James Dinsmore puts the 5.1 away after 40 knots for 40kms!

Day 1:

No wind but there is an air of anticipation as the forecast for the following three days is perfect. We meet fellow Severne teamrider and Dutch speedsailor extraordinaire Jurjen van der Noord. It also turns out we are parked next to Patrice Belbeoch who, like Jurjen, is great to chat to.

Day 2:

The 60 minutes countdown to race one starts mid-morning. With 20 knots at the start I take a R4 7.8m/iS107/Ca 36.5 fin. The powerful combo takes me cleanly through the chaos of a start line with 800 other people on it. However, by the time we reach the first mark, 10km away, 35knot gusts are being recorded. I am well in the top 20, which inspires me to grit my teeth and hang on. I flatten off the adjustable outhaul and muscle the gear for the next 30km to the finish. Thirteenth place is a good start in a big field with competitors from over 30 different countries.

The second race is delayed and run over only one 20km lap. I take a R4 6.2m/iS87/Vector Volt 34 combination and am right up there until about 4km from home when I suddenly lose speed and start to struggle to point upwind. People start to overtake me and I fear that I will not make the finish line. About 10 metres from the line I have to unhook and pump and just bounce off the downwind finish buoy and over the line. On the beach I discover that the fin head has cracked and the fin has been leaning over in the box. I am lucky to have finished in 23^rd but the need to find a replacement fin is to have negative consequences on the following days. Sebastien Bonhomme Allaire leads overnight and I am 14^th overall.

Day 3:

Two races are run, each of 40km. In the first I go with the R4 6.2 (now tweaked after advice from Jurjen)/iS87 and untested loan Nik Baker 34 fin. As with the previous day I start at the upwind end of the line well away from the bulk of the top sailors. The problem with the upwind end is that it takes the rabbit boat 45-50 seconds to get there from the pin end. However, the wind is clean and so it is a strategy that enables a safe start but from which you are unlikely to ever win the race as you have a significant time handicap.  Anyway, things feel comfortable after a clean start and I come in 14^th position. Race 4 in the afternoon does not go so well.  The wind is now hitting 45 knots on the course and the direction has shifted. My R3 5.1 comes out of the bag with the same board and fin. The upwind start does not work so well with the wind having swung and I am just outside the top twenty at the first mark. The return legs are now tight upwind and I find it difficult to make the board head up enough with a fin that I then realise does not have the pointing potential of the broken Volt. I struggle but do make the finish line in one reach and still just outside the top twenty. Many sailors need to tack to make the line. Andrea Cucci is the overnight leader.

Day 4 

For the fifth and final race I take the R4 6.2/iS87/Deb SL3 34. I try the fin for the first time on the course beforehand and it feels quicker and more comfortable than the NB one. I get a decent start at the pin end and am in contention for a top 20 finish until the fourth and final leg.  The wind has backed and I cannot point enough to make it back to the line. It is gutting to see sailor after sailor stream over the line as I tack back up to the finish. The saving grace is that a couple of other top twenty guys have to do the same.  On the beach the rest of the British crew tell me I was an idiot for taking a downwind slalom fin. Thanks lads! Why didn’t you tell me before?

The flying Patrice Belbeoch takes the overall win on his birthday. I have come a respectable seventeenth overall and just ahead of Danny Aeberli as the top Severne sailor. We are lucky to have been able to take part in a Defi event with some of the best conditions ever. I will go away with my smaller sails tuned better, quite a bit wiser about fins and generally inspired.

In this third part we will cover tuning, training and why people compete. 

BSA slalom action.

Tuning and Training

Simon Pettifer: When I go for a sail I try to have some sort of aim, this could be gybing practice. I’ll find two buoys close together (easy in Poole harbour), and gybe a lot, keep going until I cannot gybe any longer, this is the only way to improve – keep doing it! It’s also good to do this exercise with other sailors, if you make the two buoys really close together it makes for some fun sailing.

As for tuning I just try different things, maybe try a couple of different fin combinations to see which is faster; you need someone else to judge your speed against, or a GPS unit where you can go home and download your tracks from the day and see at what points you were going fastest.

It could be the downhaul, try a little more or less see and what happens. Once you find the sail at its best for you try to note where your downhaul is set to, so that next time you sail you can rig it just how you like it. The outhaul is the easiest to play about with, the adjustable outhaul systems let you sail around changing the settings all the time, letting you see where you want your outhaul for the appropriate wind strengths.

Sailing on your own is great for some things but to improve your speeds I think you need to sail with other people. We all know it sucks to be passed by other people so we try harder, if you get passed by your mate, go in pull on an inch of downhaul go back out and see if you can beat him; if doesn’t work try changing your fin – put a smaller one in – it’s all about finding out what makes a difference.

Simon Pettifer

Simon Cofield: Sail – I use a lot of downhaul, this allows you to accelerate in big gusts whilst the sail twists off. It’s important to have an adjustable outhaul. When the wind is up and down I’ll be adjusting my outhaul between heats, so I’m fully powered in the race. Board – You need a good fin, I have my straps as far apart as they go for control, deck plate position as above.

