Entries Tagged 'THE MOWIND NEWS' ↓

Higgins Lake Michigan Sept 11-12 racing started slow on Saturday with three races in light wind conditions before the wind cut off completely.    People retired to local establishments to watch football and got together at 7ish for a fine dinner at the nearby Timbers restaurant.  Sunday we awoke to sunny blues skies filled with wind and pleasant 65 degree weather.   It was a perfect early fall day for windsurfing on beautiful Higgins Lake.   Five races were ran in 10 to 20 conditions that made for an extra long morning session.   Pizza, raffle and awards followed Sunday’s racing.     Top finishers were:

Longboard class: 
1. Mark Boersma – Muskegon, MI 
2. Mark Drofleff – Columbus, OH
3. Paul Sandstrom – Columbus, OH

Prodigy class:
1. Nat Sidall  Chelsia, MI
2. Scott Fohey – Detriot, MI
2. Chris Barry – Perrysburg, OH

COMPLETE RESULTS

The weekend begins on Friday with the Lake Winnebago Supercrossing. Typically we leave from Roosevelt County Park (Wind Power) and we sail north to a destination determined at the skipper’s meeting based on conditions & forecast. With ideal conditions (west wind), it is possible to sail full length of Lake Winnebago (28 miles). This has occurred once in history of the Supercrossing. Kiters are welcome to follow but they will not be part of the race. Please contact Jeff or Kevin for more details if you are new to the Supercrossing.

Saturday & Sunday are the Wind Power Championships. This is the first race of the 2011 MoWind Racing schedule. Course, Slalom and Long Distance will be run, conditions permitting. Saturday evening racers will be treated to a dinner at the Sunset Supper Club next door to the race site. Friends and spouces are welcome to join. At the dinner 2010 MoWind year end awards will be presented. After dinner and MoWind awards the annual Wind Power Bonfire sacrifice to the Wind Gods will take place. The fire usually last longer than the partiers. Don’t forget to bring your tent or trailer as there is Free camping in Wind Power’s back yard. (crawling distance from the bonfire) Sunday’s skipper’s meeting will be at 9:30 followed by racing at 10:00. Last possible start will be 2pm. Lunch, prizes and awards will be at 3 pm.

We highly encourage pre-registration. If you need charter equipment (long board for non-planning conditions) please call ahead to reserve it. We will have it setup and ready for race day. We want to avoid the time needed to setup charters on race day.

SEE YOU THERE!!

Questions and Pre-Registration can be directed to
Kevin Gratton at 920-251-1002 or keving@windpowerwindsurfing.com
Jeff Knutson at 920-841-9004 or jkknutson@centurytel.net

For more information on sailing, windsurfing, and directions to the shop
check out our website: WindPowerWindsurfing.com

Road Construction in Fond du Lac, so you will need to take the Hwy. 151 bypass.

Directions:

• From US Hwy 41. Exit at Hwy 151 North (Exit No. 95). Pay close attention when coming from the North Exit # 95 is easy to miss because it is right after you go under an overpass
• After exiting (Exit No. 95), take Hwy 151 North around east Fond du Lac. The speed limit on hwy 151 is 55mph, be careful and don’t speed
• Follow Hwy 151 (6 miles) and Turn Left at County Hwy. K (right after 4 lane hwy. turns into a 2 lane), follow Hwy K 1 mile north to Winnebago Drive
• Turn Left on Winnebago Drive and Wind Power is the second driveway located on left side across from Roosevelt Park

Here is a map below. For more info, see our web site map page. See you there!!

Wow .. a lot of racing action is scheduled in September.  Be sure to check the MOWIND calendar.   It’s good to contact organizers a few days out to check things are on schedule.

The  notice of race flyer for the Sept 25-26 Fall Wind Power Championships windsurf regatta in Fond du Lac is now available in  PDF format.    Hope to see you there.   This is the 1st race in the 2011 MOWIND point series of races.    Results of the 2010 MOWIND points series will be presented during the Saturday evening dinner at the Sunset Club in Fond du Lac.      On Friday Sept 24 the free Winnebago Supercrossing long distance race takes place so check the flyer out for details on that.   

Also coming up Sept 11-12 is the Higgins Lake Regatta in Roscommon MI.   That event is held at Higgins Lake South State park campground.   General public and non-racers are welcome,  show up and reserve a campspot by the beach for the day, rig and sail.   Join the group for a fun dinner excursion on Sat evening.   Race headquarters  will be located  towards the west end of the campground around lot 350.     As usual the GLWT (Great Lakes Windsurfing Tour) people plan to be there with demo gear and deals on demo equipment.   So if you are a non-windsurfer ..  this is a great opportunity to find out more about windsurfing and make some new friends.

Sept 18 is the date for the 5th race  in the Canadian Ontario Sailing Race Series.   This one day race is held at the Toronto Windsurfing Club facilites.    The following day on Sept 19 the  17km TWC Mammoth Marathon long distance race around the Toronto islands is scheduled.   Several Mowinders  from the Ohio and Michigan have attended these races in recent years.    Toronto is about a 245 mile drive from the Detroit,  295 from Cleveland.

The ferry ride over to Middle Bass Island for the Bay Week Regatta  started with a good omen as a Miller Beer delivery truck was parked in the ferry line also.

