2012 I-to-I Recap from Cody Steward
This year's i-to-i
was awesome. We had a low number of racers but that just means
more people missed out. Conditions were perfect with a strong
15-20 ENE breeze, seas 3-5 feet, sunny and warm. It was nice to
see more Kona racers there this year, enough for an official
fleet! Good to see our class growing! The majority vote on
the shore was for a shorter course for the Kona's than the Formula and
Kite guys, which turned out to be a perfect idea as we all got back to
the beach around the same time. The shore pound was brutal as
always but no gear was broken before the race! Thanks to some
rough practice days at Playalinda I was able to make it out past the
break with my hair still dry, (although that dryness didn't last
long). I also snuck north a bit for a slightly flatter spot on
the beach and I think that helped. No lifeguards yelled at me so
it was fair game in my book.
I arrived at the start line late
but my goal was just to finish the race, a late start was fine for
now. It pays to get on the water and tweak one's gear before a
race starts...I spent the whole downwind leg to the Port Everglades
buoy struggling because my harness lines were in the wrong spot.
The wind looked stronger on shore than it was on the water, but I had a
happy coincidental rig setup: lots of downhaul with little
outhaul. It worked perfect for the gusts and lulls that happened
often on the course. At the Port Everglades buoy I stopped to
adjust my harness line and finally get comfortable on my rig.
From there on it was just a close hauled run north to the first pier,
(our shorter Kona course).
The water was blue and pretty and
the sun was warm, it was hard to remember I was in a race and not just
out for a joyride. I had lost sight of the Formula guys long ago,
but I knew the other Kona's were somewhere near me. We had
arranged to round a swim buoy at the pier for our upwind mark.
With that vague description in mind I picked a random swim buoy north
of the pier to play it safe and fair and rounded it. Perfectly
timed, the wind filled in a bit for the downwind run. About half
way home a gust hit and the Kona's downwind fun really kicked in.
Of course I couldn't enjoy that for too long and right when I caught
sight of Ron catching up to me from the Formula course a small rain
squall killed my wind. I only slogged for a minute before I
milked a plane back out of it and headed for the final buoy. I
didn't see any sea life this year but it was nice to say I finished the
race, in just over an hour too!
Post finishing meant it was time to
help others out of the water when they came it. It was fun to
hoot and holler for everyone as they rounded the buoy, (not too far
apart too). There were no hot models in the showers this year but
it was awesome racing alongside the Commodore's Cup catamarans. I
was bummed I missed the party on Saturday and hanging with Neil Pryde,
but food and drink at Ron's after the party made up for it.
Nothing hits the spot better than free vittles with friends after a
race! I don't know how Ron does it but he always has sweet prizes
for this event, (big thanks to the sponsors!), and it's always fun for
everyone who shows up. I walked away with some really cool
goodies, but the memories of an awesome race were the best part.
I can't wait to do it again next year!
Cody