WSA/Strath Windsurfing Shop Summer Slalom Series

Why not shorten up the run so it's not just a matter of using fast equipment. That way people who use slower freeride/wave gear who can gybe have a chance to make up lost ground . Would make a more exciting race.

Just a quick reminder that you will need to be a member of Windsurfing SA to take part in this series.

I'll be there about 1 pm if anyone needs to sign up (if not already a member), but it's easier for everyone if you can enter before hand via:

http://wsa.roundtablelive.org/

No entry fee for the actual races, but you will need to fill out the standard disclaimer form on the day... yada yada yada

Regards, Richard

I think you will find that some of the guys on Slalom boards are very fast at gybing striving to improve their gybe speed for the GPS team challenge alpha racing speed they also tend to make every gybe. So the argument that a short course will balance things up is not the case. Having a longer course and in reality it is not that long it is shorter than an Olympic course opens it up for more sailors to give it a go and not get knackered having to gybe every 500 meters. There are many factors that will determine who will get the most circuits over the hour the wind conditions are likely to change across the course the wind conditions will change over the series the wind conditions for each race will differ advantaging some and not others. As for exciting there will be some very close racing with people competing for gybe position at each mark. In addition there are 2 competitions running at the same time one for the number of roundings and one for peak speed a short course would make the second competition pointless.

This race series is about going out and having fun and challenging yourself. So my suggestion is have fun and don't worry about how far or close the buoys are.

If you want to make it fair I suggest everyone should have to wear a weight vest bring their weight up to 135kg so that I have a chance!

Looks like the forecast is improving for Saturday looks like it is going to be 15-20knots bit like last Saturday

(nice work Jay, my best side! )

thanks to the organisers for a cracking day - challenging conditions in a lot of ways, but a lot of fun. my hands are shredded and I'm sooo sore, but still grinning.

bring on the fifteenth...

Duffield smashed it - get a GPS and joing the demons, you know you want too!

Here are the results and my recollection of what happened (sorry about the formatting):

Race 1 24th November 2012
Name Circuits GPS Peak
Richard 10 23.9
Sam 12 30.72
Mike 13 N/A
Carl 7 30.49
Shane 9 30.86
Jeff 7 23.81
Peter 10 27.71
Chris 9 N/A

We arrived to a 12-15 knots W with a general consensus that a swing to SW was on the cards. I was sceptical (see equipment choice below). We dropped a buoy on the other side for the prevailing W, and had another buoy on the other side more downwind about right for a SW. We came up with a hair-brain idea that either could be rounded, as they were about equi-distant from the inside mark (just off the launch area). So basically it was 2 figure 8 courses, both potentially across the wind.

The fleet hit the water about 3.30. The W mark was about right, with the wind patchy and shifty. W mark was some times too high, sometime too low. Wind began building soon after the start with occasional gusty patches of 20 knots from the W. We were all blasting at this point, and there was always someone near by to chase. Good clean fun. About the 40 min mark, the SW seabreeze front hit with a vengeance. 45degree windshift, and 25 knots, with some gusts beyond that.
A group of us were left to claw our way upwind to the W mark one last time, which needed a few tacks. Others made the strategic call to go for the SW mark while I think others pulled the plug. The final few laps were best made out to the SW mark, and it was 1-2' chop out there by then (Not how I remember Boggy Lake :-) ). It was pretty hard on the nose to get back to the finish line. Some very tired sailors gathered on the lawn once the flag had dropped signalling 1 hour was up. As hair-brained as the idea of a course with a choice of marks sounded, it worked and kept us on the water with a massive wind shift.

As predicted, an hour is a long time, and it was pretty gruelling. Perfect! The length of the reaches was about right in my opinion. Clean gybing could still payoff. The distance was needed to claw upwind for the marks at times. There is an interesting strategy for this type of race. It is all about the highest average speed you can muster on the day. Dropping off the plane or being too under-powered to get upwind will send you to the back of the fleet. The time spent swapping a rig or board, or even stopping to tune your sail is very hard to make up by any speed gain you might pick up. So basically it all about grinning and bearing it and keeping the board moving. Falling off is slow as always.

As far as equipment goes, there was a variety. Sam did well on a GPS sail and 160 L Bic Techo. Mike has a 100 L slalom board and an old 7.0 Severne prototype. Peter had an 8.5 sail which proved too big in the end. Optimal gear was probably 110L Slalom board and 7.0 sail I suppose. Maybe other can post what they were riding for those thinking of making the trip down next time?

My own call own call on equipment was shall we say stupid courageous. Biggest sail was a soft 7.0 Superfreak. Had a pre-race test run of this on a 107L Thommen Cross, but felt I was too under-powered. Swapped the board for the Kona 11.5 TT. Now I had my preferred light wind wave-sailing combo :- ) It did keep me moving, but I was gambling on the wind easing leaving me to storm home in the lulls. On boy, was I wrong about that. Should have listened to the locals :-) Last 20 min was a major wrestling match. Mother Nature the victor. I will have to dust off and patch up my slalom gear for next time, which I think is in the rafters of the shed somewhere.

Thanks to Michele for the record keeping and Gareth for the apres beer. Let's get some more sailors on the water next race, Dec 15th!

Sorry about the essay.

Regards, Richard

A series of half hour races would be better

We have "clarified" the rules a bit for the next 4 races just to make things run a bit smoother and fair as possible. Here's how it will go down on the 15th:

1. The race will be 1 hour long. When the flag is taken down the hour is over. The person counting the roundings will determine when an hour has been completed.

2. Race registration is at 1pm.

3. Race briefing is a 2pm. Miss the briefing and you wont know what is going on :-)

4. The race will start at 3pm. The only reason for a delay in the race starting later is if the course needs to be adjusted for the wind direction.

5. The number of complete rounding completed within the hour will be counted and contribute to your total for the series.

6. The GPS 2�sec peak during the race will be taken towards the completion for the highest peak during the series.

7. The race will start with all boards lined up on the grass behind a line specified by the race organisers.

8. A complete rounding is regarded as sailing from the inner buoy out to an outer buoy rounding the buoy then return to and rounding the inner buoy.

9. A buoy can be rounded in any direction. However if the inner buoy is tacked around for you last rounding it needs to be rounded by 360 degrees for the circuit to be counted.

10. The only protest than can be raise is if the outer buoy is not rounded. It is the responsibility of the racer to inform the person counting the roundings that they did not round the outer buoy. Failing to round the buoy will not result in a disqualification just the lost of the circuit being counted towards the racers total roundings.

11. It may be decide to place more than 2 buoys to account for any possible wind change. In the case of more than 2 buoys being laid racers can choose which outer buoy they will round.

12. Rigs and boards can be changed during the race it is the responsibility of the racer to inform the counter of any board or sail changes being made.

13. The race series is 5 races with the best 4 results counting towards a racers total.

The forecast is looking like a WSW wind direction for the start of the race with a possible change to SW during the race similar to the last race but the change is likely to be lighter.

What ever the wind direction or strength it should be a fun afternoon of sailing.

The race starts a 3pm register by 2pm I will get there around 1pm and start rigging up for the race,

Last weekend the outer buoys were still in place unfortunately the inside buoy had gone walkabout but the inside buoy will now just be the one marking the end of where the fence row used to be.

All welcome to come down and join the race regardless of gear a WindSUP with a semi soft sail came in third in the last race you just need to be a member of Windsurfing SA (you can join before the race).

Just to repeat:

The date of the next 2 races has changed to the 23rd of February and March.