What’s new in racing?   by  Guy Racette
     Formula or wide-style boards are all the rage these days.  With such a radical change in proportions, (the boards are getting as wide as they are long...) it’s not surprising that we have had to make some adjustments in rigging and in sailing posture.
     First thing is sail size.  Winds that used to require 6-somethings are now doable with big 7s and 8s.  How, you ask?  Volume!  Actually no, it’s all that area.  See you can stand so much farther out that it begins to increase the amount of leverage you can apply to the sail as well as to the fin.  More leverage = ability to control stronger forces.  Yes it takes practice.  No I have by no means mastered it completely.  But I can now control sails and fins that until recently I would have thought myself lucky just to survive 
     Speaking of fins, yup, they’re getting bigger too.  The rules allow for up to 70 cm, (That’s 27.559 inches for you Metrically-challenged.) and it’s not over yet. I think (climbing on soap box now) Formula 31 rules should be just that.  Limit: one board, three sails.  Period. There’s no need to specify how many fins or what size.  Think you’re faster with a 3-meter fin?  Go for it.  If it turns out to be true, I’ll get one.  I want to go faster too. (Stepping off soap box)  So how come this all works suddenly?
     One big reason is the size of the air cushion that a meter-wide board creates as it gains speed.  There’s enough air under there to float the board, rig and you up onto a cloud if you fly the thing just right. The board rises up on its huge air cushion and just floats along with the fin and back 15 inches of board in contact with the water.  It can get squirrelly and you have to concentrate, but Chop that used to shake my fillings loose now disappears unnoticed underneath the board.  So how do you learn to control this gigantic floating mess?  Some subtle and not-so-subtle differences follow:
     A big change for the better is in the tuning of the sails. I’ve replaced all my downhauls with a bigger size rope.  That’s a good idea when you’re flattening the sail out as much as we are now.  If the rope looks iffy, get a new one.  Don’t even bother sailing until the leech looks like a wet noodle almost down to the clew. More on this later.  Next, the boom is now almost at the top of the cutout where I used to run it almost at the bottom.   Remember leverage?   It applies here too.  Lower boom means sail has a longer leverage to work you over. Higher boom increases your advantage.
     Next, mast track position has come back a little.  I run mine at about 43 inches forward from the midpoint between the rear strap inserts. I used to measure form the tail of the board, but there are so many different shapes back there that it didn’t make sense.  Your constant is where you’re standing on the board with respect to the sail.
     All this means I’m standing a lot straighter than before.  Straighter is stronger. The sail is raked less to windward and it is also standing straighter upright longitudinally.  Because the more upright sail is now presenting a much bigger proportion of its area to the apparent wind, the sail itself needs to be able to de-power.  This is where the downhaul comes in.
     I too had often wondered what good it does to rig an 8-meter sail and then downhaul it until the leech is so loose that it might as well be a 6.  Here’s the deal:  We ride in chop.  The board bounces, sometimes hard.  The bouncing board makes the mast and sail bounce a lot too.  The leech is under light tension until you hit something.  The sudden deceleration of the board and downward thrust of the mast causes the mast to bend a little more.  This opens the leech quickly and spills more air from the sail, decreasing its power instantaneously.  Since for a moment you’re not pulling back so hard against the sail, this frees your legs up to absorb the chop impact.  Once the board starts to recover, the mast springs back to a straighter position and tightens up the leech again.  This puts power back in the sail as you prepare to glide down the backside of the swell you just smacked.  In other words, the sail “pumps” automatically.  It gives more power when you can use it, and reduces power when you can’t. Board goes THUMP.  Mast goes BOING. Sail goes PFFFT.  You go Squirting down the face with a little extra kick.
     Well, that’s about it for tuning. To really begin to get things dialed in, I recommend a trip down to the Sea Wall.  There you’ll find nearly unobstructed wind and corduroy-smooth water.  It helps you learn to set things in a balanced position much quicker if you’re not also busting chop.  (By the way it won’t work if you try to tune with a weed fin and then bring it to the Bay and bolt up a pointer.  The balance will be too different and anyway wide boards don’t work all that well with weedies.)  You should be able to let your hands go and sail just with foot pressure.  Once things are sort of flying by themselves in the smoothies, you can head back out into Bay swells and learn the art of dodging chop without fighting against unbalanced equipment.
Biff