I do a bit of fitness training in the winter, on the water I do some practice racing around some of the marks in Poole harbour with Si Pettifer.

Kev Greenslade: Downhaul I rig dependent on the wind but always enough to get a nice amount of twist in the sail, I use very little outhaul until I get completely stacked but by then probably thinking about changing down. It’s also really important to find the right fin for you, your board and the conditions.

It’s really hard to replicate the conditions whilst racing as you would almost never sail that fast that close to that many people, when it comes to gybing you have wakes going in all directions space to find etc etc. So the best form of practice is to race. There are fun slalom series being run at Hayling, Poole and Weymouth now so get involved, and if they are too far away get your own going, it’s so easy. There is always a buoy to race around and if you do it in pursuit style, kit and ability doesn’t matter, everyone has fun.

Ant Baker. Image credit Dave White.

Ant Baker: As a chubber I like lots of downhaul and not much outhaul, this means I get great twist and a nice full body to hold my board down.

As I have to work pretty much everyday I get very little time to practice, in fact the last year I have only sailed slalom boards at events

James Dinsmore: When it comes to tuning your sail the single most important variable is the amount of downhaul you put on. It is really important to experiment and try to learn to feel what it is like to have too much or too little downhaul. If you have too much downhaul the sail tends to feel heavy and too powerful and when a gust comes you may feel as if you are getting lifted uncontrollably onto your toes. With my current iSonic board and Severne Reflex sails combination I notice that if I am under-downhauled it feels as if the nose of the board is being pushed down into the water. It feels ‘sticky’ and as if it might catch on chop. If I put a small amount of more downhaul (may only need as little as 5mm) the nose rides higher, the stickiness completely disappears and the board feels like it will make it’s way over even the nastiest bit of chop. When you have cranked on too much downhaul the sail starts to feel gutless and has poor acceleration. You may feel yourself over sheeting and the sail tending to drop backwards. Ideally with each of your sails you need to spend a session during which you start with the sail under-downhauled and then incrementally increase the downhaul until the sail is over-downhauled. It is a useful exercise as you will learn to recognise too much or too little downhaul and you will also be able to find the sweet spot of your sail.

If you don’t have one already then do get an adjustable outhaul. They are very easy to use and put at your fingertips the ability to massively increase the wind range of your sail. You will enjoy your sailing much more if you have one. Try to work towards sailing kit big enough that means that you are powered for the lulls rather than the gusts. An adjustable outhaul allows you to sail much closer to your limits. It may be more beneficial to have a very physical 30 minutes session quite over-powered than 90 minutes of cruising. It is a key skill to learn to get round a course while overpowered Make use of any buoys that may be in the water to practice gybing and starts. You will be forced to gybe whatever the water state is like at the mark, which is the same as on the racecourse. Otherwise it is only too easy to choose to gybe where it is flat and you will struggle in competition.

Racing at Weymouth. Image courtesy Dave White.

Why I Compete

Simon Pettifer: I compete because it keeps me keen, always trying to do a bit better than the previous event. The feeling I get when I’ve had a good heat and beaten someone that usually beats me feels great, you can’t get the same feeling from sailing down the park. When you do one slalom heat it may only last about three mins but it’s knackering, so much is packed into three minutes and the whole time I’m fired up, it’s hard to explain, something you’ve got to try.

If you want to try it, get down to your local spot and do some light hearted racing with your friends. Poole have a Poole slalom, Weymouth have the same thing going on, as do Hayling Island, all these places are ready for newcomers to turn up and give it a go, all abilities are welcomed. Any gear can be used, at Poole we do a handicap system where by the person that wins the first race starts last in the next one, the person that finished last starts first and so on, this means that the racing is good for all, there is always someone to catch up with or try to stop passing you.

I would encourage others to give competing a go because it will improve your sailing,  it’s definitely the best way to get better quicker, improve your gybes and go faster. Also you meet great people at events, all with the same thing in mind, windsurfing and maybe a couple of drinks – if there’s no wind of course! I’ve met some of my best friends at windsurfing events over the last 20 years even with a 15 year break in the middle.

Simon Cofield: I enjoy the challenge of racing against the top guys.

Kev Greenslade: I have been very fortunate to have been racing from a very young age, I have travelled the country and some of the World with my best mates doing what we all love. Doing well is just a bonus (a nice one though).

Ant Baker: I love the feeling of winning! The race course is a great place to practice your skills and gain some bragging rights over your mates!

Check out the other parts of the series here:

In this second part we cover:

Gybing – how to enter and exit

and

Top Speed – how to go as fast as possible

Simon Pettifer

Gybing

Simon Pettifer: Anyone can gybe down their local beach on their own when they choose to do it, it’s when there are eight or nine people around you it can get tricky. I find that if I take it easy I make a mess of it, so I have to try to go for it almost as if the other guys aren’t there, but you do have to make sure that contact is avoided and this can involve a bit of swerving around as people do fall off and if you pile into the back of them then you’re race is over. Try to come out of your gybe close to the buoy, so you’re upwind of any of the sailors around you, you don’t want to be down wind of a couple of sailors both pumping their sails to get on the plane, you will come off the plane and sit in their bad air.

