Stfyc Formula Racing April 30th - Seth Besse Returns

[bil7y]

Fresh back from the East Coast Seth Besse picked up where he left off when he left San Francisco for entrepreneurial opportunities on the east coast. The Front of the local Formula Fleet.(photo is from last weeks race - sorry I was racing)

Much like Thursdays conditions for the Cabrinha Kiteboarding, the day prior, the competitors were greeted with an ebb tide and some big winds. Averaging 23mph with lulls at 17 and gusting to 30 meant 9.0's for most of the racers. Seth was fortunate to have access to a borrowed JP Formula board, the same board Antoine Albeau rode to victory in the recent world championships. So despite the fact he only owns a boom and a sail there would be no excuses for a poor performance. No excuses were needed.

With 2-3 foot shore break pounding the beach, a 2 knot ebb working opposite the wind, and a race committee bent to starting on time the racers headed out for what looked to be a long, tough night on Formula Gear.

Race one got off as the racers crowded the pin end of the line right up against the St Francis Yacht Club looking for the famous inside lift to the weather mark. Seth got off a good start but Steve Bodner, winner of the first two events of the local Formula Season, and Al Mirel, multiple time St FYC Season champ were not going to give him an easy go of it. While Besse and Mirel were on 9.0's Bodner was manning up on his 10. As the graph above demonstrates the 10.0 was going to be a bit much for race 1. Steve however made it work and pulled out the second place while Mirel came in third.

Of note was the blazing upwind speed of Tom Purcell. At times showing better angle and better speed than anyone in the fleet. Purcell however was having a tough time in the big breeze putting the whole package together and in the quick format racing that is the Friday Night series you need the whole package with zero errors. Each race lasts about 11-12 minutes for the winner so even a single mistake will put 4 boards between you and the glory of the bullet.

Race 2 was essentially a carbon copy of Race 1. Race 3 however was to take place in slightly lighter breeze and the sailors forced to race their 10.0''s in the first two races were starting to get in to a groove. In particular Soheil Zahedi who using superior lay lines and board speed seemingly on tap was able to pressure Besse up to the weather mark. It was not to be enough however as using his 9.0 to full efficiency Besse again took the win. Zahedi in second and Bodner in third.

Race 4 was a dramatically different story weather wise. With a dying breeze and newly starting flood tide it looked as though Besse and Mirel would be in trouble on their 9.0's. If only the other sailors could call the lay lines they may have been. As the fleet approached the weather mark they met a huge header and most every sailor was forced in to a double or triple tack just to make the mark. By this time Besse and Mirel had left the fleet behind and cruised to victory. Zahedi had the second place in this race in his pocket early on but chose instead to play tag with the weather mark. If only there had been music it could have been a waltz. One tack, then back, then another tack and back then kersplash and for good measure a tap hello to the mark using his board. I know this only because I was far enough behind him to watch the dance unfold and enjoyed rounding him as though he himself was the mark. There is nothing more frustrating than swimming when others are sailing and I speak from experience; lots of it. Besse first, Mirel Second, Bodner Third.

Race 5 looked as though it may be a no go with the increasing tide and decreasing breeze but this event is blessed with a sage race committee and without hesitation they launched in to a sequence. This should be the race the 9.0's finally succumb to the 10.0's but it was not to be. Zahedi showed his race 4 performance (the first half atleast) was no fluke and again dialed in to good speed and angle and this time decided to skip the dancing with weather mark part. A wise choice as he followed Besse around the course for a comfy second place finish with Mirel coming in third.

If you were keeping score it was 5 races and 5 first places for Seth. The fleet was given a glimmer of good news in that Seth now has a desk job and most surely this will slow him down. We hope.

A full weekend of racing is up next as the Formula fleet has the two day Elvstrom Zellerbach regatta on tap this Saturday and Sunday. With a forecasted solid San Francisco sea breeze and Sailing Instructions calling for 4 races a day there will be some sore sailors come Monday. Full report in Mondays Newsletter.

Full Results (at the bottom of the article)
http://www.waterhound.com/seth-besse-returns-to-dominate-stfyc-friday-night-formula-2.html