. Untill then check out http://www.miamiwindsurfing.com/ for videos, photos and reports. Special thanks to next sports as well the Movie-star and Simona for their help during the event. Below are some photos form the event from Ron Kern:
Light wind has always been my demise. One can look at a challenge in 2 ways: either back down from it or learn from it. Even with failure, some of the biggest lessons can be realized. At my last regatta in Holland I learned that I needed an 11.9 to be competitive in the light stuff. Here in Miami I got the chance to test it all out. Arriving a day before the event was good as it allowed me to get out on the water to test my new fin as well as some of the new north formula sails. Jimmi Diaz arrived with a some protos for the 2008 sails and wow- what a great feeling. The 11.9 had a solid pull- lots of low end grunt and easy to handle. I lined up with the rest of Team Miami for a few upwind and downwind runs. The Mikes Lab L7 is still comparative with a big sail and powerful fin. I was pleasantly surprised at its light wind performance. Day 1- With just a slight breeze on the water- the fleet shlogged out to the starting line from the US Sailing Center on Biscane Bay. The RC immediacy put up the postponement flag to everyones relief. Finally around 1:30 the breeze filled in to 12knots. I was sailing on Jimmi's production 11.9 while he took out the 08 proto. Sylvester got the chance to sail the 08 11.0 proto-type. Just a few people planned off the line and I was not one of them. I decided to check out the anchor line on the pin end while the rest of the fleet started. I immediately tacked over and banged the right side arriving at the top mark in first. Sylvester was hot on my tail. I knew I might have the horsepower to stay head of him downwind but I sensed there was better breeze where I came from and immediately gybed back to get back to the breeze while Sylvester kept going to the right. I stayed powered downwind and got the bullet in the first race. 'Yes Ive still got it'- I though but dont let this get to your head. Race 2 was started in the same 12knot breeze- this time though another obstacle would present itself- the famous Miami weeds. I got off to a decent start just above Jimmi and was able to keep my lane upwind. As we tacked over it was evident Jimmi's speed was a bit better than mine as we reached across the course to the right side. I kept going quite a bit past the layline thinking the breeze was dying up top but incidentally let Fernando and Steve by below me. I rounded the top mark in 3rd or 4th and worked my way back downwind only to be dead slow. I just couldn't get going. Almost 50' from the finsih I looked back and found I was dragging several strands of weed- making it possible for Ed, Ron and Brit all to pass me just before the finish. AHHH! Race 3: The wind was getting a bit shifter and in the light stuff our angles were getting worse. I got off the line well with Jimmi again but as we approached the top mark the shifts were getting to be 10-20 degrees- making it necessary to start tacking and playing the shifts. The problem is- once you get out of phase you get screwed. One bad shift and I was toast and spent the next 10 minutes trying to get around the top mark. Most everyone was playing the same game so nothing to get too frustrated about. I rounded in 4th or 5th and kept my position to the bottom finish mark with Fernando taking the bullet. The big news was Jimmi breaking a mast just after the finish. Bad luck! Race 4: I knew this one would be played out between Fernando and myself but as usual you can never count 'the professor' out- Sylvester started just above Fernando and myself and was able to climb. As we approached the shore it got light and Fernando was the first to tack. I struggled to get going again and Fernando got a jump on me. Fortunately for me he was going a bit slower due to the weeds and I was able to sail below him as he backed down to clear his fin. He and Steve tacked back to the left while I continued on port to the right side. I was out there alone and called the layline too early and came back on a knock. I was able to cross the 2 as the came across on port but continued to the left just short of the mark. This is where I made my mistake. If I would have tacked and covered I could have stayed ahead and even protected the right side- which I knew was more favorable. Instead I continued and let Fernando pass me. I was able to fend off Steve by pumping to the downwind finish. Nothing like a little grunt to get earn a 2nd place. So it stands at the end of Day 1- Fernando in the lead, me in 2nd and Sylvester in a close 3rd. Sundays forecast looks similar-and all I need to do is sail smart. Hopefully if all goes well- Ill get another chance to test the new F2 Formula board and 08 north warps. Ill try to post some photos of the new gear tomorrow. As usual the Miami hospitality was stellar with Alex and Simona throwing a great party at the US Sailing Center.