Also, try to gybe on a wave or swell to help keep you on the plane, even try to come out of the gybe down chop, anything to help you get through the mess of wakes left by the sailors around you.

Simon Cofield: When gybing I’m always look for a bit of swell or a trough to go down while I’m flipping the rig and changing my feet; this allows you to keep momentum and exit the gybe with speed.

Kev Greeneslade: Really just focus on the exit speed and try not too leave too much space for others to sneak through; and don’t fall off!

Another top racer, Sam Latham, shows us the perfect slalom gybe below…

Sam Latham K15 – 3 fully planing gybes from Sam Latham K15 on Vimeo.

Ant Baker: It’s very important to make your exit a priority, meaning it doesn’t matter how it looks as long as you come out fanging!

James Dinsmore: If in doubt it is much better to go in wide and come out tight. If you come out upwind you will have clean air in which to launch an attack on any sailors ahead and you are also in the best position to defend your position.

If it is super windy and rough then it may help to head into the wind to shed speed and gain control just before you initiate your gybe.

Kev Greeneslade

Top Speed

Simon Pettifer: Sailing on your own is great for some things, but to improve your speed I think you need to sail with other people. We all know it sucks to be passed by other people so we try harder, if you get passed by your mate, go in pull on an inch of downhaul go back out and see if you can beat him, if doesn’t work try changing your fin – put a smaller one in – it’s all about finding out what makes a difference.

Simon Cofield: Sail – I like to sail fully powered, putting as much of my weight through the harness lines as possible, be fully sheeted in and keep the sail as still as I can. I find this the best way to go fast.

Board – You want to be riding right on the fin, with just the back section of your board touching the water. To achieve this you need your deck plate in the right position, to far forward and the board will stick to the water = slow, to far back and you will be tail walking in the big gusts = slow. Experiment with positions to get it right.

Kev Greeneslade: I am fortunate to be 6’4″ , 98kg and use the fastest sails in the world, eat pies, drink beer, sheet in, job done. Being maxed is key for speed, however I do like to get on to smaller than 9.5 and 140 as soon as posable my 8.6 /123 combo is just much more efficient for me.

Ant Baker: I get asked all the time how my kit feels and I answer with: “it feels horrible… but I’m fast.” Pro windsurfers can get their kit tuned to the limit, but for most it’s about getting round the course, not falling on gybes is the most important thing then you can start to crank things up a bit to get some top end. I like to use small fins and big sails, this means the power I generate from my rig goes forward not up in the air. I also use a Shox North mast base which allows me to stay sheeted in through bad chop, but don’t tell anyone

James Dinsmore: The first thing to say is that having overall good speed around a slalom course is very different to achieve a peak speed with a GPS when sailing on your own.

The time it takes to get to top speed is vital in slalom and may be more important than the top speed itself.  Having good acceleration is key at both the start and when exiting gybe marks and can win or loose you a race.  In the real world you may well not hit the start line at top speed but if you have good acceleration then you can get into clean air quickly and then have an advantage over your competitors.

For good acceleration you want to be able to sheet in with the backhand and immediately feel your sail drive you forwards. Taking a relatively big and full sail will tend to give you this ‘power on tap’ feeling. In order to achieve a better maximum speed with a GPS you may well choose to use a smaller sail and fin than you would on a slalom course. With a GPS you can time your runs with the gusts and then make the most of the efficiency and less drag of a smaller sail and fin. If you take a fin that is too small on the slalom course then you will struggle to point. Even on a ‘downwind’ slalom course it is vital to be able point upwind as this allows you to find clean wind and overtake. Finding the right fin for your board and sail is vital as you want just enough lift to allow you to point but not so much so that the boards threatens to take off.

Next time on Slalom Secrets we will cover: Tuning and Training. 

You may also like to read: 

In this first part we cover:

Starting – What process do the top guys use?

and

Covering your position – Is it worth it?

James Dinsmore

Starting

James Dinsmore: Try to have the discipline to practice starts on your different boards and in different conditions. How far you want to be from the line with twenty seconds to go is different in 12 knots to 25 knots of wind. You need to practice to be able to rely on judgement rather than luck.

The easiest practice can be done on your own and simply involves selecting a buoy or any fixed object in the water and running through complete start sequences until you are arriving at the buoy at zero seconds going full tilt.

Different approaches to the start suit different circumstances. For example coming late and at speed from behind the pack can sometimes work well, but in very light winds it can easily go horribly wrong as it is hard to maintain speed coming through the dirty air of the pack.

