Original Windsurfer Regatta, Traverse City, Michigan

Original Windsurfer One Design Regatta, Summer Series #1

This was the first in a series of summer regattas being held on Original Windsurfers. Morning rain, cool weather and water temperatures brought a few brave souls out on Saturday, June 11th. Six sailors showed up and three sailors raced.

Three long courses were raced - and the sailors were very careful not to fall into the water!  There was a light to moderate breeze and the racers demonstrated good gentleman's strategy and tactics as they made their way around course.

Click to see Dave Dalquist's photo gallery from this regatta.

Jon and Ted setting marks before the race.

Photo by Dave Dalquist.

Original Windsurfer charter boards.

Photo by Dave Dalquist.

Regatta site in Traverse City.

View from Boathouse restaurant. Photo by Dave Dalquist.

Grosse Pointe Regatta

Patterson Park Regatta, Grosse Pointe, Michigan
The Grosse Pointe Windsurfing Club hosted this 12th annual regatta at Patterson Park on Saturday June 18th.  There was a spectator boat for those who wanted to get an up-close look at the on-the-water strategy.  There were 5 races in moderate to light wind.  This is a well run event and was well attended with some competitors coming from as far away as Toronto. For regatta report visit MOWIND.

A local sailor named Bruce decided to join me on an Original Windsurfer for the race. There was a nice breeze in the morning. Bruce hadn't been on an Original Windsurfer is many years, if ever.  After reading about it's agility and light weight rig he wanted to experience it.  The first race of the day were his first minutes on the board and he had no problems, in fact he sailed it all day!

Preparing for start.

This event has a strong One Design fleet. Nice breeze.

The Windsurfer board gliding thru the water.

Keeping the spectators entertained

Downwind leg, later in the day the wind lightened up.

Battling it out to reach windward mark.

The Friday afternoon before the race I met up with a local gal Lauren to go sailing but the wind died on us, so we ended up removing the rigs and going for a SUP instead.

Here we are goofing around while there was wind. When we launched the wind died, go figure.

The sign in the back reads, "Windsurfing Only" !

Lauren sailing to shore after wind died to remove sail rig and grab a paddle.

no wind? no problem!

One Design Regattas & More NEW Boards.

One Board One Sail
One of the benefits to owning an Original Windsurfer is being able to rig quickly and sail in any conditions. One board, one sail, anywhere there's wind and water.  I recently put this adage to the test at the Walleye Wagatta in Wisconsin where it was b-l-o-w-i-n-g 15 to 20 knots. I wasn't sure if I'd get walloped in the high wind conditions...as it turned out I not only had a blast racing the Original Windsurfer in the high winds, but I was also very competitive.  The only problem I did have was my bungie-cord uphaul broke. Otherwise the Windsurfer was outstanding, especially around all the jibe marks.  I was able to de-power the sail when needed and adjust the centerboard with my foot to maintain stability and balance on the reaches and mark roundings. To see a full report of the regatta visit MOWIND.

Before the first start of the Walleye Wagatta.
The wind continued to build, harnesses required!

Original One Design Racing is back!
This summer there will be 6 regattas on Original Windsurfer One Design's.  A fleet of Original Windsurfer One Design boards are available so all you need is your swim suit. The regattas will be held in the beautiful resort town of Traverse City, Michigan that has beautiful waters, national parks and any type of outdoor activity you can think of. The regatta includes lunch, regatta t-shirt, races, charter board, bbq after the races, raffle prizes and trophies. As summer continues to warm up I expect charter boards will be in demand so reserve yours today. If you need assistance with accommodations, have questions or wish to reserve a board contact me. A flyer with more information and details is at  Original Windsurfer.com.

Traverse City, MI  Regatta Site.
Photo by Dave Dalquist.

Sail Colors, which one to choose?
Going, going....GONE!  Hard to believe the last new Windsurfer One Design was sold and shipped two weeks ago.  But not to worry more are on the way!  To find out about pre-ordering a fresh new Original Windsurfer One Design for this summer contact me for details. Choosing the sail color has been the hardest part of the process for the new owners, the sail colors are all colorful and fun. And now here's something to seriously consider...Come to the regatta, have a great time sailing in beautiful Traverse City, make some new friends, sharpen your sailing skills and buy a new Windsurfer.  You'll save on the freight cost and we'll help you get her all rigged up to sail in the regatta. Maybe you'll even win some new rack straps to help take her home with you, it could happen.

The board's design makes the Windsurfer agile and fun to sail.
Photo by Dave Dalquist.

Often called a "soft-sail" because it has just one full batten at the top,
the Windsurfer sail is light weight and easy to rig.
Photo by Dave Dalquist.

