Windsurfing SA is pleased to run a Slalom Race at Boggy Lake this February. We will go for the first windy Sunday in February. We will target a forecast of 15+ knots for 3 pm on the day, with an onshore or cross-shore wind at the launch site. Race to start at 3.00pm. Briefing at 2.30 pm. The decision to be run will be based on the forecast at 3pm on the preceding Saturday. Follow this thread for updates.
The race format will be a Figure 8 around 2 buoys set across the wind. Le Mans start, with the winner recording the most laps after 1 hour. Ties will be broken by finishing order at 1 hour. Richard Upton will be the Officer of the Day (race organiser), and in the event of a dispute the judge's decision is final ??. The race is intended for intermediate level and above sailors and will suit any equipment that can plane in 15 knots plus. Usually the fun part is the "race within a race" - trying to catch that person in front with similar speed to you. Sorry, Windsurfers only for this race for safety reasons - we will try to keep foils out of the mix at this stage as the action has the potential to be pretty tight around the buoys.
Prizes:
First place - $100 thanks to Resimax Pty. Ltd.
Best and Fairest: Six pack of beer
Random draw prize: Six pack of beer.
Membership of Windsurfing SA and a PFD is mandatory. If you aren't a member for this season already, you can join at: windsurfing-sa.tidyhq.com/
Directions to boggy lake: From Adelaide, head for Strathalbyn and take the turn-off to Langhorne Creek (Alternatively, you can come from Murray Bridge via the South Eastern Freeway). 17km from Langhorne Creek heading toward Wellington there is a patch of water on your right. This is it! Through the gate or just follow all the cars in the area with the roof racks loaded with windsurfers.
good news. If the wind is strong enough for my 7.0, I will join you (I use only my foil gear in the light wind)
Not this weekend. I'm going by Windy.com which is showing an 11 k S at 3pm on Sunday. Even if it was stronger, the pure S direction isn't the best for a slalom course.
Hope you can all get on the water somewhere, somehow today!
Cheers, Richard
Any Boggy Lake regulars got a take on tomorrow's forecast? Looking a bit 50:50 to me.
Cheers, Richard
Mulgundawa Wind Forecast, SA 5255 - WillyWeather SSW 2:30 16.3 knts 3:30 17.1 knts 4:30 18.9 knts
BOM Meteye SSW 1:30 15 knts 4:30 19 knts
Okay, let's do it. See you at Boggy lake 2.30 pm tomorrow for the briefing!
Cheers, Richard
Well, the Boggy lake wind gods smiled on us! We a had a solid 15-20 knots for the race, which kicked in just before the start. We had 6 sailors on the water - thanks to all those who made the trip. Some intense powered up racing. We elected to each count laps ourselves. Surprisingly hard to do 
.
Results:
1. Mark Tinnion - 26 laps
2. Ian Rushton - 26 laps
3. Juan Hierro - ? laps
4. Shane McCombie - ? laps
5. Richard Upton - 20 laps
6. Leo Tolo - 11 laps
It was a close tussle between 1 & 2, and between 3 & 4 with same number of laps completed, and the finishing place decided on who was ahead on the final lap. Leo and I played cat and mouse - I made a last minute swap to the Windsurfer LT I used to set the course when my slalom gear busted when rigging. He had me on the straights, I had him on the turns.
Many thanks to Resimax via Ian who sponsored a $100 cash prize for the winner and some epoxy resin for 3rd place.
Gotta say I really enjoyed this style of racing.
Cheers, Richard
Hi Leo, we discussed some tips after the race. I didn't really have much advice then but I gotta say you were nailing it on the straights - if you can hang on to a 7.3 in that wind you are doing something right. On the turns, well those were the toughest gybing conditions around. My tips would be that if you approach the buoy high and bear away, to can pick up a bit of speed that briefly takes the pressure out of the sail - that helps deal with the sail. With such short chop, you are going to bounce once you unhook and take the mast foot pressure off unless you get low and weight the rig with you arms and body. Lock in the pressure pulling up on the front foot all the way through the gybe, not just at the start. Let the sail take care of itself - just let it gybe it when it feels a hint of getting clew first. Anyway, these are the things I focus on when my gybes are getting wonky.
That was a great session!
Congrats Mark and Ian - good sailing.
Sailing a narrow, choppy course, fully powered, with sailors blasting in both directions really helps fine tune awareness and control.
Course was set perfectly Richard.
Great fun trying to catch others, drag racing and also trying NOT to get caught. (thanks crew for not running me over at the gybe marks 
)
Thanks Dr Duck (and Juanito) for the tips - yes gybing in the chop was really tough for me, but overall I still had a good time. I'll aim to put plenty of gybe practice in before the next one.
Thanks WSA for hosting the event and the prizes, and thanks Richard for running it.
The beers came in very handy to sooth some bumps and bruises.
Hopefully there'll be a few more of these throughout the year.
Fantastic afternoon of racing not too keen on beeing overlaps 6 times I think. Thanks Richard for organising and Ian for prizes 
weldone Mark that's 2 out 2
Heaps of fun
Maxing overpowered 7.8m
Gybe carnage.
Let's do it again!!!
Where were all the nay sayers
Ian, not sure if you saw my WhatsApp post....it was 30 laps according to GPS.
I reckon only dropping a couple of gybes is pretty good, however only managing to come out of a couple on the plane indicates we need more practice!!!
Where are the photos?
I went to edit the results from 26 to 30 but I don't seem to be able to do that anymore. Yeah, my 20 was counted by GPS. Trying to do it in my head on the day not that successful
