WHAT?!  SAIL A FORMULA COMPETITION ON A COURSE DIFFERENT FROM OUR SACRED UP/DOWN FORMAT??   HERESY! ANARCHIST!!  SSSTONE HIM!!!  :)
by   Guy Racette
     Thinking outside the box.  (Pun intended...) I think I have more fun trying not to be killed beam reaching my Potato Chip 95 than on any other point of sail.  It's relatively easy to whang the thing up into the wind and rest.  It's getting easier for me to head deeeeep, too.  But if my pals and I decide that the next mark is straight across, a big grin always creeps across my face.  Followed by the Pro-Grip on my boom when I explode.
     The Beam Reach will quickly inform the sailor as to his/her excremental integrity.  If your stuff isn't together, I mean if your harness lines or your downhaul or your mast track or your boom height is just a bit off, BOOOM!  sSSPLAAASSH!  Outhaul?  Schmouthaul!  No amount of fiddling with this adjustment is going to save you if you haven't tuned and (more importantly) PRACTICED this difficult point of sail.  In fact taking your attention off the onrushing swells to fuss with it is pretty much a guarantee of calamity.
     Aaah, but if you HAVE practiced... All is bliss.  The first thing you notice is that Wide Style Boards behave very differently at speed than the boards of a few years ago.  The nose scoop  is so substantial that purling is almost a non-issue.  The board simply does not spear the chop.  Next, all that width creates an air cushion beneath you that is sufficient to loft the board, the rig and you right up and out of the water.  You don't need to have 25 knots of boardspeed for it to happen either.   if you pay attention you can make the formerly dreaded "tail walk" your friend. Even at a nice liesurely pace, thanks in part to the larger fins, you can find that "hovercraft" groove and keep it there.
     Even big chop that used to loosen your fillings now disappears almost unnoticed beneath the board.  If you focus, you can find the smooth water path hidden in the mayhem of chop.
     The thing that can really wreck this nice stable state is the sail- especially in gusty winds.  I think even the bravest among us have to learn and accept that you can't use ALL the sail's power ALL the time.  Learning to sheet in SUBmaximally is foreign to most raceheads, but essential to beam reach survival.  Trust me on this one.
     The good news is that the new sails can do this.  Not so true a few years ago, when if you let off a little your sail would start to round you up and thus initiate the upwind "Death Spiral".  It can still happen, don't get me wrong.  But a well-tuned current race sail will perform a lot better and handle a lot easier sheeted out than the sails of just a few years ago.
     As for racing, I think it's time we throw a few old-style "M" courses into the mix.  Even a slalom.  What the hey,  we might even learn something.            Biff

Editor's Puffs:   by Roy Tansill
     The monsoon came and went just in time for a meteor shower- I hope you didn’t miss it because it’ll be 35 years before that light show returns.   Something else came back around last month; Tamay Tipton is back in Texas, living in Austin, and doing ok.  Expect to see her since she bought all new gear before leaving Hawaii and will be sailing in Corpus often. 
     Turkey Day arrived clear, sunny, warm and DRY.  As the slippery soup reverted to its more normal solid state and the tides receded everything was fine except the wind.  Brian Cunningham (AKA The Dog) had his field kitchen set up and shortly after noon he was heating up gallons of peanut oil used to fry the turkies.  The unusual SW whispers began to clock around to the SE and fill in teasingly.  The beach wasn’t crowded but the NTWR contingent formed about half of the campers. I couldn’t stick around for the feast this year but from what I saw, it looked like another pleasant Bird at Bird celebration.  One thing is certain: the fried turkeys would be delicious.  I’m not sure if its the Dog’s expertise or the environment of Bird Island Basin but turkey day out at Bird always produces a tasty treat.  This year I planned to show up a day late as well,  hoping there would be plenty of leftovers as much as I was hoping there would be wind.  That was before my day off turned into another day on the job so I made some overtime money but missed both the wind and the turkey.  Lunch at Whataburger just doesn’t match up to the Dog’s leftover fried turkey at Bird. 
     This year I missed Bird at Bird but I don’t plan to miss the other seasonal highlight- the annual CCWA Holiday Party.   Don’t you miss it either its a pot luck unlike you’ll see again until late next year! 

