Our formula windsurfing fleet had been invited to race on the Americas Cup
course as part of the AC- OPEN- a showcase of different sailing, windsurfing
& kiteboarding competitions run in parallel with the Americas Cup and Louis
Vuitton race series this summer on the San Francisco Bay.
We waited until Italy’s Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand finished
their first race before launching from Crissy Field and sailing down to the
start off last chance beach in front of the AC Village on the marina green. The
shores were packed with sailing fans on grandstands set up along the water front
but he 2nd of 2 races between Italy & NZ was cancelled as they reached their
maximum safety limit where the organization and teams agreed it was not safe to
race- a meer 24 knots of breeze and a 4k flood tide. Your typical summer San
Francisco day.
Too windy for America’s cup? Enter the formula windsurfer!
Things were about to get fun. If you’re going to race on the San Francisco
Bay- you better have the proper equipment or chances are you won’t be coming
back anytime soon. Same applies with the AC boats.
The windsurfing fleet here has been pushing the limit of the equipment and
evolving the sport for the past 30 years. We’re extremely lucky to have a world
class board builder and fin makers within our community. It’s all about
experience and this fleet has it. The average sailors age this weekend was 50
years old and most have been racing some type of board for at last 20+ years.
Anyone in the top 10 was capable of winning a race.
I chose my smaller Mikes Lab 89 cm wide board, 61cm Kashy fin and 10.0 Avanti
rig for maximum power and control. Conditions looked brutal with a steep chop
and 20-25 knots of westerly breeze coming through the golden gate. If you knew
what you were doing it was manageable. If not it was hell. I’d been sailing on
this course for the better of 10+ years. It’s my backyard, my playground.
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