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:
Sport & Workshop Fleet 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