Sightings Prestone Tip:
     Doug Bailey, Cochiti Lake Ops Mgr., just e-mailed me that it is blowing at Cochiti [evidence that he has been officially 'bitten' - and infected - by the windsurfing bug]. Everyone ditch work, school, or pressing social engagement and head out. And Doug, get back to work... 
     But before you go, you might want to stop by Wal-Mart or the auto parts store to get a gallon or two of antifreeze, a bucket, and a paint brush.  Before you reach off across the lake, be sure to pour a half-gallon into your wetsuit and paint the downhaul lines, batten straps, and harness lines with antifreeze. Don't forget those footstraps too! Don't want your feet to get stuck in the straps. And whatever you do, don't be tempted to swallow the remainder to unfreeze your hands from the booms. 
     Team Prestone Super Tip: A mixture of olive oil and Prestone painted onto the boom tubes will keep your hands frost free, but don't forget to reapply after every fall though.  Warning: Although Prestone readily mixes with high-octane adult beverages, and tops Red Bull in the 'Best Color Cocktail' category, when swallowed, it tends to drastically shorten the life expectancy of all mammals. 
One more thing, It's a balmy 31 degrees [and dropping] at Cochiti... 
-Barry

Ed’s Note:  Barry is Barry Ritchie, one of our New Mexico based members.  I keep telling him to get his priorities straight and follow the basic tenant all of us locals subscribe to:
   ‘Any climate that won’t support palm trees is uninhabitable’
Barry refuses to accept this advice and insists on living on the edge of a mini ice age so we can look forward to additional ‘tales of cold sailing’ for the next several months 

Thanks Jock!
A wish come true!  There is now a float centered in the shallow break between the North end of the beach at Bird Island and the first sand island which is designed to keep boaters from using that inside passage back to the boat ramp.  This is something that was stressed at all of the meetings with NPS when the Bird improvements meetings were held last Fall.  It should all but eliminate the fly-by boaters who were coming in through that pass, often on a full plane to skim over the shallows, from doing so in the future.  It was a dangerous situation which should now be resolved before someone got badly injured.... or worse.

British Project to Shatter Wind Powered World Speed Records  Land, Ice & Water
"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover" (Mark Twain)
                Land Record 
The first official Wind Powered Land Speed Record was set in France by Bertrand Lambert at 98 mph, and remained at this speed for several years as sandyachting, as it was known at the time, had not progressed sufficiently to reach greater speeds. Following advances in technology and materials the American, Bob Schumacher, raised the stakes.  On March 20th, 1999, in Prim, Nevada, USA, Schumacher recorded a land sailing speed of 116.7mph (187.7kph). The craft used was the 'Iron Duck'. It is this record that Windjet aims to beat.
                Water Record 
World Record on a 500 meter course:
Year   Boat Name     Skipper              Venue                                        Speed 
1993  Yellow Pages  Simon McKeon  Sandy Point, Victoria, Australia  46.52 mph 
                 Ice Record
The Ice Sailing Speed record has remained unchallenged for many years. This has been due to such a phenomenal speed being registered in the early 1900's. The present ice record stands at 143 mph (230 km/h). This was set by John D. Buckstaff, sailing a 'Class A stern steerer' named 'Debutante. The record was set on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin in in 1938 apparently in a 70mph wind.  This record was initially acknowledged but subsequently withdrawn from the Guinness Book of Records due to questions over validity. However, as it is the only officially recorded top speed for an ice yacht, the Windjet team has accepted this speed as the record to beat.  Well the British are coming again and this time they’re after 2 of our records and 1 French record as well.  Want to know more?- check out their website .  Look in the archives section for pictures and a video.
This is the Iron Duck, the current land record holder:

