oo-to (oo-tu) adj. noun.  
meaning out of the office.  
1 State of focused mindset.  
2 Soulful, transcendental attitude.  
3 Mode of efficiency.  
4 Go [out].  

  
Home    Photo    Blog    Video    Kitesurf    Baja    California    Feature    News    About   
Bridge to Bridge '03
 

A beautiful, sunny day at Crissy Fields welcomed windy weather and perfect conditions for a challenging downwind course for the Ronstan 2003 Bridge to Bridge regatta. 18 foot skiffs, windsurfers and kiters competed in a downwind race format starting at about 5:00pm.

It was difficult for some craft to make the start line, which was located 2 miles upwind at the Gate against a 1-3 knot flood and wind moderating at 10-22 knots. Most windsurfers and skiffs made it though only two kites of five entered made the start due to challenges with wind and tide.




The start was an amazing sight, two abandonments were declared becuase of the timing with tankers and then in a "moment" the start sequence horn sounded, with thirty boats charging for pin position in flood tide and moderate wind.



Suddenly, now ready, 30 seconds to the start spinakers popped, windsurfers pumped and kiters stroked their kites to full speed starts immersed and meshed in a downwind cusineart of sails, sheeting off toward the Golden Gate. The noise alone was enough to cause fear across the heterogenous fleet.

Under the shadow of the Gate, Anthony Chavez pulled into the lead, sailing like a seasoned pro, in his first course sailing event on a kite. Sailors who started at the leeward start boat had an advantage as the reach wore on, leeward sailors were able to reach to the Gate mark as winward sailors had to run more downwind on a slower course.


 
 
Bridge to Bridge '03
 

The course designated a narrow buoy rounding or "gate" at the StFYC which was a set of marks off the club set between buoy "A" and 'B" with a StFYC buoy defining the gate between the placed StFYC buoy and "B".

A competitive race unfolded between Micah Buzianis on a windsurfer, Robert Greenhalgh on a 18 foot skiff and Anthony Chavez on a kite surfer. The course deepened downwind above Alcatraz Island and across the windward side of Treasure Island toward the finish under the Bay Bridge between a race committee boat and a buoy off Yerba Buena Island.



Racing intensity increased with the downwind course reaching mach speed, across huge swell and chop, always the chattering sound of the 18 foot skiffs in the vicinity. Scary, highspeed, sailing, cramping body positions, and comraderie in competition marked an incredible event.

On the final reach leg off the TransAmerica and Treasure Island, the course laid out, with 24knot wind pulses and a broad reaching course to the finish. Legs were jelly, cramped but resting with the knowledge the finish was a brief gunshot blast away. The majority of the finish was in a 4 minute proximity-demonstrating a very close high speed fleet.

Thanks to Anika and John of the StFYC Race Committee and of course Race Organizer Alan Prussia of Ronstan for hosting an unbelievablely exciting event in sailing.


The final results for the top 7 are:

17:38:29 Micah Buzianis Windsufer
17:38:41 Robert Greenhalgh 18 foot skiff
17:39:05 Anthony Chavez Kite Board
17:39:29 Kevin Pritchard Windsurfer
17:39:30 Tony Hannan 18 foot skiff
17:39:31 Mike Zajicek Windsurfer
17:39:50 Bill Weir Windsurfer


Sailing is not a crime
 
 
© Copyright Ooto 2016 All Rights Reserved