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usa4
Joined: 30 Mar 2009 Posts: 93
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Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2013 7:08 pm Post subject: Formula Windsurfers take to the Americas Cup Course |
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The Americas Cup will be showcasing more than one type of high performance sailing during this Saturday’s final of the Louis Vuitton Series. Immediately following the races between Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge, the formula windsurfing fleet will take the course for several races along the San Francisco city front as part of the AC Open and CALCUP series.
Formula Windsurfing is the high performance competitive course racing format of the windsurfing world with riders capable of reaching speeds of over 30 knots.
Not unlike the AC 72’s which will be racing before them, the formula windsurfing class is an open developmental class- meaning sailors can choose from different manufactures of boards, sails and fins to fit their body weight and specific water and wind conditions.
The event is being run as part of the AC OPEN which sees 16 smaller events staged at the America’s Cup Village at Marina Green and run in parallel to the Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup. In addition to showcasing the formula class, the events goals are to enhance the spectator experience at the America’s Cup Village as well as creating a link between users of San Francisco Bay and the America’s Cup.
Racers will launch from a specially designed ramp at the base of the America’s Cup Village and race around the city front course which takes them to Anita Rock, through the St.FYC starting line, around a leeward mark at Ft. Mason and back upwind to a finish in front of Marina Green. Awards will follow at the Village Stage in the America’s Cup Village.
Special thanks to 101 Sports and the Americas Cup Event Authority for helping to promote the sport of sailing and windsurfing in San Francisco and around the world.
More info can be found at www.americascup.com & www.101surfsports.com or come down Saturday to watch at the AC Village. The first possible start is at 2pm and prize giving at 4:30.
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usa4
Joined: 30 Mar 2009 Posts: 93
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Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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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 the 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 wont 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. Its 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 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.
Full race report at www.stevebodner.blogspot.com
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Last edited by usa4 on Mon Aug 26, 2013 3:18 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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KevinDo
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Joined: 02 Jul 2012 Posts: 426 Location: Cabrillo Inside
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