Simon Pettifer: You must have a start watch, one of the big yellow racing ones ideally, as you’ve got to be able to see it easily. Hang around the start boat once you’re heat flag has gone up, hit your 3 min start sequence when you hear the horn sound and the flag goes up, then sail away from the boat for 30 secs, gybe and come back to the boat ready to press the sync button on you’re watch when the 2 min flag comes down. This is to make sure you have  the count down bang on and you know you’ll have the best chance of hitting the line bang on the gun.

There are different ways of approaching the whole start thing, at the moment I’m having the best time with this one: after the two minute flag has gone up I gybe and once again sail away from the start boat, not at full speed just taking it easy. Then just before the 1 minute flag I’ll gybe again, all the while taking note of who’s around me.

Simon Pettifer

At this point there tends to be a few of you together starting to gather in a line ready to put the foot down. So you’re one min from the start if you sail real slow,  so you know you can cruise up toward the start picking you’re time when you sheet in, you’re in the straps hooked in and planing toward the start. From the warm ups sailing around the start line you’ll know when to sheet in and go for the line, it’s all about knowing how far you travel at full speed, only practice can tell you this.

There are a couple of things you can do to get over some mis-timing probs. If you’re too early for the start and you think you’re going to be over the line, bear away down wind so you’re no longer heading straight for the line, therefore you take longer to get to the line but you don’t have to slow down and you don’t lose the speed that you’ve just tried to get up. This can involve cutting people up a bit as you’re going to sail straight across the top of them, they will not be happy but remember you want to be hitting the line at full speed – hopefully somewhere near the front of the pack. If you’re at the back at the start then you’ll have a hard time catching up, your only hope is people making mistakes at the gybe but this doesn’t happen all that often.

Simon Cofield  I sail away from the start boat at 3 minutes and gybe at about 1.5 minutes. I try to leave some room downwind of me as I’m coming towards the start, this allows me to bear away and hit the start line at top speed.

Kev Greeneslade

Kev Greeneslade This is dependent on the conditions and sometimes the venue. First up sail the course, secondly check the bias on the start line and take a transit if possible.

My preferred method of starting is to wait by the boat for the 3 minute signal then sail towards the first gybe mark for 25-30 seconds, and then sail back towards the boat. In theory so long as I haven’t fallen off I should be able to check my watch at 2 minutes, now sheeting in to full speed sailing away from the boat. Next up is to gybe at 1 minute ish and make it a good one as falling off here is not an option! Then it’s flat out towards the preferred end of the line, normally the the pin; as I approach the line I try to leave space down wind of me to bear away into just incase I am early.

The start is probably 80% of the race so it’s crucial to get right as everyone is so bloody fast.

Ant Baker  Everyone goes around the starting process differently, personally as a fat bastard I like to only put in 1 gybe; so I sail from the start line on the 3min flag and gybe at 1.5 mins then fang towards the pin end and then aim to first to mark one

Ant Baker

Covering

James Dinsmore: It is certainly important to be aware of the sailors around you in order to defend your position. However, especially when you are inexperienced, it is easy to get put off and make unnecessary mistakes because of distractions. If I am leading I hardly ever look back and prefer to concentrate on looking forward and sailing my own race as I find I make less mistakes that way.

Simon Pettifer So you’re going down the first reach someone is right behind you gaining, what can you do? Make it hard for them, push them up wind, off the sailing line and don’t back off unless they’re going much, much quicker than you.This will slow them up and therefore distract them from the job in hand. That’s about the only covering I seem to do, apart from that I’m usually trying my best to go as fast as I can and not go over the front of the board!

Si Cofield

Simon Cofield I sail the shortest route to the next mark at top speed, I don’t get involved with altering course to much, it just slows you down.

Kev Greeneslade I normally race my own race and rely on board speed and good starts; once you’re in the lead it’s easier if you can hold your nerve. Covering doesn’t really come in until after a few rounds, then becomes evident who you are racing and for what position. Then you can start doing stuff like sailing over the top of your nearest rival off the start etc.

Ant Baker Sheet in!

Next time we will be covering gybing and getting to your top speed.

For more technique on Boards check out the all features here.

James Dinsmore rigging at Reggio Calabria. Credit PWA/John Carter.

Name: James Dinsmore

Sail number: GBR659

DOB: 01/06/1975

Years windsurfing:  23

Disciplines: Slalom

Home town: Born in London

Current residence: Hayling Island

Sponsors: Starboard, Severne

Boards: What is your history in windsurfing? When and where did you learn and first compete?

Dinsmore: My first memories of windsurfing were as a kid on a gravel pit lake. My father had an original F2 Lightning and I vividly remember the excitement when he bought a clamp-on boom for the first time.

However, it was not until after I got a job and a car in my twenties that I really got hooked. Windsurfing started to dictate my movements and soon I took a job in Australia in search of wind and sun.

My first experience of racing was at the Lancelin Ocean Classic in Western Australia. At the time I only owned wave gear and whilst the front-runners disappeared over the horizon I slogged on and off the plane for 25 kilometres. It was a frustrating business, but gave me an appetite for more racing. Several years later it was a lot more enjoyable coming back and finishing in 8^th place just ahead of Scott McKercher.

