Windsurfer One Design Australia

Friday, April 29, 2011

The Italian Job

The Italian Windsurfer class association has created a nice little showreel about the class.

Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k43-OigtTrk&feature=share

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

One of the fun things about sailing a One Design is that in performance terms, you really can't lose. Every other windsurfer on the water expects to be able to blast past, which lends a delicious irony to the fact that sometimes the ancient Wally is actually pretty damn quick.

Rarely was this shown as well as at the NSW state Interclub round at Lake Illawarra south of Sydney a couple of years back. It didn't just howl, it screamed, with official winds clocked in at over 40 knots - heavy enough to pick up one old board and impale it on another, pierced from deck to bottom with a skeg.

When it calmed down a bit, we went out to race in winds gusting about 30 or more - strong enough that big Mike Nelson, national slalom champ, took out a sail around 6m and a slalom board instead of his Formula or Raceboard gear. And on the Z course, the One Designs caned it. In Race 2, at the last mark the leaders went around four abreast - three One Designs and Mike Nelson, all ahead of the Formula and Raceboards.

The pic below was taken at the finish line of Race 2. That's Mike to the right and to the left is Jessica Crisp - multiple OIympian, former World Cup women's overall champ - about to overtake him only to crash and lose the race five feet from the line. The Raceboards and Formula boards are all still struggling up the beat, well behind.

Jess Crisp, multiple world pro champ, chases down national slalom champ Mike Nelson

A bit earlier, on the other side of the world and the other extreme of conditions, British sailor Jonathan Pooley wandered down to 2007's version of the annual Fat Face windsurfing festival with an original dacron-and-daggerboard Windsurfer. With 229 boards entered in the Freeride fleet no one would expect even an expert to be competitive on an ancient Windsurfer - but with winds varying from 1 to 8 knots, Jonathan was not just competitive - he came within a whisker of winning overall, losing only on countback with three seconds and a first. He was beaten only by a Fanatic Ultracat Raceboard with an 11.4m sail. And in the process, we scored one of the classic Windsurfer photos, showing a tiny lone dacron triangle against a sea of high-tech monofilm - and beating them all.

Jonathan Pooley (right of centre) shows no mercy to a fleet of 229 modern boards at the Fat Face Festival

I've also been lucky enough to enjoy showing off the Wally's performance at the extremes. One was at the nationals a few years back in Victoria, where the Marathon was sailed in conjunction with a round-the-island race that attracted everything from junior dinghies to yachts and fast cats. With a massive chop and 28+ knot winds, the only things that beat the top two One Designs home were a pair of national catamaran champs on their 16 footers.

On my last windsurfing trip down to Victoria, I ended up with a day to burn in Melbourne. Windsurfing in Melbourne these days is (apart from the Parkdale One Design fleet) all about shortboards, but I thought I'd wander down to the windsurfer heartland at Elwood Sailing Club to see what was up. What was up, it turned out, was one of the few races (apart from the OD ones) left in Melbourne.

A One Design starting as it finished - in front

With the wind struggling to hit 10 knots, the course was shortened to just half an hour of reaching back and forth. With only two "real" longboards, my One Design and a nice home-made Raceboard, it was a two-horse race. The Raceboarder had the pace, but never having raced before he didn't have the gybes. At the end, the One Design came home about 50m ahead, finishing 10 laps. Third placegetter, on one of the SUPs, finished just seven. Considering that there was no beating, it was an eye opener to see how fast the One Design went compared to the SUPs.

Meanwhile, in the USA, Ted Schweitzer is also out there scaring the monofilm jocks...

So who else has a favourite tale of taking on the might of the high-tech boards and winning?

* PS - no offence to anyone who moves monofilm and lightweight boards!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Deb's Nationals Report Day 4: final day and results

A stunning day here at SSBC makes me wish so much that I could even just have a swim (*sniff*). The leg is healing nicely, thank you, but my medical advice is that I must not get it wet on any account. And the water looks so cool and inviting!

