Results: http://calcupevents.com/Results/2017/17_CFSS_1.htm
The season started with a bang!
It was Crissy Field Slalom Series at its best, complete with strong wind and hard chop that the Bay is famous for.
Race Officer Robbie Dean got us going without delays as usual.
Jean Rathle was pretty fast off the start line and overtook me on the way to the first buoy by Anita Rock.
I focused on keeping my gybes smooth and close to the buoys.
Eventually, that paid off and I got in the lead all the way to the finish.
Jon Herr was flying at the start of the second race. He got to the buoy first. I was trying to do a tidy gybe behind him but somehow I bounced off an unexpected piece of chop and crashed pretty bad. I water started, got back in touch with the lead group but crashed again just before the finish line, next to Jean Rathle.
That
was a race to forget!
I
focused on keeping everything neat and tidy in the gnarly conditions and that
paid off with three bullets in a row!
The
wind really picked up in races 4 and 5 so I decided to change down during the
break after race 5. I picked the Isonic 87 with the Vapor 5.8.The wind had really picked up at that point so I was quite comfortable with that combo.
Unfortunately, lulls started appearing, especially at the gybe buoy number 3 which was right next to the beach. The 5.8 and the 87 were just a little too small for the fading wind. Steve Bodner won race 6 and I finished second.
I jumped back on the Isonic 97 with the Vapor 6.4. That combo was perfect to glide through the lulls which were beginning to appear here and there along the course.
I
finished second in races 7 and 8 behind Jean Rathle who was doing really well
at that point. I just tried to stay consistent and not make mistakes.
I stayed focused right until the end and got two bullets in the last two races.
That
was a nice way to end such a tough event!
Back
at the beach, the organizers and volunteers had put together a great buffet
with Pizzas, beer and little cakes. What a feast for a bunch of hungry
windsurfers!!!Prize giving was really cool with prizes given in reverse order of finishing. That's a great way to encourage participation!
I won with a 10 point lead but 4 people won at least one race so the competition was pretty open.
A big thank you to the volunteers and organizers of the CFSS for putting together such an amazing event.
You guys rock!