Another great I-to-I experience this year.
Even though I still could not complete the full course, nor even as much as in two previous years, I was satisfied with my effort, learned a bit about my board and technique, and experienced the most radical extended downwind screaming in several years.
I loved the camaraderie, seeing old friends and making new ones.
I needed a reason, like the i-to-i, to push myself a little.
I'm not in the same league as Ron, Van, Don, or most of the other sailors, but that's not a problem in this event because you mostly compete against the course and yourself.
I wimped out in board selection and later in not going for the downwind Port Everglades buoy marker. Going the full course was not realistic after I found out how slowly I made it upwind and that I was cramping.
I decided NOT to use my small formula board (2001 SB F155) because of the shorebreak and gusts at least in high 20s and because the course would not be that much upwind with wind from the E-NE. Instead I rigged an Ezzy Wave 2000 5.8 (with more downhaul than I ever dared before) on my newly acquired old Bic Veloce 278. I sailed this board once in the bay just after getting it at the recent swap meet and it seemed like it could get upwind relatively well for a small board. The fin was the stock 37cm pointer.
Most sailors had arrived by 9:30 and Ron said we were on Latin time and we hung around waiting for some other expected sailors and kiteboarders and for the wind to die down a little (as Ron expected from his extensive experience). This was the first year, I think, that we had kiters participating. One of the kite boards looked like a small formula board, except it had two deep fins/centerboards midway on the sides in addition to a deep fin in the back.
It was a beautiful day to hang except for the sand blowing in our faces. Small dunes were forming on the leeward sides of the parked cars. There were occasional very brief rain showers, but they helped keep down the sand. Some of that might have been spray. A homeless woman's parked 2 wheeled grocery cart was blown, scraping, across the sidewalk into a car. Later this woman took off her shirt and took a rather long shower, thoroughly washing her upper body and especially her very large, full breasts, several times. Most people ignored her. I was mesmerized and had to watch. She did not seem to mind at all.
The race committee/support staff (Sue and Vickie) eventually got bored with the waiting and abandoned us.
I think the race started around 12:45pm. I planned to launch just in time to cross the start line. However, the wind was a little light when I launched and I got turned around in a break, then drifted downwind while getting control of my rig and trying to waterstart. The lifeguard came out yelling and telling me I was out of the launching area. There were two other sailors struggling in the shorebreak a 100 yards down from me. I came in and walked the rig back to 50 yards inside the designated area to be sure. From here I launched OK but I had to give up a lot of ground downwind to maneuver through the breaks. I guess the shorebreak wasn't that bad after all (for a short board). The fleet was long gone. I thought I was getting a pretty good angle going out, but not with a lot of speed. I didn't go out that far because I was anxious to see what angle I could make upwind. I was disappointed. I thought I could get to about 15 degrees from parallel, but without much speed, so I usually opted to go a little faster. Still, with the long reaches, I had a lot of time to experiment to see what "seemed" to work best.
I marked up a map with a guesstimate of my course. Perhaps I overestimated how far out I went or the number of tacks, because the angles into the wind seem too small.
There were some really big swells out there that were almost breaking. I should have jibed on some of them, but I was working too hard to get upwind, so I just crash tacked. I did try a tight jibe on one, but missed it.
There were actually some "holes" in the wind where I had to get out of the straps and some really gusty patches also.
I just barely saw a sea creature breaking the water for a second or so in front of me. At first I thought - FIN, but examining the image in my short term memory it seemed round and with an eye so I think it was the head of a large sea turtle. In any case, I bore off a little to get out of that area fast, just in case.
At one point I unhooked accidentally and the boom ripped from my hand and the board took off from me. I had to swim about 50 yards to catch up with it.
As I got near Birch state park I looked out for the Hillsboro lighthouse. It looked really far away. My hands were getting tired and I felt some knots starting in my legs so I decided to land, rest, and get a drink.
After about a 15 minutes rest I saw a kite followed by two windsurfers, trailing by about 100 and 200 yards heading south about half a mile offshore. I thought it would be cool to try to head them off and ride with them so I launched.
Just after getting through the break I got catapulted forward and got the point of my board slammed into my crotch. OUCH! Luckily the jewels got only a partial, yet still painful, blow but the johnson took a direct hit. Should I have been wearing a cup in addition to a life vest and helmet? Is there a deviator for that?
I unhooked and gathered myself, figuratively and literally (and I was still all there). After a minute or so, the initial waves of pain passed, and I got control of the sail since the aqueous waves were starting to break on me. A lifeguard was waving to me and I gave him a thumbs up. I decided to let the waves bring me in.
I got a chemical ice pack from the lifeguard, stuffed it in my shorts, and laid on my board for about 1/2 hour until the icepack was spent. Pain was now mostly gone, except when walking causes rubbing against shorts. I had an abrasion.
Back to sailing, but first I moved the mastbase from middle to all the way back figuring this would help prevent another catapult going down wind and help getting downwind. I decided to head back to the start, and probably not round the PE marker. Launched without incident. I took a minute or two to get the hang of blasting with this board on a broad reach (parallel to shore and about 200 yards out), in this heavy chop. After that I was fully sheeted in, weaving to avoid big ramps and keeping the board level and on the water mostly. That was really exhilarating, but it only lasted a few minutes until I saw the landmarks for the starting beach ahead.
I decided to pass on rounding the Port Everglades buoy (using injury as an excuse lame). I wish I had, because it was a straight shot out and back. I did head offshore to jibe a big swell and land from the other direction. I missed the jibe. Should have gone back for another try, at least. Came screaming in to shore and timed up with the back of a wave. Landed without incident. No one came out to help me. I guess old "short boards" with 5.8s don't need it.
Don and another sailor came in a little while after me and we helped them out on the landing. The formula like kite board had blown out one of it's forward fins/centerboards. There was a sailor that needed a ride back and I guess everyone else was in or accounted for. It was decided we could have the awards ceremony at the after party at Ron's house.
Most people were in no hurry to leave, though, and I had a nice conversations with Dave about his fin making process and business model and with Don about the design (re-design) of his self built slalom/formula board he used today.
The party was a great time, and there was a wide variety of topics discussed unrelated to windsurfing (children, population dynamics, ocean fluid dynamics and weather, evolution, cyclotrons, ...).
The prizes were very nice. Board Bag, Boom bag, Harnesses, a watch, backpack, ... One of the nicest items, and everyone present for the awards ceremony got one, was a Neil Pryde coffee table book - "Will to win: the remarkable story of Neil Pryde Limited" (http://willtowin.neilpryde.com) which documents the companiy's and founder's history and includes a lot "blast from the past" photos from ads and magazines.
Thanks to Adventure Sports Miami for the prizes.
Thanks to Ron for creating and running the race and Ron and Sue for the hospitality for the party and to out of towners.
Cheers, Michael Vogt
