Commodore's Notes: Hey!
by: Chester Hulme
OK everybody, we opted to return to the monthly
pot luck meetings and we sure could have used some attendance at the January
meeting.
WHERE WERE YOU?
I really need to see a lot of people at the meetings,
so that I can be assured of having plenty of food. Please plan
to attend. If you have something you would like to discuss, let me
know ahead of time.
I would like to set a new goal for the club.
We have what I feel is a good mix of events. We have the Whataburger
race series in the Spring, fun sails including the Screaming Reach, Bird
to Causeway, Goose Island Getaway, & the Aransas Triangle, and the
Oso Series in the fall. No other clubs host this many events.
What I would like to see us focus on is improving
sailing access in the area. We have good access to the Bay.
We have a great site at Bird Island. What we don’t have is a great
launch site on the mainland side of the Laguna Madre. I would like
everyone to put their thinking caps on and help figure out how to approach
this problem. We could look at approaching public (city and county)
or private avenues. I suggest that we form a committee to research
possible sites ( who better than us to identify this) and put together
a plan ( public awareness, fund-raisers, etc.) to accomplish it.
Any volunteers?
Regrettably, it looks like we will have to cancel/reschedule
the Tampico trip. My niece is getting married (hope she is as lucky
with her husband as Pam has been) on that weekend. So, Pam and I
will be unable to go. Anyone interested in the trip let me know when
you would like to see it and I’ll try to set things up with our compadres.
See you on the water.
-- Chester
The Weather Leg
Racing Primer Chapter
V by Guy R.
So you've come away from the Starting line
in good shape, your gear is humming along, your fin is biting nicely, your
rig is handling smoothly as it sucks you over the oncoming chop to windward.
What Now?
Over the years I have
personally had the most trouble with my performance to weather. This
is where the smallest imbalance, the slightest tuning error, or the
least gear choice mistake makes the most difference.
I always seem to FEEL that I can point higher than I am, and yet cranking
the board a degree or two upwind almost always spoils the boatspeed and
loses me ground.
"REAL" sailors speak
of Velocity Made Good, or (VMG) to describe the vector breakdown
of your speed multiplied by some factor of the angle to windward of your
course. They can use compasses, knot meters, vector tables
and telltales to sit and calculate this stuff as they sip their Courvoisier
by the helm. We windsurfers just seek "The Groove".
Going fast always seems to oppose pointing high. At the point where
we find the best compromise between them lies The Groove.
The thing that ALWAYS
seems to be a good guide to finding the groove is the feel I get from the
fin. If my foot pressure is met by crisp, firm, tight response
from the back of the board, that tells me the fin has plenty of lift, and
is tracking smoothly and quickly to weather. If the fin feels mushy,
soft, and imprecise, and the board is waffling upwind and downwind,
never settling into a steady groove,then I need to ease up and let the
board regain some speed before pushing upwind any more. Remember
too that larger chop means that you have to accept a little less angle
due to the loss of contact with the water
as well as the deceleration and low-lift situation
you encounter after each landing. Ease up, go faster and enjoy the
"accidental air" you're sure to get while staying in the groove.
Turning your attention
to the sail, it's important to try to get the rig "flying freely" while
you hang on loosely underneath. The sail on an efficient upwind course
may actually seem to sheet out just a little and "suck you upwind".
You can LET the rig just kiss the leeward footstrap from time to time,
but do not try to FORCE it there. Forceful sheeting in to "close
the gap" will NOT get you upwind faster, it will only slow your boatspeed
and increase sideways drift. Your nose may LOOK like it's pointing
higher but you will not go where it is pointing, but instead slip sideways
to a point much lower and slower than your APPARENT direction of travel.
To prove this to yourself,
start from a known position (a trap marker or buoy) and sail towards shore
at an angle as high as you can comfortably maintain. Look for
an object ashore straight ahead. See if you actually can stay on
that line for a while. Next, crank the board up a couple of degrees
and tighten up on the sail to maintain that angle relative to the wind.
As you hold position, look again at the object you thought you were headed
for. You may notice it gradually seems to move upwind relative to
your direction of travel until it is impossible to reach on that tack.
Start over, but this
time loosen up on the rig, let the board run freely and build up good boatspeed.
Allowing for inevitable variations in wind strength and direction, you'll
probably find over several trials that you get upwind best when you
try the least! The only time I pinch nowadays is if it's the only way to
save another pair of tacks over the last few
yards before the weather mark.
Guy R.
Editor's Puffs: by
Roy Tansill
Just in case you are depressed due to the winter
weather we’ve all gleefully endured the past month, I’ve selected a few
letters from my e-mail inbox written by friends scattered about the hemisphere
to cheer us up a bit. The first one came from Sue Frank, sometimes
instructor at WorldWinds, who for some obscure reason chooses to live on
a mountain in Colorado.
‘ Hope you are doing well.
We have had wind of up to 88 mph, and it has been snowing "sideways" for
the last 4 days! Highway surfing has been the sport of the week, with several
head on collisions, even the snowplow drivers have been shooting
the ditch pipelines around here! Can't wait to travel to warmer places!‘
The second message was
sent by Gus Linssen who is spending his winter in tropical Costa Rica.
