Windsurfing Tasmania Curcuit guide:

Scheduled for Feb 5-6th

Formula Windsurfing Racing (round 3)/Slalom and GPS Fun Weekend.
Port Dalrymple Yacth Club, Beauty Ponit.
Briefing (Formula) 10am Saturday 5th
Contact Richard Carrington Smith

Richard I presume this is still on?

Is this event still on

Absolutely. It's on and this is always a very well run racing event (fully organised by the Port Dalrymple Yacht Club). The "GPS Fun Weekend" bit was added to cater for non-racers who are absolutely welcome and encouraged to also attend. However, the racing side of things is pretty full on course racing in amongst the dinghy fleets, so if you want to race you'll need equipment that can get you around a course (upwind/downwind).

Basically, the State Titles comprise four events, two Slalom (Hawley and Stanley) and two Formula (Hobart and Port Dalrymple). We used to try to have each event cater for either slalom or course racing, but it meant a lot of slalom sailors who turn out for event might not get to sail if we only course race and vice-versa if we only slalom race, so we split it so everyone knows what the racing will be if there is any wind. This means 'slalom only' sailors don't have to go to course race events and 'Formula only' sailors don't have to go to slalom events.

Always up for change, but that's the way it all stands at the moment.

Looking back at the calendar entry, it's probably not entirely clear as it does mention slalom (after Formula Round 3), but there won't be any slalom (at least not as part of the state titles.

That's great Dave, good to get the word around to as many sailors as we can even if they're not racing it sounds like it will be fun just to get out there.

What is the location like, is it OK for learners and intermediates

It is a great social event with excellent racing, BBQ and great sailing spots very close by (minutes away). The racing area is OK for general sailing and is actually pretty good for getting some long flat water runs in, but it is often a bit gusty and if the wind drops out at all it can be tricky getting back in. Just around the corner though there are better spots and then you have low head not far away at all!!

These were shots taken form last year's event.

Just looking at those big rigs exhaust me.

Yes, they might look big, but they're really no more exhausting than any other rig and at least your can be planing in light and gusty conditions. The windier it gets the more they can point higher and sail off the wind deeper. This sort of gear was never designed to be sailed back-n-fourth like slalom gear, it's designed to go upwind and downwind. There is a complete kit including board, fins, two sails, two masts and a full carbon boom for $1000 on Seabreeze at the moment. Absolute bargain!! Compared to the old windsurfer one designs, this gear is so much easier to sail and mcuh more like the current slalom gear in terms of feel. Formula racing is a lot of fun!!

yes i had a good couple of runs for my first time on big gear.

gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2011-01-28&team=27

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AUS02 said...

Yes, they might look big, but they're really no more exhausting than any other rig and at least your can be planing in light and gusty conditions. The windier it gets the more they can point higher and sail off the wind deeper. This sort of gear was never designed to be sailed back-n-fourth like slalom gear, it's designed to go upwind and downwind. There is a complete kit including board, fins, two sails, two masts and a full carbon boom for $1000 on Seabreeze at the moment. Absolute bargain!! Compared to the old windsurfer one designs, this gear is so much easier to sail and mcuh more like the current slalom gear in terms of feel. Formula racing is a lot of fun!!

Sorry Dave didn't mean to be negative, they're a good work out too, I lost weight sailing my formula gear, probably nerves from competing in the Nats as well!

Just #####bumping##### this to the top, especially for the northern guys if you can go, join the formula guys at Beauty Point

Who's going to this Whats the forecast looking like up there

I was, but looks good to sail at home

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izaak said...

I was, but looks good to sail at home

Yer its looking good for you guys for Sat

Steve and I are heading up early Saturday morning so we should be there before entries close at 10:30am and be ready for the briefing at 11AM. First race is at 1PM. Entry is $40.

Wind is looking like being moderate and generally from the west. Should be good for Formula racing. Camping is available at the Port Dalrympe Yacht Club and there is good sailing close by for anyone keen to come up for the weekend, but not necessarily race.

I hope to be there, always enjoy the event.

How did the racing go at Beauty point, any photos, results

Full on weekend. Firstly well done to Dave who beat me by 1 point. It came down to the last race and I went one way and Dave went the other, the rest is history. It was a great weekend. Yesterday for the first race it was blowing a solid 25 knots gusting up to 30. Stew Gordon had an 8.4 and was the only one to finish but unfortunately the race didnt count cos it was abandoned just before he finished. So big well done Stew, not bad for a younger old guy. Also Dave battled it out to the top mark in that wind, it was so windy that if we were on the slalom gear we would have been sailing 5.6s. All I could do was sit it out, I couldnt even get the sail out of the water. Dave and my sail are 11.0s. The wind then dropped down to a solid 20 knots gusting up to 25. We completed 2 races, which Dave just won, Steve second, Stew 3rd.
Today was very light, with a few puffs coming through. It was tough racing and we are all pretty shattered. Last night we all got smashed at the sailing club.
Well done to Richard C and James P for also making the journey. Rich I hope your back is ok. Overall results after 6 races Dave 1st, Steve 2nd and Stew 3rd.

well done guys,i know how hard it can be in 25knots on formula gear.

Hey I saw some footage on the news (southern cross I think), saw Dave and a couple of glimpses of others. Looked very light.

That may have been the Sunday!!

Yep, Sunday it was.

We've been doing this event since 2004. Be good to get more people sailing Formula at next years event. The club is really welcoming. Some photos of the windy and the not so windy:

Great pics Dave, sounds like it was a pretty hairy weekend, Steve said there was a rescue and some collateral damage

Great photos, yep James P lost his near new 9.0 Severne Code Red. He had unrigged in the water because it was too windy. As the rescue guys were putting his gear in the boat his sail slipped and sunk to the bottom. Ant I think these must have been the photos I was talking about. Check out the twist in Daves sail in the photo with him and the dingy.

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Steve Charles said...

Check out the twist in Daves sail in the photo with him and the dingy.

Yeah Steve, I was just looking at the comparison between the 2 sails (I sailed Lasers out of Devonport in my younger years), the difference between a relatively stiff mast and only leech battens, compared to the windsurfer rig, is amazing.

Looked at that shot again, Dave's not hooked in, back foot out, is he about to gybe around the bouy? But with the nose of the board up in the air like that, is he just out of control? Or trying to not land on the Laser?
Can you remember that moment Dave?

The photographer was on the Start boat, so I think that photo of me unhooked was while sailing upwind a bit of the start line before the start. I was just trying to keep the rig up and make some head-way so I would be ready to turn around and come back to actually start the race. So not locked in, just trying to get ready to be in a position to start. Once the start gun goes, you've got two minutes to make it through the start line or you are called as a DNS (did not start), so crucial, no matter how windy it is, to try and at least make the start so if the wind does drop a bit, you're still racing.

Steve can probably remember in one race when it was blowing around 20 knots at the start I came out on Port tack and had to give way to him on Starboard. As I slowed down to go below him I went up over a wave and the extra power in the sail while bearing off a bit lifted the board up out of the water and Steve said he could see the bottom of my 70 cm fin. Landed it OK though. I think this occurred just before the photo was taken of the three of us going upwind and you can see I'm on the opposite tack.

Well done to Stewart who sailed really well in those winds and as you can see in the photos always looked in control.

Great photo's, well done guys and well done Dave for taking the honours, sounds like it was very close racing and a good weekend

Great to see the good ol' boys still cracking it....go T3!!
Looking forward to catching up with you all at Stanley.
Fenton