The morning, although sunny, furnished very little breeze, but freestyle heats had to be finished, so women and girls had to perform at 9am in 2 - 4 knots of westerly breeze. Young Nina Long stood out from the crowd with a graceful performance, to take out the prize ahead of Sheena and Annalise. Special mention should go to Demi Gilbert for her brassy performance on the 2m orange sail, which may feature in the YouTube mashup. Youth males and the remaining men followed, with another special mention to Daniel Heyworth on the same orange sail, which even featured a rail-ride dismount. I would have awarded him the prize, but the judges disagreed with me, giving the Junior gong to Owen Long for an undoubtedly polished performance with a great repertoire of tricks. The men’s overall deservedly went to Dennis Winstanley, with somewhat controversial results in the rest of the men’s fleet. Second was Robbie Treharne, with third to Mike Lancey.

Course racing was held after lunch when the breeze finally picked up to a shifty 12-15 knots from the southwest. Four races filled out the series, and the light conditions mixed things up a bit and enabled most of the junior sailors to get round the big course, with excellent results for up-and-coming youth sailor Sam Treharne, who had a first in the lightweights in race 6, while Matt Ivshenko scored a 5th in race 7. Chris was delighted to finish first over the line in the last race, and came back to shore in an excellent mood.

Now I’m sitting up in the clubhouse sipping my Sauvignon Blanc and waiting for the presentation, looking out over the aqua water and the bobbing Couta boats on their moorings. A great series, with many thanks to the SSBC for their professionalism, and also to Brian Lancey (Technical Advisor to the race committee) and Mark and Tonia Lloyd for their great regatta organisation. I know how hard it is to organise and sail, so special kudos to both of them for getting out there in every discipline.

Freestyle results:

Place	Name	Points
1	Dennis Winstanley	3
2	Rob Treharne	6
3	Michael Lancey	12
4	Stuart Gilbert	14
5	Mark Lloyd	22
6	Greg Johns	22.5
7	Christopher Thompson	23
8	Paul Grimshaw	24
9	Owen Long	27
10	Martin Stone	29.5
11	Andrew Divola	30.5
12	Jason Morris	39
13	Samuel Treharne	39.5
14	Daniel Bainbridge	40
15	Stephen Walsh	40
16	Will Divola	46
17	Christopher Stenta	47.5
18	Daniel Heyworth	50.5
19	Angus Williams	51
20	Matthew Stenta	52
21	Stephen Barton	52
22	Gerald Nailon	54.5
23	Ashely Heyworth	67

FREESTYLE SCORE SUMMARY
WOMEN
Place	Name	Total
1	Nina Long	5
2	Sheena McKinnon	5
3	Annalise Gilbert	8
4	Tonia Grimshaw-Lloyd	13
5	Demi Gilbert	14.5
6	Lucy Heyworth	17.5
	Kerry Bergman	DNC

Men's pentathlon:


					Slalom	Marathon	Freestyle	Course	Average	Total
1	Dennis Winstanley	18	Master	Male	1	2	1	1	1.2	6.2
2	Rob Treharne	777	Open	Male	2	1	2	1	1.3	7.3
3	Stuart Gilbert	10	Grand Master	Male	1	1	4	1	1	8
4	Michael Lancey	AUS171	Open	Male	3	2	3	2	2.3	12.3
5	Greg Johns	1	Grand Master	Male	2	2	6	2	1.8	13.8
6	Christopher Thompson	249	Grand Master	Male	2	5	7	2	1.8	17.8
7	Martin Stone	164	Master	Male	1	4	10	4	3.8	22.8
8	Mark Lloyd	AUS 476	Grand Master	Male	6	10	5	5	4	30
9	Andrew Divola	AUS968	Grand Master	Male	7	3	11	6	4.8	31.8
10	Samuel Treharne	1177	Youth	Male	4	5	13	6	5.2	33.2
11	Paul Grimshaw	307	Grand Master	Male	5	8	8	7	5.3	33.3
12	Daniel Bainbridge	7	Grand Master	Male	4	6	14	5	4.5	33.5
13	Jason Morris	320	Master	Male	5	6	12	7	5.2	35.2
14	Stephen Barton	520	Grand Master	Male	3	6	21	5	5.2	40.2
15	Matthew Stenta	1336	Youth	Male	3	4	20	8	6.8	41.8
16	Gerald Nailon	27	Grand Master	Male	7	5	22	6	5.2	45.2
17	Stephen Walsh	40	Grand Master	Male	8	11	15	8	7.5	49.5
18	Warren Holder	1KT	Ancient Mariner	Male	4	3	37	3	3.3	50.3
19	Paul Ivshenko	17	Grand Master	Male	8	1	37	3	2.5	51.5
20	Robert Stenta	2776	Grand Master	Male	6	4	37	4	3.8	54.8
21	Roger Crawford	414	Master	Male	5	10	37	4	4.3	60.3
22	Timothy Forster	108	Ancient Mariner	Male	6	7	37	7	6.5	63.5
23	Darren Garner	AUS 96	Master	Male	15	8	37	3	3.3	66.3
24	Christopher Stenta	1397	Junior	Male	9	14	17	12	14.3	66.3
25	Jorn Krohnke	AUS60	Ancient Mariner	Male	8	7	37	8	8.5	68.5
26	Matthew Ivshenko	117	Youth	Male	7	3	37	11	12.2	70.2
27	Steve Newman	1977	Ancient Mariner	Male	10	7	37	9	7.7	70.7
28	Jim Kariotis	33	Grand Master	Male	9	8	37	9	8	71
29	Owen Long	02	Junior	Male	16	14	9	16	17.3	72.3
30	Ashley Heyworth	AUS960	Youth	Male	13	9	23	13	15.5	73.5
31	Quentin Grimshaw	Q9	Master	Male	9	10	37	9	9.5	74.5
32	Angus Williams	789	Junior	Male	14	14	19	14	16	77
33	Jeremy Trotman	1218	Grand Master	Male	11	12	37	10	11.8	81.8
34	Will Divola	will	Sub Jnr	Male	17	14	16	17	18	82
35	Jack Lloyd	229	Junior	Male	12	14	37	15	16	94

Women's pentathlon:

	WOMEN 2011 WOD Pentathlon
					Slalom	Marathon	Freestyle	Course	Average	Total
1	Sheena McKinnon	600	Open	Female	1	1	2	1	1	6
2	Annalise Gilbert	111	Junior	Female	2	2	3	2	2	11
3	Tonia Grimshaw-Lloyd	303	G. Master	Female	4	3	4	3	4.7	18.7
4	Nina Long	73	Junior	Female	3	7	1	5	6.3	22.3
5	Kerry Bergman	416	Open	Female	5	7	7	4	5.3	28.3
6	Lucy Heyworth	2	Junior	Female	6	7	6	6	6.5	31.5
7	Demi Gilbert		Sub Junior	Female	7	7	5	7	7	33

Photos to follow soon!

Deb's Nationals Report, day 3: Australia Day

Today dawned cloudy with some early-morning drizzle, and very little wind. The schedule was quite tight, with the marathon scheduled to start at midday in front of the crowds, so freestyle was held at 9 am, with the top sailors starting first, rather to the alarm of Robbie Treharne who only woke up at 9. Chris dragged me out of bed at 7am and was down at the club by 8, anxiously tuning the board and practising his tricks. The decision to hold the top performers’ freestyle heats in such light winds was somewhat controversial, but Dennis Winstanley was a standout performer as usual, in spite of the early hour, with his usual Everoll. He even managed to pull off a pirouette on the rail, and then had to do another to achieve the aim of falling off for his dismount! But the most amazing trick of the day had to be Robbbie Treharne’s back somersault through the boom, which he managed to complete by landing on the board without dropping the sail. So much for waking up 15 minutes before hitting the water. Stay tuned for a freestyle montage on YouTube, as soon as I get some bandwidth and someone to do the editing.

Freestyle heats were not complete by 11am, when the marathon briefing was due, so some competitors faced disappointment at the postponement. By this time, though, the crowds were building up, promising a big audience for the spectacular Le Mans marathon start. If you haven’t seen one of these, it’s a sight not to be missed, so check out my YouTube video when it uploads. The shallow water and crowded beach proved challenging for some competitors, but luckily in a marathon there’s plenty of time to catch up.

