Jazz Cup 2007

I just windsurfed the Jazz Cup. First windsurfer to ever race it (it's more a big boat regatta due to the long distance involved).

Jazz Cup by the numbers:
boats entered = about 100
windsurfers entered = 1
distance of race = about 32 miles (if you were to drive the course in a power boat)
longest boat = santa cruz 52
time racing = 4:32
times fell in = 0 (honest)
power bars eaten during the race = 0 (i had a big breakfast)
photos taken of the sole windsurfer by the photo boat = 0
people who shook my hand after the race = countless (when was the last time someone shook your hand for finishing a race?)
sea weeds hit during the race = too many
different hand positions tried in order to relax = not enough
point at which the camel back ran out of water = carquinez bridge
times i wished i had a head = 2 (good thing i was wearing a shorty and no booties :-)
point of no return = richmond bridge (in the light breeze and current, without a motor it was virtually impossible to sail back into the flood)

i was hoping for line honors but did not get them. i think a formula windsurfer could get line honors in that race...if there was enough wind...not enough wind this year but still a great race....

i did beat all the other windsurfers though...ok, so there were no windsurfers to beat...but i was the first windsurfer to ever race the event...and the fleet was very supportive of having a windsurfer in their midst...i think the monohulls were secretly
rooting for me to take out the multis so a monohull can again take claim to line honors :-)

when i finished the race people in benicia kept asking me if i had done the whole race...i kept saying yes...they said i must be really tired, thirsty and were offering me beers...i was tempted to say that racing two triple lappers at the end of north
american championship off crissy field in 30+ knots is more tiring...but that would be a bit pendantic so i bit my tongue, nodded and said that i was tired..which was definitely the truth.

kids around the club wanted to try the windsurfer...how cool is that? i'm guessing not one of those kids asked if they could try a farr 52 or J105. one of the wonderful elements of windsurfing...it's so accessible...if i had emmett's 3.2



instead of my 12.5m sail, i'd let them have at it



plus i was a bit pooped after being on the water for close to 6 hours (i launched from emeryville earlier in the morn before there was breeze since the bay bridge was closed and i could not launch from TI). otherwise i would have taken the kids for rides. definitely an opportunity to take advantage of evangelizing the sport for the next jazz cup (which i'm couting on the windsurfing fleet to come out in force next year :-)

at the finish, i parked my stuff right on the lawn at benicia yacht club and almost everyone that cruised by either shook my hand or thought the formula stuff was far out. two brothers (brothers, as in they have the same mom and dad) dropped by while i was derigging and waxed poetic about the good old days in the 1980's when robby naish ruled the windsurfing world and the hot board to race on the bay was the fanatic ultra cat in the o'neil classic (a race from crissy to berkeley). i did not have the heart to tell them that robby is a kiter now but did mention www.calcupevents.com and the fact that there is free equipment to be had to try out at a cal cup windsurfing race. they seemed very stoked and said that windsurfing is the most fun they've ever had sailing.

let me repeat that, these two guys just finished the jazz cup on a huge monohull that probably cost more than the annual income of the whole sf bay windsurfing fleet combined and they said that windsurfing is the most fun they've ever had sailing...how cool is that?


i've raced the jazz cup in my rave trimaran before so i knew it might be light...and it was. i was late for 'my' start due to the big flood (i thought i'd race with the multi hulls since they are usually fastest). i launched from emeryville and had to slog into the circle before i could plane...with the 12.5 it's easy to get too much breeze so i was trying to keep in a good zone of not too much breeze and not too little...you know, perfect breeze :-) since i missed the multihull start, i was starting with a bunch of j120s and they can point a lot higher than a formula board...so it was a fine line of trying to keep out of their way and still clear the pin end.

it was interesting at the windward mark...lots of flood and i was motoring by everyone (as i should with a 12.5m sail and a formula board!). those sailboats are a lot trickier to pass than formula boards...much harder to pass to leeward since they have massive windshadows. ..can't pass close to windward since they'll out point you and their wakes keep you on your
toes when you are traversing thirty different boats with three foot wakes. i was getting blanketed by a boat at the windward mark and barely squeezed by it without having to plan to call mike z to rebuild my leeward rail (been there, done that at anita rock).

after the windward mark (which was east of alcatraz), i knew that passing near point blunt was probably going to be the windiest part of the whole race and if i could keep it together here, it'd be all downhill to the finish.



