Inexpert Advice, Tales of Redemption, and more Photos from the Regatta

First of all, let's talk about you (if you were at the race):  Photographer Jimmy Rivera took many more photos than could be used on the blog, but you should still get to see them (and Jimmy has generously made them available here:
Download LI RACE 09 WEB)

Okay, enough about you, let's talk about me.  I was in six races and the relay race...my results (and nutshell commentary:)

First Race:  Third (managed to get around jibe mark carnage.)

Second Race:  Fourth (participated in jibe mark carnage but waterstarted quickly.)

Third Race:  First!   Yeah boy!   I was two hundred yards behind the guy that should have won, but he sailed too far in to shore before tacking.  I made my tacks in full-strength wind and so got across the finish line first.   I fell at the jibe mark in this race, btw, so falling and winning are possible.

Fourth Race:  Last!  Yeah boy!  I carved a beautiful jibe around the jibe mark, was a lock for third place, and lost my concentration as per yesterday's post.  Two days later my shoulder still hurts from the catapult.

Fifth Race:  Fifth (see the photo to the right).  In the Lemans start beach carnage my board ended up inside Ted's boom.   It took us the better part of a minute to untangle ourselves and begin the race, yet thanks to the mess at the jibe mark Ted finished fourth and I was right behind him.

Sixth Race:  First!  This was the only race that resembled what I thought a windsurfing race would be like.  I was early to the mark, jibed around it nicely, and was headed for victory except for the fact that Bob Mansfield was behind me and catching up...he had a speed advantage (that is to say he's much faster than me!)   He also had excellent reason to want to beat me, as last year I jibed into him at Napeague (ie I rammed him).   What to do?  Kevin O'Shea told me he was distracted off his board at the mark when a competitor shouted at him, so I tried yelling.  Bob did not fall.   I could hear him heading upwind behind me, so I pinched as well, keeping his way blocked as we got within a few hundred yards of the finish line.   Then I heard him bear away...he was going to shoot underneath like a bat out of hell and zoom by!   But like some asshole driver on the Long Island Expressway I beared off with him, using the Complete Jerk strategy to fend him off.  It worked, I won, he came in second, and was friendly and laughing afterwards.   It was all in good fun, but between the ramming and the blocking I figure I've got two strikes against me in Bob's World.

Relay Race:  Our team came in last, but we had fun.   I sailed against K-Dog Kevin O'Shea, who quickly got in front of me but on whose tail I managed to stay for the run to the buoy and back.  I spent the rest of the afternoon telling K that he was on a faster board...he should have pulled away from me...why was he such a slow sailor?   Also I recently refused to sell him a boom, so I have two strikes with him too.

That's my story.   I came in last, I came in first.   You could have, too!  I was sailing on a heavyish 9 year old Bic with a stock fin that was considered crap THEN, along with a wave sail (an absolutely fantastic 6.2 wave sail, but it wasn't designed to go fast or sail overpowered) and still managed to win (a pumpkin).   Most of the racers at the regatta were sailing on Whatever They Had (I particularly enjoyed Vulcan George Pav racing on his freestyle board.)   And for the last two King of the East events at Heckscher, we've had loads of fun racing ancient longboards alongside state of the art formula gear (and everything else) in nonplaning or barely planing conditions.  

My point is:  Windsurfing racing on Long Island is casual, it's come as you are, it's fun, and it's fun.  And as Jill Marr points out, it's fun!   There are going to be more of them, and you should join in the fun!

(Top:  The editor wants a pumpkin.  Bottom:  Same editor contemplates his nose, while his board's nose slides between Ted's boom and sail.  Ted thought getting knocked down at the start was bad, but the indignity (and real fun) was just beginning!  Photos courtesy Jimmy Rivera.)

Comments

[TonyWind]

Hey, I like the guy with the sail # 11111, who is he? Looks like a pro!

[Ted]

Third Race: I was the guy 200 yards ahead who got too close to shore. It was amazing as I was getting closer to shore, it felt like I was getting sucked downwind. I don't know if there is a current there, but it sure felt like there was one. I also blew my tack, got up, went about 20 feet, fell again, then fell on another tack. I think I finished in the middle of the pack. I was pretty worn out by then and well overpowered. It was the last race right? Nope, after lunch we decided to go with 3 more slalom races.

[Kevin O'Shea]

I would like to post my results verbally, as something went horribly awry w the calculations. 1st: I was late, a little hungover, not even enough time to put on a wetsuit. 2. although I had let Jill know in advance I wanted to race, I missed the skippers mtg, so I am strictly UNofficial
3. JEff T "lent" me his #, so I jumped in on heat 3, 2nd to the Mark but came off a plane and ended up in the back half of the fleet.
4. Subsequent non-team race finishes for K-dog were 4th, 2nd, and 4th. throw out the first race and I am in what place,hmmm? :)
5. Last race, first leg of the team, I came in First, so it's 4,2,4, and a 1. Oh yeah, I creamed Mike Alex to take the win! :)
What fun, my heart rate was through the roof, esp when I was 2nd (3 times) or 3rd (once) to the windward mark. Being 1st to the mark is strangely calming!
thx again Race Committee
K dog

[Mac]

Sounds like a ton of fun...I need to find a way to join you guys for some racin' in LI.

[Michael]

Mac, stay tuned for more racing plans, though for now any "official" races are not slated until next Spring.

Kevin, nothing went wrong with the calculations. If you inquire with the race committee they will spell out for you why you came in 19th place, and also that you won no races at all. As for you and me, we raced two races against each other...in the first you finished second while I finished fifth, in the second you finished fourth while I won. I suspect you're confused about the relay race...it's true that you crossed the finish line before me, but you also left the beach before me. In any event, neither of our teams won the relay race (your team came in second, mine in third).

I don't think you'd disagree with the statement that you're not a big fan of rules (which is fine with me) but if you're going to participate in organized events you're going to have to get used to playing by the same rules everyone else is.

[Regatta Mgt.]

K-Dog
You exhibited alot of potential. And next time I'll bet you do much better if you:
- do less partying the night before
- arrive on time to sail all the races
- use 1 sail number throughout the regatta to avoid confusion by scorekeepers
- wear a wetsuit to keep (the muscles?) warm
- not include relay race scores with your individual scores

But we loved your enthusiasm and spirit, and feel you're capable of finishing in the top 15 next regatta.
See you at the EC Spring Warm-Up Regatta in May!

[Dennis]

to Regatta Mgt.,

Thank you sooo much for organizing these races, I am already prepping myself for May!! Woo-hoo!!