My Formula debut - In at the deep end!

(well the fins are so long you have to be!)

Last season I took part in a few of the UKWA’s Slalom events and experienced the thrill of competition for the first time.. Although my slalom performances had not blown the competition off the water, reaching the finals in most rounds had given me some confidence and left me wondering how I would fare in upwind and downwind course racing. I was not a total stranger to large kit as my work for Tushingham had given me access to “Free Formula” boards and sails in excess of 10m. The challenge of racing would see me trying to hold down large kit in winds where recreational sailors were on sails and boards and rigs about half the size!

CORNISH CONUNDRUM

Marazion in West Cornwall traditionally hosts the first racing event of the season over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. Being the closest event to home I felt there would be no better place to give Formula racing a go and with some excellent surf breaks nearby I could always go wave sailing should it become too rough for racing!

My plans for Thursday were to sail and tune my kit prior to the racing that commenced on Good Friday but with surf rolling in and quite strong winds, like most other competitors, I decided that kit preservation was more important and went out on my favourite Evo wave board instead of the metre wide Starboard Formula 159. In the afternoon my three sails (TushinghamSpitfire 9.0, 10.5 and 11.8) were rigged with the help of team sailors Allan Cross and Amy Carter. I’m glad that I had allowed plenty of time for rigging as setting up these monsters can take a while, with the camber inducers, the sheer size of everything and not forgetting the adjustable outhaul system. This is a must for Formula racing where the sail is flattened for upwind work and bagged out like a spinnaker for maximum downwind power. A downhaul tool like a winch is also essential because the tension required is far greater than that of a recreational sail.

AND I’M OFF…

For the start of the competition on Friday the fresh winds that were forecast had not materialised so everyone chose large sails. I took the 11.8m Spitfire, a sail I only intended to use in very light winds below 10 knots. Not being experienced with massive kit, I planned to get onto a size I was more used to (10.5m 2) as soon as possible. After around half an hour waiting out to sea with the wind fluctuating around the 7-knot minimum, it then increased and in the gusts I was soon doing battle with a huge force trying to wrestle me onto my toes and over the front! The starting sequence began and my pulse increased – no doubt boosted several beats per minute by my fear of making a complete fool of myself.

I crossed the start line mid-fleet and hampered by the dirty wind of those in front. I hadn’t anticipated how much of an effect this would have – if you’re behind a group of sailors it’s tricky to get going at all – let alone power up enough to overtake them upwind. I spotted that many of the leading sailors had tacked in a similar area and did the same myself. The difference was that my tack was nothing short of pathetic: with far too much weight on the nose I nearly overturned the board, during which time about ten sailors went past. It’s amazing what pressure can do – before the race I had completed the same manoeuvre in perhaps a quarter of the time! I eventually started moving and pointed as high as possible upwind. It was pleasing that I wasn’t being overtaken or out-pointed but then again I was well down the fleet already. Rounding the windward mark I was surprised at my downwind speed and angle – I was closing on the guys in front! Unfortunately the adrenaline got the better of me and I gybed too early, forcing me to put in two more to make the mark, during one of which I dropped off the plane, giving the sailors ahead the chance to pull away. Somehow I held on for 24 th place but boy was I shattered as I headed back to the beach for lunch and to prepare my smaller sails.

DEMPSEY KICKS BUTT

Up at the front of the fleet, our Olympic hero, Nick Dempsey, proved that he’s made the transition from IMCO without too much fuss by pushing the flying Keith Atkinson into second with a frustrated Dan Ellis back in third. The speed and tactics of these top guys is superb. Hitting the start line at full speed and pointing higher than the chasing pack puts them at huge advantage.

Though gloriously sunny and warm, my afternoon was best described as a disaster. Racing far too overpowered in the morning had taken its toll on muscles that I previously didn’t know existed and just when I needed a boost of strength I was feeling drained from head to toe. Furthermore, despite feeling fast and well set up on my way to the start line, the 10.5m, soon became too powerful as once again the wind increased on the course. I desperately clung on to the 10.5m in winds touching force five but my poor body was simply buckling under the strain. Despite missing the windward mark and having to put an extra tack in (BAD mistake!) I actually improved on race one with a 21 st place. Up at the front Keith had reversed the result of the morning's race and beaten Nick into second.

THE MOTHER OF ALL CATAPULTS

Race three began with a reasonable start but a desperate battle to keep the board on the water followed as I battled upwind through steep and unpredictable chop. Just plain tiredness caused me to drop the rig during what should have been a bread and butter tack and I lost more ground. On the last leg, flying downwind and totally on the edge, I sheeted out just a fraction and the board reared up like a wild horse. With no energy to muscle the kit back into place the wind caught the sail and took me into a huge catapult. The impact with the water was so hard the front-end hinge broke leaving me with nothing to connect boom to mast. My race was over within sight of the finish - so disappointing after so much effort! I also missed the next race while I was being rescued by the UKWA rescue crew but I doubt I'd have held on to that sail for much longer anyway…

LOVE YOUR FIN

I’LL BE BACK!

Despite struggling in the races I’m now really keen to get back and have another go to improve on my tactics and of course results. The friendliness and enthusiasm of my fellow competitors was exceptional, making any newcomers most welcome on the UKWA circuit. I for one will be back next time! Special thanks to the Jones family for their food and help plus Amy Carter & Allan Cross for technical assistance.