Kona Worlds Follow Up

The Kona Worlds were pretty fun. I was content with my 13th place finish, but wish I had done a bit better. Wind was pretty good - almost all races were in 10-15 mph. I wish there had been more races in the 15-20+ that had been forecast for most of the week, but at least there were no drifter days.

Links:
Final Results
Photo Album with pictures from me and Ann Gratton
Official Kona Photos-1
Official Kona Photos-2
Freestyle video that Del Carpenter posted to Facebook

Here are a couple pictures from my photo album.

Me sailing #1470 between races

My gracious room mate for the week, Andy Gratton, on #2657

Andy gringing upwind with Nevin Sayre

Me approaching a finishing on port tack. I'll comment more on this later.

Me crossing the finish line on port tack ahead of #1875 on starboard. 1875 protested me on this crossing, and I ended up losing the protest hearing. I'll comment more in a future post... but I think this picture shows someone trying to head up and losing power in their sail from being clearly underneath my crossing.

Freestyle contest, while I was still upright ;)

Mile Marker 0 in Key West

Winter SUP

Weather was warm for this time of year, over 40F, so I took the SUP for a spin in the water that opened up near shore.

Ice Sailing

The ice was great on Lake Winnebago at the start of December. I was able to catch one of the days Dec.7, using a home built freeskate and later borrowed a Hiberna board from Kevin at Windpower. Also of note, these videos are my first use of the GoPro since recovering it from being lost in the Lake for over a month.

Great ice and 10-15 mph wind. Lots of sailors enjoying the day. I'm on a homebuilt freeskate and twin cam 6.0 sail.

Kevin Gratton and Alex Monroe in the smaller steel tube ice boats. Don Altmeyer on the Hiberna with a white and red sail. Andy Gratton on one of the stern steer speed demon ice boats ;) Several DN's and other ice boats out there too.

http://youtu.be/vUvyRkXdSSE

In the second video I switched to a Hiberna board. FANTASTIC BOARD. I wish the battery in the gopro had lasted longer. Probably sailed with Don for another hour or so.

http://youtu.be/rdT_aZt8HFM

Here is a picture of the gps track from the day.

Here is a zoom in of the gps path. Pretty cool how circular some of the arcs are from doing 360's on the hiberna. The area marked with the arrow is when Don and I were chasing around with each other and showing the hibernas to Joey. The 26.3 is during the best alpha500 on the track, with max speed of 26.3 mph on the way in, 17mph average through the 500m and almost all of that is while doing a 360. On that one I think I had planned to turn around, but didn't feel comfortable jibing at that speed so just did a full 360 and kept going - jibed later after slowing down.

Elkhart Lake August 2013

I ran across some nice pictures of my brother Adam and I sailing on Elkhart Lake last August. Clear water, sunny skies, and wind!

Recovered GoPro

Update since earlier post. I got the GoPro out of the ice and it still works. It actually was still on when I got it out of the ice but it wasn't recording. I had stopped recording on it when I went in to tweak my gear right before it tipped over and got lost.

I was able to retrieve the files off the card and verify that it still will record new video. I attached one of the frames from that session.

Found my GoPro - at least the tripod

Winnebago has been windy so hard to paddle around and look for the GoPro on the tripod that I lost a little after Windpower Championships (around Oct.3, I think).But the lake froze over the last couple days so I took another look.... And there it was with a leg sticking out of the ice. It initially was placed probably another 150 yards further from shore so the swell helped roll it in to shallower water.

Now I just need to get it removed from the ice and see if it still works. Fingers crossed!

Alligator Lighthouse trip

I attached pictures of my gps tracks from sailing out to the alligator lighthouse Tuesday afternoon after we finished racing. About 7 miles out and my total distance sailed was 17 miles because of tacking to get back upwind to Islamorada.

I also attached a couple pictures I found online of the lighthouse.

Wind was pretty good 15-20 the whole time. Kevin Gratton also rounded the lighthouse on his kiteboard.

Day 4 update

Two races done this morning in 10-15 mph. General recall in the first race and I didn't notice the black flag during the start sequence - woops. So, when I dip started over the boat at about 40 seconds to go I got disqualified right away. I kind of had an eerie feeling I shouldn't be there and no one else was around.

I thought the black flag flew during the entire sequence, bit I guess it goes up at 4:00 and down at 1:00. I didn't look at the boat during that time but should have.

