Pac Rim Day 2. Slalom is on

4 races in and it was on to the slalom. In a light and shifty 10 knots, the 11 competitors went head to head in 2 heats. Format was top 2 went through to final. Then we had a losers heat, where top place also went through. The repercharge was on! Adam and Junior qualify, and Boras in the repecharge! Our heat was closely fought, at as to first mark, with Charlie and Zack going through. Bora makes it in at last moment. and the winner of the pitcher of Mai Tais is........

Charlie. Awesome and using my new cut down main foil. Clearly more development to come in that direction.

We had Liz working the camera shutter and there are just some awesome shots of this beautiful place to sail. It looks like the club will potentially make a bid for the 2013 Worlds. It would be a great destination location for the event. We also have a strong bid from ABYC in Long Beach. To make our decision I think we will make a vote after this event, and then again after the Long Beach event in early June. This will then allow enough time to pull a proposal together for ratification at Euros in Travemunde.

Looking a little light today, so who knows but were 11 races in already.

The Morning After

I'm awake, just. My body hurts. I feel like I've been run over by a truck. Welcome to Moth Pac Rims Day 2! Yesterday was a bit of a tour de force. Wind 8 - 18s, 7 races, all fast and furious. There's really an intensity to Moth racing that just exist in other classes, at least not the one I've been invoved in. At some point I'm going to wear my heart rate monitor during a race. I would bet when were upwind, we're anaerobic the whole way. Still a ton of fun, had a bit of a bug so plenty of puking, which isn't fun when youre hiking your ass off. And yes big speed down wind. 26.8 in one memorable gust.

More to come, over and out from Kaneohe

The Last Wild Waltz

A bit like George Lucas with the Star Wars films, this one is the last chapter. Two more to come but they take time. This one I shot in max resolution HD on the Go Pro and you can really notice the difference in quality. Plays like TV n the lap top.

Normal service will be resumed next week as I head off to the Pac Rim Champs in Kaneohe Oahu. Boat is delivered Monday and I get there Wednesday. All other boats which are coming from Aus are still in customs so I hope Bear can wave his magic and get them out Monday or Tuesday. Otherwise will leave Nige Eric and me! We may have to change the championships to Mai Tai drinking instead.

Over and out...........

161 800

161 800, 161 800, 161 800. I keep repeating it to myself, 161 800. Yup vertical ft skied in BC last week. I'm in a trance used to the rhythm of a heli skiing day. Wake up, eat as many calories as you can force down. Boots on, transponder on, out to heli, fly through what really is the last frontier. Guide picks some insane first run, either steep and trees if the weathers down, or wide open deeeep alpine. First turns, everything grumbles, find the rhythm of the day, snow whapping against your chest, with the occasional face shot, legs are burning but don't give in, down to heli, pack off, skiis off, wade through chest deep snow. Repeat 10 times. Back to lodge, shower beer dinner sleep by 8:30. Repeat 7 times.

The trance goes on.........

I've Got the Power

Wow, what a day, very "other world" compared to our usual Long Beach days. Arrived early, wind already cranking. Bit of a slow sail through the channel as I was being shadowed by the Coasties. But once outside it was on.... Turkey Day 2 Redux. Blowing dogs off chains, cold in a SoCal kinda way and a big ugly chop. Was winding off the ride height adjuster but for some brain fade pulled the wrong way so had max height and yes max wipe outs till I figured it all out. Once I had my setting back then Yee Haa, popping through 27 knots again down wind. Still I was out on my own, not even a power boat in sight and felt pretty exposed in those conditions. So set to some training tacks and gybes but general boat handling. Happy to see what I learnt in Turkey Day epic stuck and had fun in big conditions. Also had a ton more rake on. Makes boat easier to handle but tacking harder, just need to nail more foiling tacks

Realized I need to pack my boat tomorrow for Hawaii.... at least it'll be warm there

Over and out from Long Beach for a month or so........

Twisted Logic

As we close on our first event of the year, Pacific Rims Champs in Hawaii, a strange phenomena is happening. I guesstimating we will have between 12 and 15 boats there, but with only about 30 % of the fleet sailing their own boat, and a ton of chartering going on. Just so happens a very stuffed 20ft container made a stop of on the way from the Words back home. Looks like it contains 13 Moths, 3 wings (various states of repair), a coach boat (deflated), and a partridge in a pear tree (only joking, I think). Good for us, many people can come to Hawaii without cost of shipping their own boat and defraying the cost with charter costs. Being always interested in a scheme or 2 this got me thinking...... a 40 ft container 20 boats shipped from event to event. Turn up and pilot. Then I thought some more, and thought back to Bercy in the 80s, indoor windsurfing, 20 000 crowds pumping music..... so then I thought some more and it really got dangerous... 20 moths shipped from event to event, big media, buoy racing as well as slalom, close enough to shore to watch, crowds, pumping music, and not you hip hop hat on backward crap, but pumping god fearing rock and roll... last gybe, Charlie vs Bora, soft sail vs wing, mano e mano cage match, one winner....

All potential backers and McConaghy please pm me for further details...

Riders on the Storm

Wind Graph, Belmont Shore

Today's windspeeds not shown. Click here for current windspeeds.

Fun day training with Zack and Nat. Arrived at club rigged no wind. 11:30 am blast came through with first front. Hang on to all gear. Sail out for some nice foiling in a dying breeze, get skunked (2 - 2:30), low ride back only to get hit with with 30knot gust right in the channel, yup at the narrow bit, the always difficult bit! Out of control foiling with TWA at 160, no space for a gybe away and the Harbor police right there. Fortunately they gave us a pass as they could see it was all a bit out of control. Almost foiled into the club trying to avoid Nat just below me. Definitely a mad 10 minutes then nothing! Great conditions to practice changing gear and puling a little bit less Vang.

Looking forward to some warmer weather and to Hawaii which is in just a few short weeks.

Before the Europeans we need to choose a venue for the 2013 Worlds. Thinking of some criteria how about:

1. Predictable consistent winds
2. Warm
3. Easy to get to
4. At or near a big population of sailors so we can convert as many to foiling and Moths in advance and post the event
5. Experienced club

Also being an AC year, timing will be critical. Other thoughts?