Reporting that there is MoFun in MoWind!

Big winds arrived for the 2009 Mille Lacs Crossing, exceeding 30-mph for a good portion of the race. Jeff Hotvet ran away with the win in around 1:03, Steve Johnson finished second in ~1:08, and Randy Johnson finished 3rd in ~1:10. The course consisted of two laps running out to a buoy near the middle of the lake and back, covering about 20 miles total.

More info later.

Winds were inconsistent earlier in the day, so that info, along with a forecast for strong and steady winds tomorrow, helped Fleet 8 decide to hold off on running the Mille Lacs Crossing until tomorrow. But, I’m at the Garrison Inn by Lake Mille Lacs right now (Saturday afternoon), and people are planing on large slalom and formula gear. This is a sign of good things to come. The forecast is for 20-30mph winds, so come over and race in one of the longest running events in the country.

If you are more interested in speed sailing, try out the Midwest Speed Quest in southwest Minnesota (Worthington). They also have a great event and a forecast for big winds. Let’s hope we get more of this all fall.

– Arden Anderson

The 2009 Windpower Championships and Super Crossing successfully kicked off the 2010 MOWIND Race Series last weekend. Details of the Super Crossing can be found here, and event scores are linked below:

A Fleet Results

Sport & Workshop Fleet Results

Super Crossing Results

A quick look at the A Fleet results show how competitive an event it was. Top competitors mixed it up in light shifty winds throughout the weekend, and every extra pump and correctly read puff determined the outcome. Ten races were run, with five different racers taking at least one bullet (interestingly, all winners were either an Anderson or a Gratton…there might be something in the water). Tim Cleary, Don Altmyer, Alex Monroe, and Peter Hartwhich all also posted finishes better than 4th. That’s nine racers competing for the top four spots! It’s nice to see that kind of parity and it shows how competitive the fleet is getting.

Adam Anderson used his nose for the wind and top class upwind speed in the puffs to win the regatta, leading the way with 4 bullets and a total of 152 points. Arden and Andrew Anderson tied only two points back with 150 points, and each of them winning two individual races. The tiebreaker went six levels deep as they each had the same number of 1st’s, 2nd’s, 3rd’s, 4th’s and even 5th place finishes. That covered nine races. Their lowest score finally broke the tie, with Arden’s worst finish a sixth place while Andrew had a seventh place. So even their throwout races mattered in the end results.

Tim Clearly led the pack in the 8.5 Limited class, and finishing a close 4th overall. His ability to read the wind showed several times as positions shifted back and forth throughout each race. Alex Monroe also made a strong showing in the Limited class. His time on the water is paying off and we expect his improvements to continue.

The Sport Fleet results show similar competitiveness with Gary Lovrine winning a tight battle with Steve Willits in the Men’s Division. Kelly Johnson (1st Women’s Division) and Larry Reed (1st Senior’s Division) were also in the mix. We are especially proud of first-time racer, Devon Anderson (Andrew’s wife), who toughed it out for all 10 challenging races to place 2nd in the Women’s Division. She and Andrew win the long-distance award this year, coming all the way from Oakland, CA.

Continuing the theme of close competition, 4 points separated 1st through 3rd place in the Workshop Fleet. Youngin’s Niels Zaunmueller (1st), Austin Hamburger (2nd), and Kylan Johnson (3rd) all looked impressive throughout the weekend and we look forward to seeing more from them.

What a start to the 2010 MOWIND Race Series! Thanks to the birthday boy (Kevin Gratton) and the whole gang associated with Windpower Windsurfing for putting on another great event. The racing was great, the MOWIND Series awards banquet Saturday night was great (a big shoutout to Don Altmeyer for helping with the trophies both financially and with his time), and the bonfire and camping were great.

For even more info on the event, check out the Race Director’s report, complete with some great videos at the bottom of the page, but don’t believe anything they say about the fleet pushing over the line early ; )

– Arden Anderson reporting

The Fall Wind Power regatta took place in Fond du Lac Wisconsin on Sept 19-20, 2009.  This is the first event for the 2010 MOWIND Race Series.  Welcome BACK everyone!

More event details to come later, for now we are just posting links to the scores.  

09 Fall Wind Power A-Fleet Results  
09 Fall Wind Power Sport and Workshop Fleet results

Winnebago SuperCrossing

The weekend started early with Jeff Knutsen (www.a-aexteriors.com) sponsoring and running the 2009 Winnebago SuperCrossing on Friday the 18th.  10 racers left Roosevelt County Park and headed north (upwind) to Wendt’s Supper Club located half way to Oshkosh on the west side of the lake.  It’s just west of the big island.  Six of the ten who started made it all the way to Wendt’s, the longboarders prevailed in these conditions and the shortboarders came up short.  Magnus Zanmueller (Beaver Dam, Wi.) was first, very closely followed by Del Carpenter (Iowa) and then Dan Thornton (Fond du Lac) in third.  Jeff treated the racers with a beverage at the bar and then they set sail for the return race.  The wind picked up and formed white caps right after the start to provide a fun and fast downwind ride back to Wind Power.  Jim Edlebeck (Muskego, Wi.) took honors with Jim Magnuson (Beaver Dam) second and Magnus Zanmueller third.  As usual Jeff provide a fun time for all considering the forecast.  The Supercrossing is due for epic conditions, providing a true crossing from the south end of the lake 28 miles to the north end.  Niles Book holds the claim to fame for sailing to the north end and back during a Crossing a number of years ago.

09 WinnebagoSuper Crossing