Second race I think I scored in top 10. I probably had my best start of the event and ran upwind with the French candian guy. I think I got around the top mark in the mid-teens. First downwind I probably stayed even, gaining on some early but then losing other later as I tried making broad reaches but the wind wasn't strong enough. Second upwind was uneventful. It was hectic on last downwind though as I got a nice puff at the top and rode down past a lot of people. I jibed the mark (starboard to port) just in front of one of the girls on yellow sails and with Steve Gottlieb coming in hot on port behind her.

Me and Steve drag raced to the leeward mark and he had inside overlap on me so I have him room and cut hard into the wind behind him. He continued on port on his fin. I cut hard upwind and ground it out with another one of the yellow girls (Andrea I think). She flopped to starboard and I still stayed on port. A green sail and another yellow girl (Sayre I think) came across from the right on starboard on their fins, so I tacked early of them and thought I might be able to get them to the line.

The green sail rolled right past, and the yellow girl eventually got me just before the line. She was up higher so was able to come down fast in her straps to the finish while I was still grinding on the centerboard. The other yellow girl (Andrea?) finished at just about the same time as us over at the boat on port. Pretty sure she beat me and maybe Sayre as well, but there's a small chance I finished in front of her.

I think we are doing two more races this afternoon to complete the series. Tomorrow will then be long distance and freestyle.

Day 4 preview

Wind is around 10-15 now. Forecast is for15-20 and I hope it gets there. The rules state that there will be a max of 12 races and we have done 8 so far. The plan is for 4 races today so that we can complete the event today, and do long distance and freestyle tomorrow.

Two races this morning, lunch, then two more races in the afternoon. I hope I sail a bit better today.

Day 3

Pretty good wind this morning. It was about 15 when Andy and I headed out about 1/2 hour before racing. Some gusts in upper teens.

Unfortunately wind backed off before we got started and ended up doing 2 races in about 6-12 mph. Only occasional gusts that we could plane on the reaches.

Andy did great with a pair of 6's. He may have been the fastest guy upwind. He railed the board more than anyone else was and that really helped him slice through the leftover wind chop. Most kona guys say you shouldn't rail the board too much because it starts sucking water under the step tail (which it does) but Andy said he just let it suck and gargle and was able to cut through the chop much better.

I got somewhere between 10-15 I think in the first race. Second race I finished 14th I think. But, I got protested by 15th place at the finish (Mohammed). We rounded the last leeward mark with him a board length in front. I tried to climb on him but couldn't so I tacked over to starboard. He continued on port.

When I tacked back to port to go to the line he was tacking to starboard on the other side of the course. As we approached the finish he continued to hail starboard (still more than 50 yards from each other) and I responded that I saw him and was going to go over the top. When we got within a close enough distance to make a decision I felt I was going to be able to cleanly pass over the top, so I continued sailing strong to the finish. I crossed safely in front of him and he was probably 2 feet or more behind my board when he crossed behind me.

He claims he had to alter course and slow down but I saw no evidence of either. It was not nearly as close as many many many other crossings I see happen at races. He protested me when he finished and we had to do a formal protest meeting an hour or so after we got to the beach.

Both of us stated our cases and agreed on all the aspects of the situation except for that he feels he had to alter course to avoid hitting and I feel that he never actually altered course, and furthermore he didn't need to. Neither of us had witnesses. Check out the picture below...

Me crossing the finish line on port tack ahead of #1875 on starboard. 1875 protested me on this crossing, and I ended up losing the protest hearing. I think this picture shows someone trying to head up and losing power in their sail from being clearly underneath my crossing.

Unfortunately the protest committee ruling was that I failed to give way so I got disqualified from that race. I'm disappointed in that ruling because I don't know what I could have done differently other than just concede the position to him. How far ahead does a port tacker have to cross in order for a starboard tacker not to be able to call 'protest' and get awarded the better finish?

Hopefully we get planing conditions tomorrow and I sail a bit better.

First day results

First race got thrown out due to the leeward mark apparently drifting. So, the two afternoon races become R1 and R2.

I got 3rd and 6th. Thought I had a 5th in R2 but I guess another guy snuck in there that I forgot about. Andy Gratton is sailing strong with a 4th and 3rd.

