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: 

No wind on Saturday but today we completed eight rounds in decent 15-20 knot winds. The sea state was challenging and it was very competitive in both fleets. Pro fleet was very close between Ant and I with 4 bullets each, but I won overall on countback as I had three second places as opposed to his two.

BSA racing

1. James Dinsmore (Starboard/Severne)

2. Ant Baker (Fanatic/North/Ion)

3. Simon Cofield (Fanatic/North/Ion)

The amateur fleet was big (25 racing at once) and first-time entrant Charlie-Stobart-Hook just won overall ahead of Simon Langley.

Stay tuned for further news!

You might 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.

Slalom racing at Aberdovey

Full results - 

All images courtesy of Dave White. 

Last weekend saw windsurfers swarm to Worthing, for the latest round of the BSA and UKWA freestyle competition.

Light winds did not put off the competitors, although the freestyle competition struggled to get underway a great weekend was had by all and the slalom fleet managed a few rounds of close racing.

Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers: 

“A few gusts came through which was enough to pump into a few moves but not enough to run a full heat unfortunately.  Great turn out though and lovely weather! Top weekend!”

UKWA Freestyle Worthing

Mike Archer took part in the freestyle event and managed to score some brilliant images before the wind died. Check out Mike’s blog for the full gallery http://mikewindsurf.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/uk-freestyle-at-worthing.html

Gallery Images: Courtesy of Mike Archer and Ant Baker. 

Picture 6 Picture 7 Picture 8 Picture 9 Picture 10 Picture 11 Picture 12 Picture 13 Picture 14 Picture 15 Picture 16 Picture 17 Picture 18 Picture 19 Picture 20 Picture 21 UKWA Freestyle Worthing Picture 23 IMG_1666 BSA Worthing IMG_1693 IMG_1663 pastedGraphic BSA Pro Results BSA Amateur Results BSA Amateur Results

Boards caught up with Ant Baker to find out exactly what happened at the slalom event organised by the K66 team.

We had port tack conditions at Worthing, wind from the east, which is not ideal for building a sea breeze but we were still positive the wind would come through.

Saturday morning we awoke, hoping that some of the wind from the night before would have stuck around. First thing it was relatively calm, but through the morning the wind built to approximately 13-14knots, light but solid slalom racing conditions.

A five buoy downwind course was set, this was a little tricky in the light winds but we all wanted to make the most of the conditions. We made it onto the water at about 12.30pm and started son after.

The start was a little upwind of the beach, some finding it tricky to make it to the start in time in the light winds. But the first pro heat was set to start, before having to momentarily postpone due to unforeseen circumstances, just before the green flag. Some sailors, including Weymouth winner James Dinsmore, did not see that the start had been abandoned and sailed the full race. When the race was then actually started a few minutes later, this meant that James along with some other top names could not make it back upwind in time.

The second round of the pros then took place, with myself taking the win followed closely by Simon Cofield. I was using a 9.4m Warp and 140litre board with 50cm fin, and just about finding the speed he needed to win the first round.

The pros final then took place, with some more confusion and additional riders taking part. At the first gybe mark I was in the lead, but struggled to maintain my speed over the first reach and was overtaken by Simon Cofield. Cofield kept his lead throughout the race, proving he still has the speed in light winds. I finished in second, with Starboard/Tushingham main man Paul Simmons, finishing in third.

The amateurs got through two rounds, plus the losers final, but didn’t make it to the winners final in the light winds.

BSA Worthing

Saturday night saw a great evening for all racers, with a BBQ and movie played. Unfortunately the wind did not transpire on the sunday, it picked up and generated some excitement for 10minutes but unfortunately faded as quickly as it had come in.

The next BSA event is at Aberdovey at the end of June, and the next freestyle event will be held at Herne Bay this coming weekend. Check out the full UKWA calendar http://ukwindsurfing.com/events/

Lea Spencer of Red Surf Bus and Mike George also report from the event on their own blogs.

Red Surf Bus

Mike George

FULL BSA RESULTS 

AMATEURS

BSA Amateur Results

PROS

Pro Results

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…

Poole Slalom off Baiter Park, by Roger Turner

Ed Britnell reports from the latest windy Poole Slalom meet – more at www.ukwindsurfing.com

Thanks to those that made it down to Baiter Park on Saturday to take full advantage of the best windsurf action in Dorset over the weekend!

The wind varied between a Force 4 and 6 depending on the proximity of the large dark shower clouds, though most of the wind was a stable Force 4 to 5 thoughout each race. This was near perfect for the 6.5 to 7.5s that most people rigged… all apart from Mandy Waite that is, who put us all to shame with her early planing skills and only using a 4.7m!

I set a 6 gybe downwind slalom course on the near side of the Shipping Channel, a decision facilitated by the WSW wind which was solid right up to the car park, but also made easier because the Harbour Master was lurking around and seemed to be monitoring us … Yes, Mr Harbour Master we were good boys and girls – but I should own up that when you disappeared, about 3 or 4 of us did play chicken (by seeing who would be last to gybe) with the side of the Truckline ferry as she set sail for France! Cribby; you’re not the only one who breaks the rules….

Anyway, if William Hill had given odds of only 1-10 (ON) for a Simon Cofield victory then they would have still lost a pile of money… the real competion was for the other podium places with Simon Pettifer, Russ Hanford, Simon Langley and myself all sharing the honours in some tight racing. I thought i was going to take a bullet in the last race as the wind picked up to max out my 6.6m and with Cofield heading off to the wrong last outside mark of an adjusted course… but then annoyingly he switched on his radar and came blitzing past me from upwind… and almost simultaneously I hit a power boat wake in the worst possible manner causing my harness to explode!

All good fun.

Many thanks to Roger Turner for coming down and taking the photos, a selection will follow later today.

www.ukwindsurfing.com