Boards: Do you consider yourself a professional windsurfer? If not what is your profession?

Dinsmore: No. Windsurfing is a rather expensive passion for me and I have to work hard as a hospital anaesthetist to save money for the gear. I used to do a lot of night-shifts with the benefit that I could get out on the water in daylight when I wasn’t working.

James Dinsmore at Defi. Image credit Dave Strudwick.

Boards: What made you get into competition and what are your plans for this year?

Dinsmore:  When I moved back from Western Australia to England, I wanted to keep my windsurfing exciting. On the South Coast more often that not the winds are quite light and there are no waves. It would be easy to get lazy and bored sailing big gear out and back aimlessly.

Racing gives you a focus and pushes you to always be trying to get more out of you and your equipment. Even when I go out in a light 12 knots seabreeze I push myself to sail at the limit and stay on the plane through every gybe. I constantly ask myself ‘would I go faster if I put on more downhaul, put up my boom or if I try a different fin?’.

Every time I go out I aim to learn something new that will mean I am better prepared for the next race. When competing you go outside your comfort zone and in doing so become a better sailor. This year I am doing the BSA series, PWA events in Italy and Costa Brava and the Defi event in France. Unfortunately neither the PWA event in Italy nor the Defi wind had good wind. I have my fingers crossed that Costa Brava will be a better event in a couple of weeks.

James in front, racing at Weymouth. Image courtesy Dave White.

Boards: What is your best competition result to date?

Dinsmore: The highlight of my racing career was making one of the losers finals at the PWA slalom event in Aruba last year. I remember starting at the boat end of the semi-final next to Antoine Albeau and I am sure he was thinking ‘who the heck is he?’ I was PWA Sailor of the Day, which was pretty unbelievable as a career doctor from the South Coast.

More from James on page two…

On Saturday 2nd June, the combination of low tide, 14-18 knots easterly and sunshine even tempted Michael George to make the trip down from Milton Keynes. The perfect conditions enabled us to run 12 races of 3-buoy downwind slalom. We had a mixture of newcomers to racing and seasoned campaigners on sails from 6.5 to 8m. Apart from a brief problem with a wandering buoy it was a cracking afternoon and you could see the buzz in the eyes of the sailors returning to the beach after each race.

Rob Solley, Marti Gerrard and Duncan Pickup lead off the beach

The club is very inclusive, aiming to introduce people to racing, and to give them the chance to improve their windsurfing by having the opportunity to learn off others. In between races I was pleased to to hear discussions between sailors on topics like what is the best line to take round the gybe mark and how to choose the right sail size.

Happy faces

After race nine most sailors called it quits but a few of us continued so that latecomer Allan Cross could get a couple of races in.

Throughout the afternoon the racing was very competitive and everyone was sailing well. Relative newcomers to slalom racing Paul Shotbolt, Rob Solly and Marti Jerrard gave the BSA regulars a real run for their money.

The next slalom racing at Hayling took place shortly after, being held on the evening of Wednesday 6th June.

On Wednesday we were fortunate to have excellent conditions for the second time in a week. Turnout was again good and included previous HS organisers Dave Dobrijevic and Dan MacCaulay as well as newcomers Dave, Dan, Tom and Rich. As the forecast had predicted by the time evening came the rain had gone and we had 16-18knots and flat water in the lee of the sand bar. I was well powered on my 8.6 and 127 board whilst others went for sails as small as 6.5m. The first reach was long and broad and it was a great sight to see 14 sailors going neck and neck into the first mark. Racing was again highly competitive and we ran 7 or so rounds of downwind slalom.

With the handicap system almost everybody was leading at some point. First-timer Dan nearly won one race and was leading around the final mark but didn’t quite have the speed to press home his advantage. It was cool to see how stoked he was afterwards.

Charlie Stobart Hook who is injured kindly took some photos of this session, as did my wife Aneete Sinha on the first Saturday racing.

To find out more information about the Hayling Island Slalom scene and how to get involved simply comment at the bottom of this post…

The racers

Kev Greenslade runs us through the first windy BSA event of the year:

The waiting was over, after a windless Hayling competition, the forecast for Weymouth promised to deliver.

It was time for the questions would be answered, would Ant Baker’s dominance from last year continue? Who had been training hard? What difference would people’s new gear make? How would the sailors moving up into the pro and amateur fleets fair?

Can Ant Baker reign supreme in 2012?

The new and improved OTC, powered by Puravida Boardriders, were event sponsors with a free hog roast to all competitors, free party and the opportunity to settle any differences on the water, with a gladiator style pugle stick arena, this event was sure to be great fun for all both racing and spectating.

On Friday evening it was hard to imagine what the weekend would bring. Sitting outside the OTC enjoying a chinese, whilst the sun went down over Chesil beach, who knew this would be far from an option come the following morning.