Queen Isabella Causeway Special Report
Last  Updated Tuesday November 27, 2001 05:10 PM
     The Queen Isabella Causeway reopened Wednesday, Nov. 21, after being closed for 68 days to repair sections of the bridge that collapsed following a barge collision on September 15. A combination of state-of-the-art materials, favorable weather, extended work hours, and an aggressive schedule with overlapping construction phases enabled TxDOT's contractor to repair the causeway in record time.
     TxDOT officials are very pleased with the quality of repairs to the Queen Isabella Causeway. The strength of the concrete used in the new structures was thoroughly tested to meet or exceed state and federal standards. A super-plasticizer concrete additive was a key element in enabling contractors to expedite construction. Under normal conditions, concrete cures in 4-7 days. Adding the super-plasticizer to the mix allowed the concrete to cure in 1-2 days without compromising strength. Consequently, the bridge was repaired in roughly one-third the normal time for a project of this type.
     Effective Monday, Nov. 26, TxDOT’s free vehicle and passenger ferryboat services between Port Isabel and South Padre Island were discontinued. South Padre Island’s public transportation system, The Wave, has resumed its normal schedule. TxDOT sincerely appreciates all groups and individuals who contributed their services and support during reconstruction of the causeway.

Its Time to Pay Your Dues!
     A New Year is rapidly closing in on us and the CCWA’s annual dues are due.  If you want to continue to receive the printed CURRENTS each month, enjoy the club’s varied events, parties, meetings etc. and do your part in promoting the sport of WINDSURFING in the Corpus Christi area- write that check today and stay a member for another year.  A membership form is below.
     The Holiday Party is also a good time to take care of this bit of essential business, but get it done before February because only paid members will receive the February printed issue of CURRENTS and we need your help this year, all of you, as the times are changing and we are trying to change with them and for the better. 

 See everybody at the Holiday Party!  Don John & Matt 

And from the Rec.windsurfing news group:
     I think I've "discovered" a new way to waterstart in lighter winds by placing both legs on the board, then kinda crawling towards the board so that knees are on the board. From this position it's easy to go to sitting position where you still hold the sail upright but sit with your butt on the board, both feet in the water. Now it's a piece of cake to lift yer front leg, step on the board near the mast and hoist yourself up.  Now, I might be just dumb and/or ignorant, but it really seemed much easier to waterstart, and I haven't seen this technique described anywhere. The common light wind technique is to grab the mast and clew instead of boom, but so far I've been unable to master it as the rig always gets torn out of hands. The "new" way, however, was almost effortless to me.  Can anyone tell me if such technique is indeed usable? I assume it would be
tough to waterstart this way in chop, but then you rarely get waves/chop in light wind. Another restriction might be volume because most of your weight is supported by the board - I tried this on 130L and 110L F2 Rides.                                                    Peter Z

Responses: 

     Hey, why not?  But for a more traditional method that is not quite as extreme as drooping both hands from the boom, try only grabbing the mast and keeping your back hand on the boom.  That way you'll keep your weight over the board in a way that is very stable and quite natural even in chop.  The weight of the rig when tipped to leeward actually helps you haul your self up.  It works great.                         Dan

     Stop at "From this position” it's easy to go to sitting position where you still hold the sail upright but sit with your butt on the board, both feet in the water" and then take  it to: Now rotate on your butt to face the front of the board, swing your feet onto the front of the board so they're out of the water, and sail straight downwind if that's where you want to be ... or just because it's fun and  different.  On a sinker, it's less effort than slogging; on a big floater it's at least something different from the usual slogging technique. I often sail way upwind in lakes or in the Gorge ... sometimes miles ... and of course one can never trust the wind completely whether on floaters and 6.0s or sinkers and 3.0s. Many times I've been upwind (deliberately in weak current or accidentally in strong current) when the wind dropped off and stayed there, so I just use your approach, add mine, and sail downwind for thousands of  yards on my butt. You can often surf swell in the process, popping onto a plane now and then. I've done it many times on boards from 7-6 to 8-6 with at least 80% success rate, and even the other 20% simply meant I occasionally fell off to one side and had to restart- a piece of cake with your technique.  Another great aspect of it is that if the wind picks up, the sail pulls you right up into a standing plane effortlessly as you swing into a broad, standing, planing reach from a downind, seated slog. Then when the next lull hits, you can just sink to a seated position again and resume running before the wind. Takes a LOT of the effort out of going downwind in marginal or downright weak wind, and is fun in its own right.                     Mike

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Malibu 2 tandem kayak---$400. With 2 paddles--$500 OBO. 
Wave 255 82 liter Peter Thommen shaped board with 9.0 Matt Pritchard wave fin. Must sell $225 OBO.  Call Don Gentry @ 949-9785

Hans wants a dedicated windsurfing trailer- (361) 815-4719