Reporting that there is MoFun in MoWind!

Higgins Lake Michigan 2008 was a great weekend of fellowship and camping where a regatta broke out.   Thanks to Nat Sidall and members from the Grosse Point Windsurfing Club that run this MOWIND point series event.   The weather was great with partly cloudy skies and nice cooler temps in the mid seventies both days.   I believe seven races were ran on Saturday and three on Sunday morning in  5 to 15 mph breezes.  Below Steve Grody mixes batter while daughter Shalom instructs Andy Gratton and Rod Clevenger on how one cooks a pancake.    Steve runs  Branch Adventures and thus knows how to cook for a whole camp.   

Sport fleet ran course A while A Fleet ran course B and also did two races using course AB.   Shifting winds on Saturday made for some exciting and close competition with several racers finishing within a few seconds of each other.   

The Saturday evening party was perhaps one of the largest the event has seen with near 40 in attendance.   The Timbers restaurant just a mile away served up some great food.  Besides the Great Lakes Windsurfing demo crew there were several windsurfers in camp that were not competing in the regatta.    We hope to see more of those people in the future.   You can come and have a great time no matter what your skill level is or what type of equipment you have.    This event is usually held the first weekend after Labor Day.   Andy Gratton won the cash prize for the furthest distance traveled coming from Oshkosh WI.

The nine Prodigy (Hybrid class) racers really battled it out and after 10 races with 2 throw outs only 3 points separated 1st and 3rd places.

Held on Lake Winnebago in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

Wind Power Championships Fall 2008 Notice of Race
Wind Power Championships 2008 Fall Registration

The weekend race is preceeded by a long distance race on Friday the 12th.  Event information is in the notice of race and can also be found on the Wind Power’s Web site  http://www.windpowerwindsurfing.com/.   

This early fall race signals the start of the MOWIND points race for 2009.  MOWIND awards presented at Saturday evening dinner.   Hope to see you there!

2008 Higgins NOR .doc format   

MOWIND event organizer Nat Sidall says that this will be the 8th annual Higgins Regatta.  Many people have attended every one, but there are new faces every year, and we are always happy to have new people join us, at any skill level.  It’s a fun event, because it has the feel of a camping trip.  Most people stay at the campground, and sit around a fire in the evenings.  He will be glad to hear from any first-timers who might have questions about the event.    You can find Nat’s email address on the MOWIND calendar.    Below skippers gather for the morning meeting during the 2007 event.

  

 Once again we will feature a gourmet camp breakfast prepared by Steve Grody, on Sunday, lunches on site at the campground and a dinner nearby. We’ll have lots of great raffle prizes, plus a special award for the farthest traveling competitor.
 
The Great Lakes Demo Tour will be on site, offering $7000 worth of new gear to try out, and free introductory lessons.  Check out their  Web site for more information.  Plus, the demo guys are planning to organize a swap meet near the event site.  Bring your old stuff to sell, and your checkbook as much of the
demo gear will be going on sale at great prices.  If you are interested in buying or selling equipment let Dave know.

In recent years the South Higgins Lake State Park office has closed around 8pm.   So if you plan to arrive late Friday evening you may want to reserve your camp site online ahead of time.  That way you can set up in your spot then check in the next morning at the office.    The group stays in the west camping area around lots 369 and 358 but the rows on either side towards the lake are good also.   Usually a few people arrive late Thursday afternoon so they can get in a full day of fun sailing beforehand.     For those that want a hotel room there are some nearby by along US 127 and US 75.   Also the Soaring Eagle Indian casino is about a 45 minute drive away just off US 127 in Mount Pleasant.   If you are towing a camper they have a large RV/Bus lot across the street from the main casino which is a great place to stop.  You can play a few hands of video poker after you make lunch.   

Philip Sage from the Cleveland Ohio area has been hitting the mid-west windsurf regatta circuit this summer with a gang of kids in tow.   He has wrote up a nice report for you MOWINDers that missed the 2008 Door County regatta.   Philip’s report is a fun read with GPS tracking maps of his paths around the course.  

Door Country Breeze report 2008 .doc file (4M).

The Gross Pointe Windsurfing Club regatta took place Saturday June 21st at Patterson Park in Grosse Pointe Park Michigan. Patterson Park is just off Jefferson Ave about 8 miles north of downtown Detroit. It’s a beautiful park to sail from with access to Lake St Clair. I counted about 21 sails out on the course and everyone was battling hard in the 5 to 10 mph breezes. The fleet got 4 races in before breaking for lunch. About the time we all finished our pizza thunderstorms blew in and they didn’t want to quit. Hail, high winds, rain, lightning and more hail came down for near an hour, it was a bit scary. By the time it was over we were cold, wet and it was nearing 3:30 and more storms were coming so that was it for the 2008 edition of the GPWC regatta.

Of note were two new long boards on the course, a Starboard Phatton 380 and an Exocet Warp 380. These are boards that might just kick off the start of a real longboard revival.

Here are the scores

2008 GPWC Regatta Scores