CalCup Racing Season Wraps Up With Exciting News!

[bil7y]

More yacht club sponsored racing! Here's the news and the race report for the years last race.

Saturday August 21st capped an incredible 2010 CalCup Racing Season. With stunning blue skies, solid 20-25mph winds, and balmy 70 degree weather the racers were treated to the perfect day to wrap up this years series.(Pictured Steve Sylvester making ' that sound')

Before we get to the racing action some fantastic news for next year’s racing scene was announced at the skippers meeting. More yacht club sponsored racing! The Berkeley Yacht Club (BYC) has offered up the option for Windsurfers to race under the BYC burgee. A test race will be tentatively set up soon at the BYC so stay tuned to the CalCup Website for details. Dates will be structured so as to not impact the St. Francis Yacht Club Friday Night Racing. In addition Winter Sunday Chowder races may also be open to the boards. While winter winds are fickle it’s a great option if the breeze decides to kick in. Thanks to Jane Morson for making this happen! Also mark your calendar for September 25th - The CalCup End of season partah!

This years CalCup saw the start of a new trend for some of the San Francisco based racers doing their part to reduce carbon based emmissions. Commuting to the race. Commuting by sailing to the races that is. Thanks to the pioneering spririt of IT guru Soheil Zahedi a few racers meet up at San Francisco’s Crissy field and sail down to the races in Berkeley, about 8 miles as the crow flies. This was Zahedi’s third time making the trek and for this trip Jean Rathle and myself joined him for the 30 minute or so journey.

The day started well for F4 fins Chris Radkowski who jumped off the starting line with blazing speed for race one. Thankfully for the fleet however a thoughtless Al Mirel failed to return the magic F4 BB 67 fin that has powered Radkowski to multiple race wins before heading off on vacation. Thanks Al! With no one to follow Radkowski proceeded to call a near perfect lay line to the weather mark rubbing the buoy as he rounded. Steve Sylvester and myself both overstood by a bit and came in to the mark locked up bow to stern with Sylvester in front. Downwind Sylvester put the hammer down and proceeded to put 100 yards on me by the leeward mark but gaining little on Radkowski. As we headed up to the leeward mark Radkowski called an aggressive lay line; in fact too aggressive and he ended up needing to double tack to make the mark. Just enough of a mistake to let Sylvester and I go right on by. Having belittled Chris’ sailing all season (tongue in cheek) long by chalking his performance to his magic fin I was eating humble pie as Chris was simply going deeper and faster downwind and he sailed right past me. Sylvester took the bullet, Radkowski took second, and I came in third.

The second start ended up a general recall where Xavier “I forgot my watch” Ferlet was over so early he dragged the rest of the fleet with him. The fleet was so hyped up that nearly everyone sailed almost a full lap before being flagged back at the RC boat. After a reset it was Xavier Ferlet and Steve Sylvester who jumped out to the top of the pack leaving a pretty good distance between themselves and the rest of the fleet. Eric Christianson, Myself, Chris Radkowski, and Soheil Zahedi were tightly grouped and in hot pursuit. As we approached the windward mark I proceeded to splat my tack and go for a swim. Thinking this was a good idea Zahedi decided to join me for a swim allowing Christianson and Radkowski to leave us behind. Sylvester bookended his race one win with another bullet with Ferlet coming second and Christianson rounding out the podium.

Race 3 saw Xavier Ferlet jump out to an early lead with me right behind him. As we rounded the leeward mark I once again heard the splashing and spraying of an oncoming board. A sound I came to recognize on the day as the ‘Steve Sylvester I am going on by’ sound. As I rounded the leeward mark now in third place I thought it was time for a rest and was sad to look back and see Jean Rathle charging up from behind. No rest for the weary. I put my race face back on and was just able to hold off the speeding Aerotech/Exocet team rider to keep my third place finish. Ferlet took the win with Sylvester in third.

Race 4 was a super exciting first lap. I can’t remember seeing so many boards so close together at the first windward mark this season. Syvester, Ferlet, Christianson, Tom Purcell, and some others all jammed in super tight. By lap two however some distance had spread the racers out and saw Sylvester and Ferlet going one two respectively with Christianson never far behind. Purcell took fourth.

Race 5 was democracy in action. Race Committee Commander Jane Morson queried the sailors to see if we had one more race in us. The fleet signaled a resounding YES bring it on. I even voted yes momentarily forgetting I had a 45 minute upwind sail to get home still in front of me! Off the starting line Ferlet got an excellent start with Radkowski, Sylvester, and me underneath him. Both Ferlet and I tacked over first while the others continued on. Thankfully for me and Ferlet they were all over standing allowing us to round with a decent separation on the fleet. As we headed up for lap two Ferlet again tacked over first only this time it was a bit too soon. I put 50 feet in the bank on him and as he double tacked to make the mark I rounded the weather mark in first. It was short lived however as about 100 yards after the mark I ran in to the back of a large piece of chop and yard-saled in to the water. The lead Ferlet and I had built however was pretty good so I was able to gather myself and get water started only allowing Ferlet to get by me. As I headed down to the leeward mark however I again heard “that sound”, and yes there went Sylvester right on by. As we rounded the leeward mark Sylvester must have felt guilty about smoking me all day downwind and he proceeded to over stand the finish line. I threw my tack first and stole the second place finish back from him. Ferlet bulleted while Sylvester had to settle for third. Rathle again pulled up a fourth place finish right on the heels of the top 3.

Sylvester took the win for the day with Ferlet getting second the two sailors being separated by only a single point at 5-6 respectively.

Special thanks to Rachel Herrmann and Jane Morson for toiling all year long on the Race Committee. Thanks to Soheil Zahedi for all the technical support, and to Chenda Herstus, Al Mirel, Astrid Leitner, Lyrah Barreto Colvin, and Jason Ward who all stepped up to help across the course of the season. Jason also gets the Waterhound nod as most improved sailor of the year.

Waterhound would also be channeling bad Karma if not to thank Marley the faithful race committee hound. Last but not least thanks to Mike Percy for all he does to support the sport of Windsurfing in making the CalCup happen. Percy is quite simply the backbone of Bay Area windsurfing racing.

A bit more info and link to complete results
http://www.waterhound.com/steve-sylvester-en-fuego-calcup-season-wraps-up.html