Rondeau regatta 3/7/10

     We arrived at about 11 on Saturday to what appeared to be pretty promising conditions for the regatta, despite the downgrade of the forecast for that day.  everything seemed to stack up well, SW wind flow, and sunny skies. The regattta were getting under way for their first heat. Ann and I decided to go big, she 6.5 and I 7.5. She was in the water first and started to plane out right away. I hit the water next and to my utter disappointmnent, the weeds have gotten far worse than last week, Several attempts to plane were met with mushing down due to weed friction, the wind appeared to be building but in fact as the day progressed it was in fact ebbing. Turned out to be one of those days where it looks like if the wind would increase just a bit it would work, but it just never got there.

     The regatta on the other hand were out having a ball in the race armed with longboards and 9 meter sails they were more than powered up enough to fly upwind out the weedbed and thus have a very successfull race in 12 to 16 mph winds. It appeared that most were planning.

     We returned the next day around noon and rerigged the same equipment but this time the wind gods smiled on us giving us a steady 18 gusting 20 for a nice three hour block. More than enough to again establish shortboard dominance. Some of the Regatta racers had stayed the night and were back, and vey happy to have been able to get back out in some great freesail planning conditions. I even heard some hoots and hollers from some of the older longboard sailers as they powerred up, that had swiched down to shortboard technology. I spent the afternoon chasing friends around having a great session myself albeit on bigger stuff, hoiwever this beats the alternative. I could get my exercise going for a jog, or a rollerblade. In 90 degree heat??? I don't think so, give me the 7.5 and 18 gusting 20 and I will be on the water every time.  Don