2008 Wet Spring Regatta

Well I participated in the WET Spring Regatta this weekend and I competed in the sport formula class! This was great because I actually got to see what formula racing is all about. Dave Kashy let me barrow one of his formula boards for the two day long race. The wind on Saturday was marginal but just enough to plane for most of the time. Sunday on the other hand was pretty dead and i only planned on the last leg of the first race. It was really cool though because there was a pod of porpoises swimming in Willoughby bay and they actually swam up pretty close to my board. I will admit i didn't want them to come to close because A. I didn't want to run them over with my 70cm formula fin and B. I didn't want to fall in with them, call me a wuss lol. I was also wondering what they were doing so far up in the Chesapeake bay especially in Willoughby bay, they much have a food shortage or something, soon to be Dr. James Douglass would be able to answer that question.



As for racing the first day (saturday) we raced 5 races. The course was a typical triangle shaped course with an upwind marker a downwind marker and then a reach to the finish. The first race i smoked everyone and got 1st place. The second race was pretty much the same outcome. As for the third race the wind was light and i wasn't able to plane as much. It ended up being a photo finish between Dr. Bob, Fan pat, and I. Dr. bob slid by with first fan with second and myself 3rd. Fan Pat is a girl who weigh probably about 90 pounds and she was out there racing on a 7.5 sail on a bar owed formula board. to me that is pretty impressive and she was defiantly the competition i was worried about most.The next two races that day i was able to finish first in. I was really happy with these results because i never have raced formula before and i had only been on a formula board one other time.




The second day was pretty lame. The wind was offshore which sucked and the wind was right at or below 8 mph, so it was pretty hard to plane especially since i was only using an 8.5 sail, which is nothing considering most people racing formula don't go below a 10.0. I was excited because i was able to plane a little bit heading out to the start, but by the time the race started i wasn't able to plane (go figure). I ended up getting 3rd in that race, and it was so crappy that i said screw it and didn't race the next and final race. I didn't really need to race in the last race because they drop your lowest score and i had a pretty solid lead anyway.

After this weekend I am defiantly getting a formula board. Racing formula is so much more exciting and fun than longboard racing (when the wind is above 10 mph). You plane around the course before the longboards can even get threw the starting line (at least when there is relatively low wind). In fact i already have one lined up and i am just waiting to make the transaction with a fellow WET member Chad Perkins. It helped that over all i won the sport formula group and got a sweet plaque (picture comming soon). Dr. Bob got second place and fan pat got 3rd. It was great competition and a lot of fun. IM HOOKED. Bruce Powers, another guy (sorry didn't catch his name), and Marcy Kennedy all sailed great as well. Marcy only raced one race because she was the one who organized the event and she was busy.