Editor's Puffs:   by Roy Tansill
     Sometimes its hard to focus on the task at hand and this issue would have little more than adds if some good folks hadn’t taken the time to write their thoughts for you all to ponder.  Diehard competitor Guy Racette follows up his Kicking Sand article with a look at the very wide world of race gear.  Chip Biery reports on the decisions that came from the September party/meeting and then followed that up with an article regarding our need for new blood.  From New Mexico,  Barry Ritchey reports on the 2001 Toucan and his impressive overall win. Its this quality of input that makes the newsletter worth reading and I’d like to thank the contributors and welcome any others who have some thoughts, observations, experiences etc. to share with us. 
     Its October and once again its time for the annual Aransas Triangle.  While the annual Fall event has quite a history its no longer the grueling challenge against tides and big ships it use to be (Even I won the thing in its current format so you know it couldn’t be too tough).  What it is now is a good time in friendly conditions followed up by John & Rose Williams’ fantastic gumbo and lots of other goodies brought in for the day ending pot luck.  Its held at John and Rose’s home in the City by the Sea community just a bit north of Aransas Pass.  Yes, it is a race but not the deadly serious type and its fun for all.  There is a trophy of sorts that both the winner and biggest loser share for the year.  The site is a pleasant change from our normal Corpus launches and shares characteristics with most all of our favorite launches.  There are shallow flats,  some hefty chop out in the bay if its windy, and even an occasional tug with barges to stay clear of; in short it offers something familiar to everyone and something new to most as well.  To me this event is a prototype for the kind of events we should hold more often- its fun, it offers a bit of a challenge, and really great post sailing chow.  If you’ve never attended the Aransas Triangle, you should not miss this one.  If you are a veteran of the original races we would all enjoy seeing you again.  Event contact person:  Dick Ward, email: dickwards@hotmail.com  (361) 949-0232
      At the risk of being voted out, I’ll declare my willingness to continue on as newsletter editor for yet another year.  Its become a bad habit over the past 4 years one that sooner or later will end and this year its up to you to end it if you wish.  I’m sure there is someone out there who would take over the editor’s desk and if you’d like to give it a try let me know.  OJT goes with the job unless you’d like to distance yourself from the present editor and his somewhat dubious history.  The job isn’t tough if you learn how to use any publishing software and there are numerous perks that come with the job.  Most of those perks will rely on your own creativity but, given a few issues experience, you’ll see the opportunities.

Who’s Next?
       So, by now you realize that we have some board vacancies. Others will be becoming vacant soon as the year comes to a close. It’s time for a little soul searching. Each of us needs to consider what talents you could bring to the club. I know it’s only just the start of the fall season but it’s not too early to begin to think about assuming a leadership role in the organization. Whether as treasurer, commodore, vice commodore, public relations officer, or plain old member, we all have an impact on the clubs viability. Those of us that have served you in the past have enjoyed the opportunity but it’s time to bring in some new blood. Who’s it going to be? It’s real easy to sit on the sideline but without someone to take these positions, the club doesn’t exist anymore. This is in fact the “catch 22” that prevented us from formalizing the Incorporated/Not for Profit plan. We, the board, couldn’t guarantee that future generations of the board would be there to perpetuate our program. No new blood means no one to keep the organization afloat. So, we asked ourselves should we follow through, and the answer was, NO!
     Now is the time to say, YES! Yes, I want to make a difference in the windsurfing community. Yes, I will step forward and accept a nomination for a board spot. Yes, I will work to promote the sport of windsurfing in Corpus Christi. Yes, I will work to bring our various groups together. It’s an easy goal to reach. All you have to do is volunteer. The Elections will be held at the December meeting. So, be there and be ready to enjoy your year on the board.

2001 Toucan   by  Barry Ritchey
     Hectic schedule this week... Just got in last night at 3:30 a.m. and [almost n time] made it into work before jumping on a plane, bound for Boston.  Flying back to Colorado Springs on Thursday night. There I'll meet up with the family for Tess' Colorado Skating Invitational.   For those of you that didn't make the Toucan this year,  here's a throw salt in your wounds report. BTW, Andy Brandt, who travels the US extensively, says that the Toucan is the largest regatta in America. Mid-Winters might have more on the water racers, but the Toucan has the most participants.  It's pretty amazing that a regatta, staged in a location with a high probability of having low wind, pulls in the crowds every year. Guess there's something more to windsurfing than just wind. I never go with expectations of heavy wind, but know that I will have fun, regardless of what the wind does or doesn't do...  And this year was the windiest event in a long time. Not the highest wind, but enough wind all three days to have some shortboard racing. Six of the eight race heats were planable for most folks. Light wind gear sure has lowered the threshold of planable wind. A few years ago on older gear, half of the races would have not been 'fun' at all. Rain on Thursday evening before the races gave all the early arrivals a lickin'. We arrived Friday morning to see almost every tent leveled. I assumed the sand would be hard and immediately got stuck. A quick tow by a fellow boardhead and dropping the tire pressure from 55-70 down to 20-25 [like I should have done right off the bat] put some traction back into Casa Blanca. 
     Yes, Andy Brandt and his flock of instructors were there giving free clinics along with a [new this year] kite clinic. Yes, there were many campfires and much consumption of beverages. Yes, there were jackets worn, but also shorts, T-shirts, and no shoes necessary days. Yes, the Sat night's banquet food was marginal like always. Yes, the water was warm. Yes, the moon was beautiful. No, we didn't win the awesome door prizes - kayak, sail, board.  Yes, I did beat folks like Andy Brandt [handicapped on a Techno] and SteveGotleib [Aerotech]. Yes, you missed out if you didn't come. 
Gotta go [with an ego about to bust], 
Barry Ritchey (NM-0 & 2001 Toucan Overall Champion and First Place Masters) 

TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE DEPT: Following up on last months Bee invasion, we were informed that the bees in question were suspected to be the Africanized Killer Bee variety.   Best that we didn’t know at the time.

FALL EQUIPMENT /ACCOMMODATION SPECIALS CONTINUE: 
Our fall special is still in effect.  Book a 6-day equipment package and get the 7th day of sailing for FREE!  Book a 6-day accommodation and stay the 7th  night for FREE!
That’s it from here.  Don@Worldwinds 

Ed’s Note: The above e-mail was in response to a question I asked Barry (a long time racer who began racing when longboards ruled) I wanted to know if you were a competent long board sailor, would you find a wide board easier to race. 

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‘99 Fanatic Mega Shark 9’6” 124L giant slalom board in very good condition $275. 
Call Dick Ward at (361) 949-0232