‘The weather here is not at
all what you would expect. It has been raining for seven weeks straight
and because the altitude is 2000 ft it is not hot here either. With the
rain it is in the 60's and 70's. When the sun comes out it goes into
the 80's. We are often at cloud level here so it will be foggy then.
Hopefully the dry season will start soon. It is about a month later than
normal already (thanks to the la Niña weather pattern). It is incredibly
windy though. I sailed my 3.0 the last three days. Sometimes the entire
lake is liquid smoke for hours. It is almost impossible to go out
then. Vicki finally went out for half an hour yesterday on the 3.0 ‘totally
down hauled.’
Now, doesn’t that chase your winter blues away?
Events As Family Affairs
by Cliff Tudor
I want to start out saying that this is going
to be a GREAT year to attend windsurfing events. I have ordered warm weather
and good wind for all events. I am now going to tell you why you need to
get off the couch, load up the vehicle with all your toys as well as the
FAMILY and come have the time of your life. Unlike many events of the past,
the events below are MORE fun than ever before. Granted I love racing as
much as anybody, but it can get stressful at times. So I propose we have
FUN racing for all the people who want it, we have FREE clinics and instruction
for all the people who want it. Bring your bikes, inline skates, kites,
FAMILY. Why did you get into windsurfing in the first place? Was it for
the speed, exhilaration, the body slams, catapults...maybe.. I have been
windsurfing for 20 years now and the part I enjoy the most is meeting new
windsurfers or sharing my passion of the sport with others. Please come
out to meet and share your experiences with some of the most wonderful,
colorful, funny people around. Quit worrying about how far it is to drive
all the way there and back. Share a ride with someone. Quit worrying about
your skill level not being good enough or that you don't have the right
equipment. There is usually good demo equipment available which must be
shared. There will be demo kayaks at the Gulf Coast Championship and TX
State Championship. I know we have a lot of events in a short period
of time but you really don't have to spend much money at any one event.
I would like it even if you just came out to watch or help with the event,
for sure listen to the FREE clinics. I know I am rambling but I want you
to come out. You will have a hard time reaching your sailing goals if you
don't get out and participate. Make this the year!
The Gulf Coast Championship
(GFC) will have a pot luck dinner while the other events will be catered.
If your not going to race you can buy meal tickets to eat. Please bring
your guitar and best jokes for the camp fire immediately following the
Saturday night meal.
March 24-26 ABK CLINIC
at WorldWinds’ Bird Island Basin launch site
April 1-2, WINDSURFWOMEN.COM INSTRUCTIONAL FAIR
at
WorldWinds
April 6-8, ABK CAMP
at Lake Texana
April 8-9, GULF COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Lake Texana-To be held at Brackenridge Plantation on beautiful Lake
Texana (7 miles Southeast of Edna on State Highway 111). This is
to be much more than your normal race. This is the social event of the
year for Houston. Camping is top notch. I do know that some people are
renting travel trailers or motor homes to take advantage of the great water
front property with full hook-ups. The tent camping is also very good.
This lake is known for it's good coastal wind, yet is fresh water. There
will be an ABK Camp going on concurrently (Thursday-Saturday). ABK will
provide demos on Sunday with 2000 BIC and Neil Pryde products. If you are
not familiar with this camp, there is no better instruction available.
If you are ready to get good, this is how to do it. This camp is good for
the windsurfing beginner all the way to the high speed wanna be. Saturday
night will be a pot luck dinner get together. There will be plenty of racing,
windsurfing, kayaks and kite demos. For more information, call Cliff or
Charlie at WINDSURFING SPORTS (800) WHY-SAIL or cliff@windsurfer.com. Call
the shop about camping arrangements. Brackenridge Plantation (361)-782-5249
or (361) 782-7145. ABK (415) 927-8835, e-mail them at: <info@abksports.com>
TEXAS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS (TSC)
at Lake Whitney this is to be much more than your normal race, it is a
festival. This is the sailing social of the year for Dallas-Fort
Worth. Camping is also top notch at the state park. Windsurfing and kayak
reps will provide demos on both days with 2000 products. There will be
Free windsurfing clinics going on both days for all levels of windsurfers.
For more information, call Aris Tsamis at Mariner Sails phone: (800) 536-9463
May 6-7, BLOWOUT 2000 at S. Padre Island
This is shallow water racing at it's best. Held in the Laguna Madre off
the Convention Center near the "flats". The town of S. Padre Island goes
all out rolling out the red carpets for windsurfers. If you want an inexpensive
vacation to take the whole family on, think South Padre.
RACING: There will be your usual racing classes:
Sport 7.5m2 limit, unlimited, Masters, Men's, Women's as well as the new
TECHNO 283 Fleet. The "TECHNO 283 " fleet is a spin-off of the "Tech 31"
Formula 31 which is already being widely used across the world including
the Caribbean races like the HI-HO.
Whatzis Techno 31?
Its an attempt to revive one
design competition in which you are restricted to using one board and three
sails registered for the event. The one board is Bic’s Techno 283,
the rigs are your choice of any three you have. Larger boards like the
TECHNO can handle substantially larger sails for any given wind condition.
