SWA: Spring continued

Event: Springs and Roundabouts Host: Cambridge Uni When: 5-6th March Where: Grafham Reservoir Wind and weather: Plenty of breeze all weekend. However, the rumored minus 10°C water temperature is definitely a warning against lake sailing in the winter! The Windsurfing: With gimp hoods out in force, the racing looked really close throughout. Big Bob (Southampton) secured the advanced fleet win and celebrated with an impressive loop directly in front of the crowd… on a BIC Techno!
The intermediate fleet all deserved a prize for decoding the most complicated course known to man. Plus the entertaining beginner racing which was accompanied with the most extensive commentary ever. PARTY Theme: Story Time PARTY location: The only place we haven’t be banned from in Cambridge. PARTY rating: Must have been good due to the free drink all night long. The huge array of costumes suggested slightly disturbing childhoods with Ed from Cambridge appearing as “Puss in boobs”. By the end of the night everyone had turned blue thanks to the body paint of 9 very colourful Imperial Smurfs. One Cambridge event organizer summed it up: “We have now officially been barred from every venue in Cambridge . I’m not sure if we will be able to hold an event next year!” Event Sponsors: Riks windsurfing and Flexifoil              Photos by Andy Duncan

Event: The Nationals
Host: Southampton
When: 10-12th March
Where: Calshot, Southampton

Wind: To the safety boat driver’s dismay a gusty, off-shore force 3-4 filled in through the morning on the Saturday, pushing everyone into the middle of the shipping lane. However Sunday offered a force 1 to test the pumping action of all the Imco wannabes in the team racing.

Sat action: GBR Imco sailors dominated the advanced fleet (shooting round the course leaving the short-boarders far behind in their wake) with Cambridge’s Adam Pepalasis taking the glory.

After many collisions and 5 races (3 of which were slalom) in the intermediate division, “Liability” James (Southampton) finished in first place along with Alice Monk (Southampton) for the girls.

From Slalom to relay races to a freestyle competition in time to ‘Michael Jackson’. The beginners’ fleet was eventually won by Simon Hindles (Southampton) for the boys and Sophie Powel (Birmingham) for the girls, despite serious amounts of drifting and rescuing (especially of the girls). However, rumour has it that the rescue guy was “quite fit” and this may explain a few things!

The party Theme: Each Uni decided their own theme. We had costumes ranged from underwater lemmings to huntsmen (with fox in tow) to film stars.

Party location: The legendary Boat Party, which set sail across the Southampton waters.

Party rating:Apparently it was fantastic though I can’t remember a thing (too much “end of an era” champagne)! An extremely strong pre-party cocktail fueled copious amounts of dancing to tunes courtesy of “Phat Kevs” (UK DMC Finalist) all night. As the bouncers kicked the stragglers off the boat, after parties continued into the daylight hours.

Party poopers: A number of students found themselves attached to the toilet bowel all night. Their stomachs unable to cope with the boats sway (or could it have been down to the earlier cocktail mix)?!

Sun action: Team racing in next to no wind offered the keen-beans a last chance to get on the water and compete in the SWA series for the 2004/5 season. Southampton won. Boardwise and Naish were also on hand to offer their shiny new kit for demos.

Overall Results:

• SWA Boardwise Freestyle Series Champion : Adam Cropper (SWA Team, Starboard/Tushingham) and a winner of a brand new Starboard Freesex courtesy of Boardwise.
• 1st Uni BUSA Nationals : Southampton and Cambridge joint.

Event Sponsors: A big thanks to Calshot Activities Centre, Boardwise, Kangaroo Poo, Specialised Sailing, Solent Sailboards, Naish, 604 Distribution, Lodey, Spot on Water, and Hythe Marina Watersports.