Growing the fleet

usa4 · Joined: 30 Mar 2009 Posts: 93

For the second year in a row, our local windsurfing fleet is growing and we’re seeing more slalom racing on the San Francisco city front! It’s an easy to grasp format: if you can gybe, you can race! Come for the race and stay for the party. Or come for the party and stay for the race. Either way, all are welcome!

The social on the beach after racing is just as key as the racing itself. It’s a chance to bbq and invite the non-racers (read: potential new racers!) to see what’s happening even though they are not part of the race.

I believe awarding the middle and the back of the fleet is just as important as the top guys in order to grow the fleet. It’s a concept we’ve tried to employ this summer at the Crissy Field Slalom Series and St. Francis windsurfing regattas. ‘Most improved,’ ‘Biggest catapult’… give it an award! Most people like the recognition and it keeps them coming back.

There’s a lot of behind-the-scene work that goes into planning, running, funding and keeping the Crissy Field Slalom Series alive. I’m going to share what we’ve learned to hopefully inspire others and grow racing from the ground up.

The Team: It’s important! We rely on three individuals and countless volunteers to make it happen.

• The Go-To Gopher: Jean Rathle gets things done like trophies, sponsors, pizza, bbq, shopping, prep work, etc. You need one of these guys on your team otherwise shit doesn’t get done!

• Technical Guru: Soheil Zahedi crunches the numbers after racing to provide immediate results and awards, acting as treasurer, registration, posting and maintaining a website and weekly email reminders, and most importantly, conflict mediator. All essential duties!

• Behind-the-Scener: That’s me, with tasks from crowdfunding and sponsorship, SIs, NOR, permits, insurance, securing a race committee boat and hiring a race officer.

• Volunteers: From a scorer at the finish line for 2+ hours, to an extra hand on the boat to set the marks, a beach master to communicate between race committee and racers, and a grill master for after-racing bbq! Thank them and reward them any way you can.

Without any one of these team members, the series suffers. It really takes a very big group effort to pull off a successful event!

Crowdfunding: For the second year in a row, we used Fundrazr to pre-fund the cost of the series. By offering racers a discount for pre-registration, we raised most of our season expenses before the first race. It’s a platform that worked very well to monitor the progress and attract sponsors. We upped the ante this year and created a sponsorship level aimed at the windsurfing industry, as well as locals in the fleet who had a small business and wanted to support us. A $250 sponsorship not only got you a spot on the line for racing, but you are now part of the team with branding opportunities.

The Future: You always need to be evolving and tuning the event to stay relevant. Next year, we plan to reach out to kiters and foilers to break new ground on the slalom course. We also want to introduce a freeride fleet for newcomers, or those who don’t have access to race gear. The operative word is: inclusiveness! I’m sure there will be additional challenges, but it’s an opportunity to grow the fleet and expand the sport in a big way!

martyrosse · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 118

Not sure if it's possible, but it would be more fun if the course could be moved a bit upwind and out--especially out. Even 100 yards can be the difference between a planing jibe and a stalled jibe. A lot of times it's too light on the inside for it to be fun for larger sailors unless they have a slalom board and a 10.0. That's why I often don't enter or don't start. That aspect won't change by adding a freeride category. We saw this issue repeated at the Battle of the Bay. I couldn't plane on a 7.5 at the time and location of the freeride race, but 30 minutes later and further upwind and out I was free sailing and jamming. That's often the situation. I wonder if you could keep the Anita Rock mark where it is but move the others out a bit? And start the freeride races later. It's usually too light at 2:30-3:00.

That being said, even on freeride gear, when the conditions are good the slalom races have been really fun. So I'm looking forward to the freeride addition and appreciate the effort to make it more inclusive.

I hope more people try it to find out how fun it is, even if you don't end up on the podium. All you have to be able to do is jibe and use big enough gear to get back to the starting line. If you don't like the idea of rounding a mark with 5 other sailors, it's easy enough to avoid that chaos and still do fairly well and have a fun and different sailing experience.

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

info8759 · Joined: 12 Aug 2016 Posts: 3

Including kites in windsurf races is a terrible idea.

The two do not play well together in races, I've done that. And it will shrink the fleet because windsurfers don't want the danger of dealing with kites, and their lines.

246 · Joined: 14 Mar 1994 Posts: 34

Not a good idea to race kites against windsurfers!

I've sailed a bunch of combined fleet slalom races in ideal conditions and the racing is frustrating for kiters as well as windsurfers. Windsurfers get in the way of kiters coming out of jibes making it inevitable that lines hook masts sometimes. In the middle of a race no one wants to stop to avoid problems. Windsurfers are faster between jibes so the same conflict scene is repeated at each mark.

I was windsurfing then and mostly kite now. Both are great but don't mix well at start lines or jibe marks. Windsurfers worry about the danger of kite lines but windsurfers are dangerous to kiters as well. My boom once bloodied the head of a downwind kiter when I sheeted out to avoid three barging kiters at a start line.

246 · Joined: 14 Mar 1994 Posts: 34

Growing the fleet would be great by alternating kite and windsurf slalom race heats! Double the fun from one set of jibe marks and one race committee!

nw30 · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:57 pm Post subject:

"Who's the genius who puts a girl in high heels on a subway grate?"
~Willem Defoe

Kites and windsurfers racing together.

loopless · Joined: 30 Jun 1997 Posts: 426

dvCali · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 1314

usa4 · Joined: 30 Mar 2009 Posts: 93

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement.
It's always a challenge to race at on the SF city front but we will be adjusting the course to make it more fun for all. Hopefully the wind will cooperate.
As for the kites- yes separate starts and not on the course at the same time for obvious reason. While it would be great to expand to other locations, the 3 of us do not have the resources for that. Its an all volunteer basis and crissy field is our home beach where we can get an rc boat on and off the water easily.
Id encourage anyone to use ths as an example to set up other slalom series whereever that may be.
sb