Therefore, limiting to 3 sails is not a hindrance and will help to attract
more competitors to this new class. The only limitations on the equipment
should be those of the USWA guidelines and with respect to the limited
number of rigs. There should be no limitations on the number or size of
fins, or the kind of footstraps used. It is very difficult to police limitations
like these and this opens the class to petty protests. In addition to this,
a wider range of fins will help to negate weight differences between competitors
and will likely help to improve the performance of the board in a broader
range of conditions. The top "TECHNO" Man, Woman, and Masters of
the 3 race series (Dallas, Houston & South Padre) will be provided
trips to the Islamorada Pro/AM - November, 2000 and TECHNO Champion jackets.
TECHNO 283 Classes:
Men, Masters 35+, Women, (possible Junior class in the future)
TECHNO 283 Product to be provided:
Adventure Sports and myself will make available 10 charter boards. The
charter fee will be $50 for the event. The competitor would need to supply
their own rigs and any additional fins.
Guy’s Going!
-AWIA news release
TEAM USA TO JOIN TRANS-ATLANTIC WINDSURF RACE
2000:
Gilford, NH: A multicultural
team of seven professional and amateur windsurfers will become America's
entry in the Trans-Atlantic Windsurf Race2000 (TAWR 2000). The first
international ocean going competition of the new year, TAWR2000 is scheduled
to begin in Algarve, Portugal on March 18, 2000 and finish in Fortaleza,
in the state of Ceara, Brazil, on April 6, 2000. The course of the
race will take sailors from Portugal, to Madeira, Tenerife (in the Canary
Islands), and Cabo Verde, off the African coast. It is expected that,
on March 28, sailors from eight national teams will race each
other across the Atlantic, to Brazil.
The windsurfers' arrival,
at the finish line, will kick off celebrations tied to the yearlong Brazilian
festivities marking the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Brazil by
the Portuguese. The Brazilian and Portuguese governments are cosponsoring
TAWR2000.
TeamUSA
It is incredibly exciting for TeamUSA to take part in an event which can
be called 'The Paris-Dakar Rally of the Sea,'" says TeamUSA captain John
Chao, 46. "Not only is there the challenge of crossing the Atlantic
on a windsurfer, but every team member will dare to windsurf where none
have gone before. As we set out for Brazil, we are truly carrying
on in the spirit of the original Portuguese explorers. And we're probably
flying across the sea ten times faster than their wooden boats."
The multicultural American
team has been chosen not only based on their windsurfing skills but also
for their endurance and stamina to withstand the challenges and difficulties
of this endeavor. "We are extremely fortunate to have an exceptional group
of adventurers," says Chao, who was an Olympic windsurfer in 1984, the
first year that windsurfing became an Olympic sport. The publisher
and editor of American Windsurfer Magazine, the largest windsurfing publication
in the world, Chao will sail with the team and will be filling reports
as correspondent at sea.
TeamUSA is made up of
five men and one woman, Renata Fuzetti, 23, a pro windsurfer from Sao Paulo,
Brazil, who is now living on Maui, considered to be the world's best site
for professional windsurfing. CCWA memberGuy
Miller, 44, a software developer and windsurfer
based in Austin, Texas, is an amateur sailor, who has competed in numerous
windsurfing events around the world.
(Miller's participation in the race is sponsored
by his employer, Trilogy Software, Inc., of Austin, Texas.) Brazilian
Marco de Moraes, 36, who lives and works in Greenwich, Connecticut, is
a dedicated amateur windsurfer who sails all year round in New England.
DeMoraes, who is originally from Rio de Janeiro, is sponsored by his employer,
the World Wrestling Federation. American Monty Spindler, 43, one
of the world's premier windsurfing sail designers and a semi-pro sailor,
is based in Tarifa, Spain. Spindler is the designer/owner of The
Loft sails and will be sponsored by LAM Sails, the manufacturer for The
Loft brand. Australian-born Brian Antel, 19, is an amateur windsurfer with
professional aspirations. Antel lives in Charleston, South Carolina and
is a full-time college student studying business communications.
Each team will live
in a specially designed, 35-foot boat for the entire race. Equipped
with state-of-the-art satellite navigation and safety equipment,
the boat will follow each racer closely, as a back-up. After each
250-mile leg, the team boats will rendezvous at a resupply vessel anchored
at sea, for a day of refueling, rest, and debriefing. Ship doctor
Chris Reid will be stationed onboard the resupply vessel for the duration
of the event.
TAWR2000 will be the
first transoceanic windsurfing event to be televised, around the world,
during the race. SNTV, a joint venture of AP and TWI, will have camera
crews, helicopters, and satellite facilities available for daily feeds
to SNTV's headquarters in London, where daily highlights will be
edited and fed to SNTV's clients around the world. "In the USA, SNTV supplies
CNN and ESPN," says SNTV editor David Howells, in London.
Ed’s note:
Congratulations and good luck Guy, and don’t forget to pay your ‘00 CCWA
dues before you go.
The cartoon is on the cartoons
page.
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