Hi Everyone
Chip Wasson has been carrying the Ozone flag on the West Coast of the USA for us and having a ball…
Chip is well known by most in the scene, a top character and all round legend that owns and manages his own clothing brand most of you will have heard about www.ultranectar.com
Read on for his news round-up >>
“Hi guys
Below is a round-up to the racing for the season. Since I wrote that email one BIG thing has happened. Myself and 3 others kited at the respected surf spot Mavericks. Jeff Kafka and I have kited out there before but never on a day when the swell came together with the wind. The break is very exposed and dangerous and definitely requires jet ski support. There were the worlds top big wave surfers in the water that day and many eyes were opened in terms of what you can do w/ a kite. The surf was 30+ feet and I was riding the Edge 11m. Wow, what a day!
All photographers are being pretty tight w/ their video and photos until the mags are out. Jeff got deepest as he was on a 6’ board that was 15 lbs. I was on a 5’2” that was way too light so I was getting kicked out of the necessary speed a lot while getting chased by massive white water…
On other notes, tow surfing season is here so more BIG rides will be on the way.
Racing >>
The major focus of this year has been #1 the racing and #2 riding surf in less ridden places on the California coast. Days on the coast were fantastic and I was able to get into some really remote conditions that have been never to rarely ridden. Giving up the names and locations of these places is not going to be the thing to do so let’s talk racing.
StFYC Race Series
This series consisted of 12 nights of racing and hosted all of the best riders/racers in the Bay Area and hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. This racing was held in front of the StFYC on the San Francisco Bay in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and consisted primarily of very windy racing (25-30mph). I rode the foil board for the entire series and was definitely challenged. The foil board goes up wind like nothing else but going down hill without making mistakes is tough. As the season went, my results did improve as did my skill on the foil. Also, towards the end of the season, I started to race on the Instinct Edge which helped a lot.
My final season place was 2nd which is not bad considering that the National champion Anthony Chavez got 5th
3rd Ave Race Series
This series was held down in the south San Francisco bay at 3rd Ave. This series consisted of 8 evenings. I raced all of these races on the foil board but unfortunately was disqualified for rounding a mark the wrong way in all 4 races one night. This DQ in addition to missing one of the nights landed me finally in second place. Bummer!
Overall for the season, 2nd place.
SF Classic and UN Challenge
This race is the long distance race from hell and is actually 2 races combined. The SF Classic is one of the oldest windsurfing races in the world and this was the second year that kites were included. The Classic starts by the Golden Gate Bridge and then goes to almost every corner of the Bay and finally ends in Berkeley. This race WINDY, LONG and had very challenging water texture conditions. Only 3 racers were able to finish the race and unfortunately/fortunately I got 3rd on the foil board. This was obviously the first time that this race had been done on a foil board.
The finish of the Classic marks the beginning of the UltraNectar Challenge as they take your time at the Classic finish and it is a split time race back up wind to the Golden Gate Bridge. After the Classic, the UN Challenge is something you really need to dig deep for in order to finish. Again, only 3 people finished and I was lucky to get 3rd or even make it back as my kite began to deflate and fold in on itself towards the end of the race. All told, both races took 3 hours and 45 minutes of petal to the metal racing…..Brutal.
Bay Challenge
The Bay Challenge is another long distance race that starts by the Golden Gate Bridge, goes almost to Berkeley and back but is an open course. This race was exceedingly windy and I took the worst route in terms of the tide. The result for me and the foil board was 6th place, the worst of the season…..A bad day.
Bridge to Bridge
The Bridge to Bridge race is a highly publicized race that includes Aussie 18 skiffs, windsurfers, and kites. I won this race in 2001 the first time that they had kites in it and I was finally able to repeat 1st place again this season. The race begins outside the Golden Gate Bridge and ends down wind at the Bay Bridge. This down wind race is quick but exceedingly crucial in the tactics that you use. I rode the Edge 13m and a 5’6” surf board. It was a photo finish between me and Anthony Chavez (National Champion) but I edged him out by maybe a meter! Definitely the closest finish I have ever had in course racing. I missed the all time record in the race by 7 seconds. You can see pics and a writeup of this race on www.ooto.com about half way down the page called Ronstan Bridge to Bridge Race.
Red Neck Yacht Club Delta Race Series
This was an informal series that I only showed up to race in 3 times. The Delta (Sherman Island) provides great conditions for the foil board. That combined with exceedingly long up wind legs enabled me to crush the fleet by more than 10 minutes at the finish each time I raced there.
Having a blast on the kites this year…….can’t wait for the 08’s
Cheers Chip”
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