71 competitors woke on Saturday morning, to driving rain and a solid north easterly 14-18 knots. Race officer Paul Sibley set a five buoy downwind slalom course, whilst Brian Tilbury got the master blast fleet underway, making the most of the conditions.

In the masterblaster fleet, with the Page Possie moving up to the race in the amateur fleet there was a new kid on the block in the form off pro kite surfer Dan Sweeny. Obviously having Ant Baker as a boss and windsurfing mentor is paying off for Dan, as he only started windsurfing last year and after a grueling day of 19 races, Dan came out on top in front of Charles Milner and Rob Duggan  (nice one Dan!).

I would also like to congratulate the local T15 team, with Joe Adams finishing fourth in his first ever event, Emma Stevenson first lady and second overall,  plus Scotty (the legend) Stalman finishing eighth overall at just ten years old, well done team, good work!

All images courtesy of Dave White

The amateur fleet is looking fiercely competitive this year, once everyone gets familiar with the heat system etc this is going to be a hard fleet to call, with several sailors capable of taking top honours.

Simon Langley started where he left off last year with a bullet in the first, only to be overhauled by Lee Marrs in the next two finals. Tony Attfield came good at the end to take third. Well done to Kate Strange, finishing fifth overall and first lady, as well as local Weymouth U17, Tom Wells (OTC/Puravida), both of these youngsters will be ones to watch for events in the future.

All images courtesy of Dave White

Lee Marrs’ two wins meant he took the top prize of the weekend, with one weeks free hire from the OTC in Tenerife, well done Lee!

There has been an obvious absence in the pro fleet so far this year, with Alan “all action” Jackson missing the events, for a good reason though, congratulations to Alan and Caroline on the birth of your son, Rory. Big love from everyone on the BSA circuit, we all look forward to seeing the Jackson family soon.

Close racing at the top of the Pro fleet

The pro fleet kicked off with a bang, with most of the usual suspects progressing through to first final.

Everyone was completely on it from the first start, unfortunately yours truly was out in front when the fleet got recalled. On the re run it was James Dinsmore, who would take the honours, with Si “the Hulk” Cofield hot on his heels.

In the second round, I again found myself out in front, but this time a sloppy gybe gave Ant and James the opportunity to slip past. Round three saw a RS:X star, Sam Sills smoking off the start line, managing to hold his nerve with James and Ant breathing down his neck the whole way round, this left James the overnight leader followed by Ant, then Sam in third.

On to the party, a massive thanks to “party Steve” Howlet who spent his whole Saturday getting the party zone ready for action. At 7pm the pig was ready and the beer began to flow, some chilled tunes were spun on the decks from party Steve, whilst everyone ate. Then the local rock band, The Cheap Shots, got the weary limbs of the racers moving and limbered up for some Gladiator action.

All images courtesy of Dave White

With Mark Steen (from Bustinskins) on the mic, myself and Mistral Simmer team mate Simon “Willie Wonka” Pettifer opened up, but wasn’t long before I found myself on the canvas walking off with my head held low. Si continued to dominate, until he came up against Dave White, who finally beat him in three rounds.

The random name generator then selected Reece White, which made for the Gladiator bout of the evening, with the younger of the mighty Whites coming off best. The band and party continued late into the night. Anyone heading off early for an early night was bitterly disappointed, as outside it blew 50 knot plus and chucked it down with rain, which made sleeping well in a van almost impossible.

Jim Crossly FB quote “Omg shit nights sleep in the van! Now got to rig in 40 odd knots and rain, and slip into a wet wetsuit. Here goes 3 2 1″ 

The next morning sure delivered wind, and lots of it, with the forecast to drop and swing, the race crew gave the pro fleet the choice of figure of eight in 40-50 knots or wait for the wind to swing and drop a little. The grim prospect of rigging lots of sails in these conditions meant that the majority voted to sit it out and wait.

All images courtesy of Dave White

At 11.00am the decision was made to race regardless, as the wind showed no sign of subsiding. But sure enough, just as the first race was about to start the wind swung and dropped, to nothing. Shortly after this the decision was made that there would be no more racing this weekend, what a way to end great weekend!

I would like to congratulate everyone that took part over the weekend and thank all those who were involved in making it all happen.

See you next time, Kev.

Kev Greensalde is sponsored by OTC, PURAVIDA, SIMMER, MISTRAL, SPARTAN and C3.

James Dinsmore’s view on the weekend and full results on page two…

We will have a full report online very soon, from none other than slalom supremo and new centre manager Kev Greenslade, but in the mean time we caught up with the men in charge of the OTC and Puravida respectively, Tris Best and Jim Brooks-Dowsett, for their thoughts on the weekend.

“This was the fifth time we’ve hosted the BSA at OTC UK … and the fifth time we’ve had enough wind to get a result! The event keeps getting bigger and better and was a great way to celebrate our union with Puravida here in the UK.