Windsurfer One Design Slalom & Freestyle Cup, Miami Beach, Nov 2010

The Windsurfer One Design International Slalom & Freestyle Cup was held at the Miami Yacht Club in conjunction with the 2010 Kona Windsurf World Championships.

Racing to jibe mark

The wind was light to moderate on a fast slalom course which meant the start, each tack, and each jibe were critical.

The competitors did a good job of maintaining their boat speed while rounding the jibe marks downwind.  One slip up and the competitor behind you was sure to overtake you! 

Slalom races maneuvering through slalom course with skill

Several sailors passed their competitors while rounding the marks.  It was very exciting to be in the competition and exciting to watch the competition!


Greg Johns from Australia ran the Slalom races, he started and recorded the finishes of all the Slalom heats.  THANKS GREG!!!

Slalom Results (top 5 out of 16):
1st place: Peter Jacobson, S. Africa/USA
2nd place: Bjorn Holm, Denmark
3rd place: Andrew Divola, Australia
4th place: Ted Schweitzer, USA
5th place: Stuart Gilbert, Australia


I didn't have an opportunity to take any Freestyle pictures because Greg Johns and myself were judging the Freestyle competition.... there are Freestyle photos from the event that you can view that have been posted on the Original Windsurfer FaceBook page.


Freestyle Results:
1st place: Dennis Winstanley, Australia
2nd place: Stuart Gilbert, Australia
3rd place: Taun Masterson, S. Africa/USA
4th place: Pierre Coupal, Canada
5th place: Denis Dagenais, Canada

Here's a picture of the event shirt, designed by Florencia Barletta from Miami Yacht Club. Thanks Flor for ALL your help!

And there's now a new Windsurfer One Design in Miami thanks to Tomas --who runs the Junior Program at the yacht club -- who bought a Windsurfer One Design.

I hope to make it back to Miami again!

13th Annual Dino Windsurfer National Champs, Houston TX

This event is organized by the "Dinos" and it's better than a time warp to the 80's. Why? Because it's a fun venue to sharpen your windsurfing skills in a relaxed event. And you can go as retro as you like; for instance I saw a chest harness (circa late 70s) and many vintage shirts. I was sporting a neon Windsurfer shirt, way retro.

Here's the deal:  Bring a Stock Windsurfer One Design.  If you don't have a One Design or you're not able to bring it to Houston, you can sail one of theirs.  The Dino's have a fleet of Original Windsurfers! As the Notice of Race states: We rig’em and you sail’em.

For 2010, the event was held on Sept 25th.  Nine races were held and there were 28 entrants.  The wind was light to moderate and sailors of every skill level participated.

But it's not all racing racing racing...there's also a "party barge" near the windward mark for hecklers, shade, lounging and refreshments! It's a great place to hang out between races.....

It's truly a group effort, a real community effort, everyone does something to help get the race organized and keep it going.

"Look no harness!"....

It's About Community

Toucan Open Sept 10-12

"Once upon a time, in a land far away...The boards were long, the clothing was neon and the harnesses were few and far between"

I took the above sentence from Larsons Ski and Sport's website; they hosted the Toucan Open on Lake McConaughy in Nebraska in mid September.  Because this event has been going on for decades I thought the above sentence was most appropriate to describe the event's provenance and also remind people of why we go to events and why there are events at all.

I arrived the evening before and the lake level was high, and so was the wind!

People attend events and gather for varieties of reasons and I won't attempt to speak for everyone. But from my point of view windsurfers get together to have fun, improve our sailing skills, spend time with friends, family and maybe make some new friends along the way. It's also a great excuse to travel and explore.

Beach camping fills in and the wind outside picks up.

I had been to this event in the 1980s during the height of Windsurfer One Design races. It was more than a regatta, it was an event. People from all over gathered and they were excited to be there, they were part of something and you could sense it. Some were there to win, some were there to race better than their last regatta, and some came to just finish a race.

Toys for all ages scattered on the shoreline.

Karen Mariott, her sister Brenda with help from brother Ryan and their mom Joanne hosted the Toucan Open. They've been keeping it going and make it a welcoming environment.


I raced on my new Original Windsurfer and had some good fun races.
The first day was windy so after wearing myself out windsurfing I joined a few guys surfing the swells that were rolling into the beach.

It's amazing how much fun you can have if you want to.

Photo: Trying the Windsurfer for the first time.

I brought a couple boards and several people took them out for a spin.  It was fun for me to see people discovering the Original Windsurfer–something that's been around all along, they just haven't been exposed to it.

The last day brought light wind.  Someone recommended a Slalom Relay Race sailing on 2 of the Original Windsurfers (no it wasn't me!) and Karen made it happen.