The course this year featured a long and gruelling two laps of the bay, round South Channel marker and in to Rye Pier, past Blairgowie, back to Sorrento and round again. Even one lap for the youth competitors was challenging. The wind was light for most of the race, with strong tides in some areas leading to a very spaced-out fleet. The race was very much a lightweights’ race, with 8 out of the top 10 sailors being lightweights or women. Annalise Gilbert again stood out, overtaking her father Stewie (I have photographic evidence) to place 12th overall - a fantastic effort. Sheena McKinnon also showed great form to finish ahead of her at 7th position overall, with Tonia Lloyd in third place. Among the juniors, first round was Annalise Gilbert, followed by Chris Stenta and Angus Williams; in the youth, Matt Ivshenko placed first (second overall in the entire fleet), followed by Sam Treharne (6th overall) and Ashley Heyworth (15th overall). Full results below.

Plans for more freestyle heats in the afternoon had to be shelved, with the last competitor only arriving at the finish at 4pm, to great cheers and accolades. Well done to Jeremy Trotman for making it round in such tough conditions, in his first ever Windsurfer regatta.

I was lucky enough to be invited out on a friend's yacht, and so managed to get some good photos of mark roundings etc. Check them out at this link to Picasa.

Marathon results:

Rob Treharne	777	Open	Male		1
Michael Lancey	AUS171	Open	Male		2
Matthew Ivshenko	117	Youth	Male		3
Martin Stone	164	Master	Male		4
Paul Ivshenko	17	Ancient Mariner	Male		5
Samuel Treharne	1177	Youth	Male		6
Sheena McKinnon	600	Open	Female		7
Jason Morris	320	Master	Male		8
Steve Newman	1977	Ancient Mariner	Male		9
Dennis Winstanley	18	Master	Male		10
Annalise Gilbert	111	Junior	Female		11
Andrew Divola	AUS968	Grand Master	Male		12
Darren Garner	AUS 96	Master	Male		13
Stuart Gilbert	10	Grand Master	Male		14
Ashely Heyworth	AUS960	Youth	Male		15
Mark Lloyd	AUS 476	Grand Master	Male		16
Matthew Stenta	1336	Youth	Male		17
Greg Johns	1	Grand Master	Male		18
Stephen Walsh	40	Grand Master	Male		19
Stephen Barton	520	Grand Master	Male		20
Warren Holder	1KT	Ancient Mariner	Male		21
Christopher Thompson	249	Grand Master	Male		22
Daniel Bainbridge	7	Grand Master	Male		23
Timothy Forster	108	Ancient Mariner	Male		24
Robert Stenta	2776	Grand Master	Male		25
Gerald Nailon	27	Grand Master	Male		26
Jim Kariotis	33	Ancient Mariner	Male		27
Jorn Krohnke	AUS60	Ancient Mariner	Male		28
Tonia Grimshaw-Lloyd	303	Grand Master	Female		29
Paul Grimshaw	307	Grand Master	Male		30
Jeremy Trotman	1218	Grand Master	Male		31
Nick Bez	11	Master	Male		DNF
Quentin Grimshaw	Q9	Master	Male		DNF

WOMEN
Sheena McKinnon	600	Open	Female		7
Annalise Gilbert	111	Junior	Female		11
Tonia Grimshaw-Lloyd	303	Grand Master	Female		30
YOUTH
Matthew Ivshenko	117	Youth	Male		3
Samuel Treharne	1177	Youth	Male		6
Ashely Heyworth	AUS960	Youth	Male		15
Matthew Stenta	1336	Youth	Male		17
Jack Lloyd	229	Junior	Male		1 LAP
JUNIOR
Annalise Gilbert	111	Junior	Female	1
Christopher Stenta	1397	Junior	Male	2
Angus Williams	789	Junior	Male	3
Nina Long	73	Junior	Female	4
Owen Long	02	Junior	Male	5
Lucy Heyworth	2	Junior	Female	DNS
SUB JUNIOR
Will Divola		Sub Jnr	Male	DNS