I think the overall is currently at:
1. Tim Aagesen - 3pts
2T. Nevin Sayre - 4.5 pts
2T. Raz Sayre - 4.5
4. Jean Sebastian Fusere - 8
5. Mohamed Elsafty - 12
6. Andy Gratton - 14
7T. Arden Anderson - 18
7T. Keith Whiston - 18
9. Steve Gottlieb - 20
10. Nicole Level - 22

Kona Day 1

Fleet split into two groups - one start did outside loop trapezoid and the next group did inside loop trapezoid course. Light wind this morning by the breeze kicked in just as course was being set for race 1. Got to 15 mph, then 20, and I heard that there were recordings to 28 mph during R1. I had a poor start near the boat with too much traffic around so didn't get going very well. But got into the second clump of people by the windward mark and could see 4 guys that were out in front. Then it got pretty windy during the first time downwind in the outside loop - probably the gusts of 25+. I ended up taking one swim and lost track of the top 4 guys but wasn't really getting passed much as everyone else was flaming wreckage as well.

I eventually got my act together and finished a bit behind Ron Kern who finished 6th I think. So I was probably 7 or as low as 10th.

Probably less than half the entrants finished race 1.

Lunch break had many people saying we shouldn't be out and that much wind plus it was already 3:00. Oh yeah, and it was offshore wind so some people were drifting and couldn't get back so needed boat ride in.

To fox's credit he got the course set closer to shore and told people to head back out. Another thing - first race was very long course - took me 25-30 minutes to finish (5-10 mins was swimming around though on the downwind leg and a blown tack). So, he also said he would shorten the course. We did two races after that and the wind was more like 15-20. I got 3rd and 5th. Andy Gratton got 5th and 3rd. I could have got 2nd in R2 but brain farted coming to finish and let a guy squeeze me out for 2nd.

I think I have speed to hang with all the guys in my group except probably the guy that won all 3 races. He's pretty quick upwind and especially off the line. Smooth translations too. Other than that I don't think the guys in my group are much better than me. I just need better starts. But I've been a beast downwind usually passing 3-5 people on the first downwind every time. The problem obviously, is that there are always more than 5 people in front of me at the first mark.

The winner of my groups races is Tim Angstrom or something like that. He a euro. So is the guy that has been getting 2nd. Joachim Larsson is in my group and got 4th in R1, DSQ from R2 for sailing wrong course, and 4th in front of me in R3.

Andy Gratton and Ron Kern are the only americans in my group near me I think. Haven't seen results yet - just based on where we see people finishing.

Nevin Sayre won R1 and R2 in his group. Won R1 by a lot - he finished just before I finished and I started 10 mins before his group did.

Nevin's son, Raz, came in 2nd in R2 and won R3. It doesn't seem like there is as many speedsters in the group besides them.

Later,
Arden

Countdown

Racing starts tomorrow.

Taking my talents to South Beach

Heading into Miami airport.

Windpower and MOWIND results

Quick update...

We had great wind for the Windpower Championships a few weeks ago, and I was able to sail pretty consistently to win the event. Jeff Degayner and Andy Gratton were close throughout the event, and Magnus Zaunmueller, Don Altmeyer, and Niles Book applied plenty of pressure by each winning a race as well.

LINKS:  Mowind Report  |  Photo Album  |  A Fleet  |  KONA  |  Sport Fleet

The 2014 Mowind Race Series awards were presented during the dinner Saturday night. I was able to win my 9th consecutive Mowind Series title with finishes of 1st - Windpower, 1st - Walleye, 1st Door County, 2nd Worthington (US Nationals, and 2nd Dam Jam.

6.2 Reflex3 during either R6 or R7

7.8 Reflex2 and iSonic121 on the way to a bullet in R8

Hunkering down on the 7.8 during R9 as conditions got furry.
Don Altmeyer and Jeff Degayner with the pedal to the metal.

Formula Session

The breeze filled in this afternoon so I took my formula gear for a spin. 11.0 Reflex2, HWR, and Finworks 70LT. South wind so it was setup nice for windward leeward up and down the lake. I started off the beach downwind (north) to Deadwood Point by the kiters. Then I turned south and beat up to the lighthouse at the foot of the lake (hence, Fond du Lac). I rounded a channel marker by the marina and went north all the way back to Deadwood. Talked with Kevin and then headed upwind home to call it a day. 21 miles in all. GPS track.

Formula at Nationals

Here are a couple photos that my brother took during Formula racing on Friday. I jumped into the last 2 formula races since Open fleet was done for the day. 11.0 Reflex2, Starboard HWR, and Finworks Lassila 70LT fin.

Off the start line with Xavier Ferlet (left), me in the middle, and Ron Kern (right)

Buzzing the tower between races

Heading to the beach

Aden is getting his sea legs

He had a lot of fun at his lesson today.