Ive always tried to be an advocate for clean water through the Friends of the Water website I created. It was my attempt to try to bring awareness about the small things you can do to help protect our waterways. But last Wednesday I stood helpless on the shores of my favorite beach as oil, dead birds and other sea mammals washed ashore before my eyes. Theres nothing worse for a waterman- or anybody for that matter to have our pristine playground be polluted with oil. Besides being a playground for surfers, windsurfer, boaters, and swimmers, the San Francisco Bay is home to a diverse group of wildlife and plays a tremendous role in the delicate balance between man and nature. Last week that balance was changed forever. On Wednesday Nov 7th a truly ecological disaster hit the San Francisco Bay when a container ship hit the Bay Bridge and spilled 58,000 gallons of oil in the the San Francisco Bay. Getting out on the water to practice seems really insignificant compared to the damage that was being done to the Bay. Already hundreds of marine animals have died and the coast lined is lined with oil. I felt a little helpless standing on the shore the as the cleanup effort was being run from the water and volunteers were being turned away. Over 500 people showed up at ocean beach on Sunday to clean the blobs of oil washing up on shore. I am sure we are just starting to see the brunt of the damage as the ecosystem will be effected for months and years to come. To view a snapshot of the areas affected by the oil spill into the bay: check out the following google map that shows the extend of the spill so far. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114962321823640491705.00043e75d7fb328f94e05&ll=37.828362,-122.454987&spn=0.116605,0.235863&z=13&om=1 Ive also uploaded some photos form SFgate.com as well as some that I took on Wednesday that show some of the clean up efforts:
Surfrider Foundation is conducting "unofficial" clean ups, which are advertized on their website at http://www.sfsurfrider.org/. As always, though, please be sure to use protective gloves and clothing to keep your skin from absorbing the toxic chemicals in the oil. It is also very important not to put oily materials in the regular trash. It must go to a hazardous waste facility to keep from contaminating the groundwater.
Its easy to react to a problem like this with an organized clean up but fundamentally we must look at the bigger picture. How did we become so dependent on oil. Granted this was not a fuel ship that spilled its load but as Americans and citizens of the global economy- we must look at our materialism and consumerism that contributed to the problem. Perhaps an incident like this will make us look our our footprint and decide to really make some changes that affect or environment. If you havnt already checked out Friends of the Water website please do so as it has several ways for you to reduce your impact on our waterways. and become more aware of the waterways role in our ecosystem. If its not you who's going to make a change that who will? Below is another video from the great group of volunteers that is part of the grass roots effort involved with the clean up. Thank you Californians for stepping up to the plate:
Wednesday Nov 14th update: the beaches around SF are deemed still unsafe and the Governor has put a stop to all commercial and sport fishing in the Bay. Here is the latest update on what is being done to clean-up the spill and to protect people, wildlife and the environment:
-7 miles of containment boom has been deployed to confine/collect oil in the water -6 vessels are skimming/collecting oil on the water -More than1,500 people are participating in spill response -12,745 gallons of oil have been collected. -580 gallons have dispersed naturally -4,060 gallons of oil have evaporated (estimated) -53 vessels are working to remediate the spill -3 helicopters are surveying the area -Oiled wildlife count - LIVE BIRDS – 715 (of those, 183 are washed, and 66 have died or been euthanized) -DECEASED BIRDS - 511
The latest overflight shows very little recoverable oil offshore and inshore. Cleanup efforts are transitioning from water recovery to shoreline environmentally sensitive areas.
The Department of Public Health has determined that it is unsafe to swim in some locations and therefore has closed the following beaches: Bay Area Beach Closures Nov. 13, 2007
3 more races today in a building breeze with better results for me with 1 race in the top 30- moving me up a few spots overall. I was making some big gains today in the middle of the fleet and was finally able to make some good decisions based on my speed and angle.
Race 2 and 3 brought better results as I was able to find the groove and make some good moves around the course. I changed a few settings but most importantly I made my sail more powerful by sailing with a lot more draft. Upwind, I really tried to stand the rig up and hike out- using my height to all its advantage. This worked well especially off the leeward mark, climbing to the finish- gaining 10 boards on the last leg.