Within 30 minutes 2 marks were set, and two teams were ready for the challenge. Each team had 7 sailors. The course was to sail around the buoys and then hand off the Windsurfer to your teammate.

I think it's safe to say most of these people had never sailed a Windsurfer, or if they had, not in the last 25 years.  For most of them it was their first time on the board and now they were racing on it!

After sailing the Windsurfer in the Slalom Relay some of the comments I got were:

"that is 'pure' sailing...it's so simple and pure".
"that's fun, the board is so responsive and the sail is so light!"

Team effort

It was the Blue team against the Red team. I had met all these new people over the last 3 days, and now we were working together–or against each other–to win!

The wind was light but the spirit was high; we were engaged in the task at hand, beat the other team.

I was the last sailor for the Red team and regretfully I didn't sail down and away from the last slalom mark to knock the opponent on the Blue team off his Windsurfer.  It's hard to knock someone you just met off their board. Sorry red team.

Now that I know these fellow sailors better and they know me, next year I won't hold back. Watch out Blue team.

 This guy took a cruise up and down the shoreline with his daughter on the front of the board.

As the final sunset for the weekend set across Lake McConaughy the world surrounded by windsurfers feels like a smaller and happier place to be.
I am thankful to have had the opportunity to gather at this event to sharpen my sailing skills, have some fun and make some new friends.  Thanks Karen, Brenda and family for hosting and continuing to provide a venue for windsurfers an event and weekend worth coming to.
 
Closing comment: Do you have a local windsurfing community?  Leave a comment about what makes it work for you or what you envision it should be.  Is it all about sailing for you or maybe it's social first, then sailing? Or maybe you just want to go fast by yourself; hey that's okay too.

Toronto Demo & Canadian Deliveries

In August I loaded the van with a few boards, the dog, and drove to Canada.

My first stop was Toronto at the Toronto Windsurfing Club for a Freestyle Demonstration and their Wednesday night series. I was invited by Tom Mae who is President of Windsurfing Canada and an avid windsurfer sailor.

Students from Kids Camp trying new Original Windsurfer

They have a sweet facility very close to downtown with a big beach. This seemed like a club where members drop in to check the wind and visit with friends in addition to windsurfing. Throughout the afternoon and into the evening several people introduced themselves to me and shared their windsurfing stories. Some weren't sailing in the evening race but wanted to come down to the club to see the "new" Original Windsurfer and say hi.

Here's a light-wind power jybe

The wind was light but I continued with the Freestyle Demo anyway and then took questions back on the beach from the "Kids Camp" students who had finished their day of windsurfing. They were kinda quiet so I kept talking, then one of them raised their hand and asked if she could try the board, then there were more hands, "me too, me too"!

They sailed the 2 boards I had rigged and one guy even did a back-to-sail (impressive) and 2 of the gals were having a ball and just kept sailing around, tacking and gybing. Back on the beach I asked them what they liked about the board and they all agreed they liked how responsive it was and how easy the rig was to use.

Next was the evening race. The wind was still light but that didn't stop this lively group of sailors from having a good time. A gal named Andree Gauthier sailed the 2nd Original Windsurfer and in no time it felt like I had been sailing with this club for more than just that evening. After a BBQ and loading up the equipment I left Toronto that night heading north.

Above photos by: Reet Mae

Next stop: Cottage Country

Cottage Country consists of all the Canadian summer cottages around and on the lakes and thousands of islands north of Toronto

Map and near the famed cruising grounds of The North Channel. Some crazy couple originally from California wanted a new Original Windsurfer and I (being also a crazy guy originally from California) volunteered to deliver it since it was kinda on my way home from the Demo in Toronto and they're kinda my parents. Oh, but I forgot to mention that while I was driving to Toronto I got a call from a guy in California and he wanted a new Original Windsurfer...and guess where he wanted it delivered? "Cottage Country" but even farther north. You just can't make this up.

Here are some shots of delivering the board and Hoyle sailing his new Original Windsurfer:

Everything has to be taken out by boat to the Islands. Here's the excited new owner. It was too far to windsurf after 2 nights of sleeping in the "van" with my dog Roscoe.

Rigging up

Hoyle's 1st sail on a "new" Original Windsurfer. Over 40 years later, he's still got it.

He was having too much fun so I paddled out to him to see if I could knock him off and pirate his new toy.

He took the bait! I successfully stole his new toy,

did some freestyle, then took a long sail around Lambert Island.

Roscoe waiting for me to return from my cruise...

My next stop was delivering another board to the northern part of Lake Huron. After that I drove back to Michigan. I look forward to another sailing session with the Toronto Windsurfing Club and another stop to sail with family.