Good Omen in the Ferry Line

The 2010 new Bay Week (Fri - Sat – Sun weekend ) regatta had great winds each day,  unfortunately the wind came late afternoon on Friday and Saturday after racing had been postponed for the day.    However being full of energy us windsurfers got in several hours of  great fun sailing until dark both those days.   Just in case you are wondering … let me say the wind wasn’t little puffs either …   it was great powered up full on shore 7.5 conditions that blew hard even after sunset.        There were 150 entries total in the regatta  eight of them being windsurfers.   That’s a heck of a big fleet and the Put-In-Bay harbor was jammed with sailboats boats stacked five deep at the docks.  In the centerboard fleet that us windsurfers were part of, the big class was a group of 25 Hobie 13’s.    Those Hobies 13 really know how to flip!    

On day one and two USA-136  Eric Rahnenfueher  set up  practice marks so we could perfect our mark roundings during our fun sessions.  Novice lady windsurfer Denise Roznovsky got in some good wave sailing practice on an RS:X.    Early Saturday afternoon a gang of five of us SUP paddled our windsurfers over to the west point of Middle Bass where JJ graciously gave us some refreshments for our efforts.   However while drinking those refreshments a breeze started kicking up so we had to get back and as it did late afternoon the day before the wind magically returned.          When we woke up on Sunday morning  the wind was still blowing strong and it seemed to be building a bit.    

On day three we established what I believe is likely a new MOWIND record for windsurfers.   Because the centerboard fleet had not raced on day one or two the RC wanted an extra earlier start time to make sure we got at least three races in on Sunday morning.      The windsurfer class was start three in a fleet that had four starts and the course that day was a  triangle with an extra sausage leg around the windward and leeward marks.      The RC the evening before moved the first warning gun up to 7:55 am  meaning we might need to leave shore at 7:30 am if winds were light.       Fortunately for  us windsurfers that were staying at Middle Bass Island state campground it was an quick easy ten minute reach to the start line.    The reason it was so easy was the winds were building quickly and three guys even returned to shore to get their 7.5’s on.       As far as the MOWIND record …   I believe an 8:10 am start with three races completed by 10:15 am  for windsurfers has to be some kind of record.      

Below USA 064 Rod Clevenger accepts his 1st place flag and cup from the I-LYA Commodore.    Rod also won the daily award (first finisher in the first race) a nice I-LYA logo fleece vest and hat.  In the background in the straw hat,  JDX  Jim Donahue pours a beer at the beer wagon.

Rod Clevenger - 1st in Windsurfer Class

Fleets results for windsurfer class.
1.  USA 64  – Hybrid -  Rod Clevenger
2.  USA 136  – Unlimited – Eric Rahnenfueher
3.  H – Hybrid – Scott Haas
4.   JDX – Hybrid – Jim Donahue
5.   W -  Hybrid – Gary Smith
6.  12 – Hybrid – Philip Dufresne
7.   D  -   Women Sport – Denise Roznovsky
8.   S1 – Hybrid – Scott Foley

Hopefully more windsurfers will come out to Middle Bass Island in August 2011 for the next I-LYA Bay Week event and enjoy a few days windsurfing.    Yes there is a race but you can also elect to just race a couple races if that’s all you want.    2010 was an epic year  as we had several  days in a row of beautiful 85 degree temperatures, wind and no rain!     The islands offer something for everyone and for photographers there are lots of beautiful views of boats sailing by .. click image for larger view!   

Two sail boats pass by windsurfer launch beach at Middle Bass State Park Campground.

The first of what is planned to be an annual windsurf event at the New London Ohio reservoir and campground was a big hit.      On Saturday afternoon we counted some 40 windsurfers and that didn’t include spouses, friends and kids in attendance.    It was a beautiful hot July weekend and we had awesome wind allowing  the RC to get in 8 races on Saturday and another 4 on Sunday.   The campground had special camping rates for windsurfers that weekend and it was great to see a welcome sign for us at the park entrance.

Welcome Windsurfers

Windsurf Point at New London Reservoir

The long part of the reservoir runs east west and the traditional west winds that showed  made it possible to set up a large  square course with an M mark in the middle.    The start line was positioned right in front of the beach area at Windsurfer Point where over a dozen windsurfers camped out by the water for the weekend.   Several others camped out in the adjacent campground area while some just did a daily commute from home.   Click small photo for larger view of Windsurf Point.

Results :  Overall_Fleet        By  Division

Windsurf Point

A big thanks must go out to the New London Village and campground  workers and volunteers who worked hard to get the park looking great.    They also stepped up big time  by contributing great T-shirts and large engraved trophies for racing awards. 

New London T-Shirts

The camping atmosphere made for a fun weekend with the group setting around a campfire late into the evening sharing windsurf stories.

Sunset over the west side of Windsurf Point

Saturday from 2 to 8 the Rez Jam was going on with Bluegrass bands playing on a flatbed stage.   So we had music while we raced plus some added spectators.

Rez Jam Bluegrass Bands

Thanks to MOWIND president Phil Sage for organizing the event.  His son Matt was working hard as well as course setter Eric Rahnenfueher.      Plan to make it out next year to race or just day sail and help grow the Reservoir Rendezvous Regatta (RRR).  

Phil gives outs award trophies.

 Scott – #H