Got to thank Steve “party man” Howlett for all his help in organising the evening’s activities and Kev Greenslade for instigating the pugil sticks ents – definitely going to be more of the same in the future. Exciting times ahead…and then there’s the Olympics!” Tris 

“Despite some challenging weather the number of competitors and guests was amazing!  It was a fantastic weekend with credit to all who helped, we were stoked to host the event and have three team riders in the to 10″ Jim

 Full results will be available soon, but here are the top three from each fleet:

Pros

1st James Dinsmore

2nd Ant Baker

3rd Sam Sills

Amateurs

1st Lee Marrs

2nd Simon Langley

3rd Tony Attfield

Masterblaster

1st Dan Sweeney

2nd Charles Milner

3rd Rob Duggan

Want to improve your slalom skills?

Check out the Boards technique section, in particular:

Sam Latham sharing his slalom secrets  and Ant Baker guiding you through the perfect carve gybe

Images courtesy of Dave White, click here for a full gallery.

Poole Slalom

Glen Truswell reports from last Thursday night’s Poole Slalom. Photographs courtesy of Paul Beames Photography: www.beames.info

NO, This is not some exotic foreign windsurfing location, this is Branksome Dene Chine (BDC) last week!

Conditions: Sun, Clear Water, nominally 27 Knots

Kit Choice: 6.2 to 7m sail, 63 to 68 wide board, nominally just over 100L

Men On The Move: James Dinsmore, Sam Latham, Alex Henshaw, Oli Woodcock

Last Thursday night BDC played host to some high octane thrills and spills as part of Poole Slalom’s usual Thursday evening “social” racing. Racing started on time and conditions could not have been better for the LONG 4 buoy downwind course. (First Leg ¾ mile!) All participants were pretty much “stacked” but happy on their kit throughout, particularly as we were blessed with just enough southerly to avoid any unsavoury wind holes on the inside. Racing was exceptionally tight so on this rare occasion any significant “off the beach handicapping” was largely scrapped as many proved they had the artillery to nail a race win if and when the mood took them!

If you have yet to try Poole Slalom, I must strongly urge you to give it a go. There’s a great openness about these events and you’d be surprised just how many hard earned sailing tips the good guys put out there to help the group move forwards. I hope we’ll have the pleasure of your company on the water soon.

More at ukwindsurfing.com

Dinsmore, Pettifer and Clark in action at Baiter Park

As ever Poole Slalomers showed their perseverance and adaptability by making the most of the changeable conditions at Baiter Park on the evening of Thursday 26 May 2011. Ed Britnell reports…

On arrival, with the wind fairly easy to gauge and still westerly, most people chose to rig 7.0′s to 7.8′s…. Only then to find that by the time they got on the water, the wind had shifted to the north a bit and it was also ABSOLUTELY HOWLING, especially over the other side towards Brownsea Island…. tail walking and slammings were common place and it was truly brutal!

On the plus side though, this did enable me to lay a simple downwind slalom course close to shore at Baiter because it was still windy enough even in this relatively sheltered zone. We managed to hold two races here using a very approximate starting order which ensured all involved had a fair crack of the whip…. Jim Crossley and Chris Martin both sailed well, working their way through the field to pick up some podium places. Also making an immediate impression (although not necessarily for the right reasons) was relative Poole Slalom newcomer Chris Beng, as he managed to take me out BIG STYLE at the first start, luckily no harm was done and it was graciously received… that was until the second race where he proceeded to take me out AGAIN at one of the gybe marks, and with such military precision that it left me wandering if he was on Cribby’s pay role!…. Talking of whom, needless to say was gybing almost flawlessly, staying on the plane round the corners more than anyone else and came away with a couple of bullets. The other hot favourite James Dinsmore (recently 3rd in Weymouth BSA) finished 2nd in the second race. For his first race though, perhaps even he might admit he extended his nationwide renowned “gentlemanly conduct” a bit too far, as he was still waiting patiently on the start line when Chris and i had surfaced from our dunking!

After the second race the wind eased and had swung further round to the north west, so it became obvious we needed to move the course. After a bit of reccy work from myself, for the third race we headed off to Brownsea Island for the longest leg and race of the evening. And were it not for one of the most basic and cardinal of errors from Messrs Cribb and Dinsmore, i’d now be reporting a Cribb clean sweep. As it was though, they had become so engrossed with their duelling that they completely forgot to concentrate on the sailing instructions and sailed the wrong course! That’s right, it happens to the best, and the only two sailors to whom all the rules actually applied totally fluffed it, and in the process handed me a first place – thanks chaps! …. I always thought that Cribby was prone to leading people astray, but for it to happen to someone as straight laced as James, i’m truly in shock! … and what a golden opportunity for him to put the pressure back on Cribb just thrown away, doh!

For the fourth and final race, the wind started jacking up once again and i wandered if it had been such a good idea to lift my boom up after all…. Anyway, it was business as usual with a Cribb and Dinsmore 1st and 2nd, but this time with Jim Crossley and Simon Pettifer hot on their heels in 3rd and 4th.