i was prepared for the worst and had packed my flare gun in my camel back (that was full of water) with three flares and had my iphone in a water proof pouch with vessel assist's number keyed into the keypad in case i needed to be saved from too much breeze on a 12.5 (and lots of power bars in case they took a long time to get me). my camel back was now full so no room for a vhf to call in my sail number.

i wore a cap for extra sun protection, gobs of sunscreen, a shorty since it bakes in san pablo bay and my favorite jimmy hendrix shorts that i wear in the south bay slalom
series...yea baby!



i am one very visible individual.. .move over rover and let jimmy take over! i also wore my bright orange north american jersy for easy identification in case i'm lying face down in the water by the time someone finds me :-) the jersy and shorts where my change of outfit at the finish (so i did not need to stay at the club in my wetsuit (which doubled as a warm jacuzzi style head during the race...good thing it was a shorty and that there are showers in benicia!)) but the big knarly breeze that we all know and fear from the slot between point blunt and alcatraz never appeared.

i was screaming downwind. boy, that 12.5 sure can sail deep...deeper than deep. i was passing everyone and in a few minutes caught up to the tri's...my rivals...within a few more minutes, i'd leave them in my wake and be on my way to the finish....and then the breeze shut down to the leeward of tiburon penisula...no bother, i'll just gybe and dig deep towards the circle and still leave everyone in the dust...this plan worked great all the way to the standard oil warf south of the richmond bridge...then the breeze was gone...and the fleet with their giagantic spinnakers were catching up...but they died too and the spinnakers started to collapse. good thing there was a ripping flood pushing everyone into san pablo bay.

the sights going into san pablo bay are awesome...lots of little islands and light houses...the brothers, the sisters, marin island.

all the people i just passed started passing me...i was starting to think an ajustable downhaul would be really cool since i cranked my downhul block to block on the 12.5 to make sure i did not explode near alcatraz...but who rides an adjustable out haul besides gebi? ok, so he has a few more olympic medals than me so maybe he's right...but it might fill in san pablo bay...in fact, it can honk in san pablo bay...so good think i was block to block...but man, i wish i was not slogging...

past pt. san pablo, there was a windline with white caps towards richmond. i pointed my slogging, but fast drifting (due to the flood) formula board there and crossed my fingers...

there was a photography boat in the course at this time...he went up to every boat and took a few shots...and then he passes right by me...what's up with that? are you a kiter photographer and have an axe to grind about windsurfers?

finally i got into the breeze, into the straps and into the harness lines...time to celebrate as i was passing everyone again...don' t want to get too excited since i was not even half way done and lots could still happen before benicia...the breeze was building and the lead boats were in my sights...i was reeling them in...ok, now i don't want too much breeze...that would really bite to get thrashed with too much breeze...have to pace myself since this is like doing three classics in a row...was moving my feet in the straps to get comfy and not wear out my muscles...

life is good and i can see the bridge in carquinez straights... just need to hold on long enough to pass everyone...and if i do pass everyone, will i remember the mark rounding sequence at the finish? i'm flying towards pinole point...this race is not so bad after all...

the breeze is perfect for the 12.5 sail. comfortable, planing and passing everyone...then it starts to die again...no.. .say it aint so! near pinole point, the breeze fades...i gybe and dig towards vallejo...still no breeze...gybe again and dig towards richmond...how can there not be breeze? it's probably nuking at crissy now...why can't there be some breeze here in san pablo bay...

so that is my lot in life...slog to carquinez straits...and man was there a lot of current there! even in slog mode, i was motoring downwind past the polar express and other ships right outside the bridge...the old c and h sugar factory is always a
poignant sight.

then the breeze picks back up near the finish to some of the best breeze for the event...have to gybe around the channel marker, sail towards benicia to the temp buoy set by byc and then a little beat to finish...where is that photographer boat now? he's missing some good windsurfing action here :-) i'm passing everyone again but too little too late...the flood at the finish is stiff...good thing i was not slogging since there would be no way to finish otherwise. there seems to be a long pause for my horn at the finish line. i can imagine conversations along the line (did he really race the whole thing? what the heck is a windsurfer doing in the jazz cup? i bet that guy can juggle machetes, fire and chainsaws (ok, so maybe they did not talk juggling at the finish line :-))



after i finished i decided to finally register...i mean it's only fair since i raced the race and they did a very nice job with things...as the party is kicking off, i registered online using my iphone outside the club and paid with paypal...all is good...

so who wants to windsurf this race with me next year? Jazz Cup is only about half as long as the delta ditch...rumor has it that no windsurfer has ever done that race...not for long, i hope :-)

full results of the race posted here:
http://www.southbeachyc.org/racing/index.htm#calendar