Any one know what wind minimum rule is?

7 knots And 11 knots our numbers I keep hearing. 11k yes, but at 100kg personally I have no chance at getting my is130/9.6m planning In 7 knots. In 10 or 11 knots, I'm just about OK.

Just wondering how little wind the pros can get going in!!

this why bjorn dunkerbeck lfet PWA and Tatty Frans competes

It's seven knots, over the whole course area, a little too low IMO.

I'm kind of torn on minimum wind strength.

On one hand lighter winds are the lighter guys time to shine. Being something of a stick myself, I can tell you watching the bigger boys come tearing past in 20 plus knots of wind is about as much fun as I can imagine watching stick man sail away from you planing in 12knots

On the other hand, slalom's meant to be fast and action packed. The less wind there is the less action there is. I think for the larger part they've got a good formula in PWA slalom, in that you can change sail sizes to suit wind strengths. 7 knts is pretty ambitious though. I'd hate to have to float around a course, balancing a 9m sail all the way.

7 knots may be the minimum but they wouldn't hold it in that.
I think at Ulsan Province (South Korea) this year they raced in 10knots.
Most of the big guys were on 9m sails and they only got one round in.

Select to expand quote

sonny2727 said..
this why bjorn dunkerbeck lfet PWA and Tatty Frans competes

So in his 13 years as world champ there was no skinny blokes around?
A bl00dy fast racer is rather different to a freestyle/wave dude.

Bjorn still managed to do pretty damn good in waves......... and I think you have just made me realise I can't think of a single freestyle or wave champ who has done anything significant in racing really in the last 10yrs. Maybe Pete V (RIP).
Happy to be corrected there....

Kevin Pritchard was a champ in waves & slalom racing big guy too in the last decade.

Robby Naish was top in racing, waves and slalom back in the WSMA and PBA pre "Bjorn" days. I believe Robby was relatively light compared to others today in slalom. In those days slalom was held in surf breaks as I recall. Some of the 1980s videos for early world cup slalom e.g. "Dunkerbeck beating Bringdal" to win the world cup, (can't recall location) show conditions that were spectacular to watch as I recall.

I may be mistaken but I think Robby was too light for racing when it became necessary to be a gorilla. On the other hand I don't believe Bjorn has always been as a big as he is now.

I think KP still wins much of what he enters e.g. 2014 AWT champion overall. I believe he would be a force in Slalom if he entered an event today. It would be interesting if Robby entered slalom again just for a new challenge, would he fare well ?

Not to say light guys can't do well, but it appears the running theme at the top of slalom is a solid build.

I personally hold in hope that once upon a time A2 and Bjorn were both a lot more slight. maybe one day I could grow into a solid build?

Select to expand quote

aribenasher said..
Robby Naish was top in racing, waves and slalom back in the WSMA and PBA pre "Bjorn" days. I believe Robby was relatively light compared to others today in slalom. In those days slalom was held in surf breaks as I recall. Some of the 1980s videos for early world cup slalom e.g. "Dunkerbeck beating Bringdal" to win the world cup, (can't recall location) show conditions that were spectacular to watch as I recall.

I may be mistaken but I think Robby was too light for racing when it became necessary to be a gorilla. On the other hand I don't believe Bjorn has always been as a big as he is now.

I think KP still wins much of what he enters e.g. 2014 AWT champion overall. I believe he would be a force in Slalom if he entered an event today. It would be interesting if Robby entered slalom again just for a new challenge, would he fare well ?

All very true, although in the early days there weren't many really big guys in slalom either. The slalom was initially called surf slalom, with the outside mark ideally placed around the impact zone and the inside mark in water so shallow that the marks were just PVC shoved into the sand. Robby reckoned that the '85 or '86 Sony at Long Reef, in a big SEly, was the best surf slalom he had ever sailed in.

Bjorn was actually quite small as a teenager; I was his training partner before we did the worlds when he was 16 and he struck me as being lighter than the usual 16 year old. Still didn't stop him kicking my ass!

Talking about wind minimums, I like the PWA freestyle rules:

The Freestyle discipline shall be run in suitable conditions. As a guideline, conditions shall be considered suitable when an average sized male sailor can attempt the required number of moves during the heat on a sail size of no less than 5.4 sqm and a board of no less than 100L volume, regardless of whether the moves are big air or power moves. If 1 average sized sailor in the heat is able to sufficiently attempt the required number of moves as described above with a sail of 5.4 sqm and a board of no less than 100L volume, then the heat shall be considered valid even if the other sailors have not completed or attempted their moves. Protests regarding suitability of conditions shall be disallowed.

Basically, if someone can do it...no whinging about light wind allowed!

Select to expand quote

Mark _australia said..
Bjorn still managed to do pretty damn good in waves......... and I think you have just made me realise I can't think of a single freestyle or wave champ who has done anything significant in racing really in the last 10yrs. Maybe Pete V (RIP).
Happy to be corrected there....

AA wavesails...

www.facebook.com/antoinealbeauf192/photos/a.460081707393554.1073741834.460052047396520/909868802414840

Select to expand quote

mathew said..

Mark _australia said..
Bjorn still managed to do pretty damn good in waves......... and I think you have just made me realise I can't think of a single freestyle or wave champ who has done anything significant in racing really in the last 10yrs. Maybe Pete V (RIP).
Happy to be corrected there....

AA wavesails...

www.facebook.com/antoinealbeauf192/photos/a.460081707393554.1073741834.460052047396520/909868802414840

And was PWA Freestyle World Champion in 2001.