The 2009 Toledo Windsurifng Championships a NRT and Mowind point series race had great 5 to 20 side shore winds on Saturday.    Five races were ran and most competitors were totally exhausted by the end of the day after battling gusts that sometimes lasted 5 minutes.  A simple 2 mark upwind and downwind course was ran with 3 Formula racers starting first followed by a combined A and Sport fleet start that numbered 37 on the line.  A fleet did twice around while Sport fleeters did once around. The Saturday evening party was held at Lucky’s Bar and Grille where the race was to empty the keg.  Sunday morning arrived with a nice light breeze that quickly dwindled down to 1 to 3 knot conditions.  One race was ran and then the fleet waited for about 30 minutes before racing was called.  By noon the water surface was like glass with sunny skies which made for a pleasant lunchtime.   Awards were presented and the winners are smiling below with their new trophies.  The Canadian and Michigan contingent walked away with the lions share of hardware this year.
Toledo 2009 Fleet Results pdf    Â
 Toledo 2009 Results by Division pdf
Toledo 2009 Prodigy Overall pdf
Below women’s A fleeter Andre Gauthier who place 3rd overall in A-Fleet rigs up. Andre was one of several Canadians that made the trip down to the states again for the Toledo race.  Those old IMCO sails are still fast in the right hands.
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The Mistral Prodigy One Design group which races in the Hybrid Division always has a strong turnout at Toledo and at the upcoming Michigan Grosse Point Windsurfing Club regatta in June and the September Higgins lake regatta.   This year 14 Prodigy One Design entries split evenly into Prodigy Mens and Prodigy 55+ Masters divisions.  I also believe there were two other Hybrid boards in attendance an RSX and a Pacer but their skippers raced in the Mens class opting to use big sails if need be.   First placer in the Prodigy Mens division was Nat Sidall from Michigan. Nat was able to make his Prodigy seemingly fly upwind in heavy air by bearing off several degrees in the big gusts and got so much speed up he planed through the lulls.   Competition in the middle of the Prodigy pack was tight.  During the fifth race on Saturday afternoon in heavy winds on the 2nd upwind leg 5 of us Prodigy sailors reach the windward mark just a few yards apart.   In the Prodigy Masters division local Toledoan Chris Berry took the honors using his tactical skills in the shifting wind conditions.   Below Jim Donahue owner operator of Sailboardalley.com and Prodigy promoter rigs up in a sea of Prodigies.
This being the 20th year of this event was definitely a milestone for TABA ( Toledo Area Boardsailing Association ). It’s been the same group of just 8 to 10 people for two decades now that do all the planning and work at the event. This year Perrysburg Boat Club graciously supplied a great committee boat.   Thanks to everyone including all the competitors that often come great distances to race on Lake Erie at Maumee Bay State Park. Â
Scott Haas -Â #H