A big mention should also go out to Brendan Gould, Nick Shuttleworth and Roddy Cooper and everyone else who was there from start to finish and illustrated exactly what Poole Slalom is about… enthusiasm, determination, steady improvement and having fun…. Its quite incredible what the average sailor can actually learn by watching the likes of Cribb and Dinsmore gybe right in front of you… i mean – you can read all the magazine articles and watch all the videos you want, but nothing actually compares to being there and seeing all the little movements for yourself.

I’ve attached what i think is the best picture to illustrate just how windy it was early on, the star being Chris Martin…. although i can’t work out if he is holding his hands up in total surrender to the conditions, or he’s waving “bye bye” to his kit because he loves it so much!

Please find the rest of the pictures from the session here – thanks again to Paul Beames: www.beames.info/poole-slalom-26th-may-2011/

Chris Martin wipe-out

James Dinsmore pursuing Quentel and Moussilmani

Just finished 5 days and (for me) 28 heats of the IFCA Slalom Worlds. Flecheiras in northern Brazil certainly delivered the goods with 15-20knots and relentless sunshine every day. I used my JP Slalom VI 112 in all of the races with 8.6 and 7.8 RS Racing Evo II sails. I slighty regreted my decision to leave my big slalom board at home as it was a bit light on the inside at times. The competition was stiff and the winners finals were packed with PWA top twenty sailors. Sylvain Moussilmani took four bullets ahead of Julian Quentel’s three on the way to winning the event. Australian Steve Allen took third and in doing so prevented a French clean sweep of the podium. Alice Arutkin won the womens competition. Personally my sailing was a bit erratic and I dropped a few key gybes after good starts when I had the likes of Moussilmani breathing down my neck. I had a good battle with Croatian Enrico Marotti but frustratingly lost eleventh place in the final race. I ended up twelfth place overall and can look back on the event as giving me some great experience against top quality opposition from which I hope to build on for next year.

More at windbrasil.com

Now that's windy slalom!

The Fuerte event has been a great experience so far. Day one was a highlight in terms of results and whilst I felt pretty wobbly I managed to make it through two first rounds which was a pleasant surprise. The first of those I went through at Swifty´s expense which was a bit awkward initially. Fortunately he´s since got his act together! I have come to realise that it is quite serious this PWA business. Everyone seemed bit cliquey and not all that friendly initially but there seem to be a few more smiles now that people have relaxed a bit.

Day two was a day of shitty starts and heading down the long first reach in dirty wind trailing the big guns.

Day three today and this morning I thought I´d take action and make a confident start by the boat end but found myself out psyched by Costa Gonzales and Quintel who seemed intent on driving each other into the (most definitely not a soft and cuddly RIB but one with a very hard hull) starting boat. Needless to say I ended up last at the first mark. Second race I wenty out pretty lit on a 7.8 and finally had a decent start and was fully powered to the first mark and rounded it in fifth. I made it into third at the second mark and held it until I gybed cleanly but wide at the last mark under pressure from Jimmy Diaz and he overtook me heading for the line. Sadly I ended up in his dirty wind and a decent Frenchman Questrel just pipped me to the line. It was a case of very nearly!

Even the first round heats are pretty tough. Tomorrow morning my first round heat has got Dunkerbeck, Cyril Moussilmani and Josh Angulo in it for starters. It´s going to be a bun fight for the last qualifying spot I think! I will go for the fully lit / oh my god I´m going to die option again as that seems the only was to make it to the first mark anywhere near the front. Fred, I have come round to your school of thought that shit loads of downhaul is good on the RSRs but am now sailing them in much more wind than previously.

Cheers,

James

Anthony Todd, James Dinsmore and Dan Hornan warming down

In view of the recent dearth of wind we called a ‘State of Emergency’ and this afternoon held a one-off Sunday Poole Slalom event. The forecast came good and, for what was the second PS event of the year, we were blessed with a consistent 14-15 knot WSW at Baiter Park. To my surprise there wasn’t even any rain and at one point Andy Summerfield complained he was ‘boiling’ in his winter wetsuit!

In the one-and-a-half hour session we completed 5 figure-of-eight slalom races and 3 long distance masterblasters. The racing was fiercely fought on a range of gear with sails from 7.0 to 9.5m. Alex Hensher was a stand-out sailor and always near the front of the pack with Fred Willis.

It’s been well over a year since I was last involved with Poole Slalom so it was great to see the progress made by sailors like Dan Hornan, who showed excellent board speed, and also to meet new faces Anthony Todd and Simon Pizzey.

‘Wipeout of the day’ by a long way went to Andy Summerfield who was trying to adjust his outhaul at the moment he came upon the not inconsiderable wake of a 60 foot motor cruiser. His multi-tasking skills were not up to it and he ended up being projected through a panel of his rather nice North race sail.

Bring on some more wind!

See you next time.

James Dinsmore

For all the latest, join the Poole Slalom Group on MPORA