Announcement: 2001 Eastern Canadian Formula ResultsJuly 5, 2001 PERFECT CONDITIONS END WITH A GALE ON THE SECOND DAY Gale force winds forced Formula racing to end with 6 races on second day of wind at Kingston, Ontario, and a spontaneous Freestyle display by the local RC crew. Saturday, June 30: SW winds 12-18 knots powered the fleet of 17 Formula
racers through five double-circuit races. Conditions were a replay of last
year's winds, but with better winds at the first start. After lunch, the 3
races featured longer courses as anchors of leeward buoys and RC boat drifted in
the chop. Ideal conditions made for a real test of the new Sunday, July 1st: a major NW front pushed in Westerly winds mounting quickly beyond predictions to gale force (around 30 knots), catching the four competitors who made it to the start line hanging on to large sails by the finish of the final 6th race. The RC boat opted to make sure the last finisher made it back to shore safely, losing a buoy and anchor down the St. Lawrence River in the process. GEOFF MITCHINSON of Barrie ON finished First Overall (and First Master) with 7.25 pts. (3 bullets after missing the first race -- one drop) on a Rogue Wave Formula 8'10"/8.4m2 Pryde RS1/Techtonic Mirage & other fins); narrowly edging out JAN WROBLEWSKI of Toronto Windsurfing Club (and Second Master, actually a Grandmaster) with 8.5 pts.(2 bullets and 2 second places) on a Starboard 175 and Pryde 9.4m2/Curtis Race fins. Third Overall was DANIEL LEFEBVRE (and Third Master) with another close finish, with 12 pts., on a Bic FVI-2/Pryde 8.4m2/Bic 60cm fin. Marcus Hooper of Montreal battled his way back up to 4th place (First Man) with a big win in the 6th race, with 23.75 pts. on an AHD Diamond 78/Pryde RX1 9.9m2 & VX3 8.3m2/Fins Intnl.& Tectonics fins. Grandmaster "phenom" Yvon Lefebvre of Quebec City finished 5th with 26 pts., also on a Starboard 175/Pryde foils/Curtis fins. Another Montrealer Yu-Wei Yang took three 1.5 pt. penalties for not rounding buoys correctly, to finish 6th with 28.5 pts. on a Mike's Lab Z/Pryde RX-1s/Tectonic fins. 7th place (Second Man): Shane Hawkins of Chezzetcook (Halifax area) NS (37
pts., on a Starboard 155) 8th place (Third Man): Local KBA president John
Anderson racing for the first time surprised the fleet with his showing (48
pts.on a Starboard 155) 9th place: Toronto Windsurfing Club member Bill
Mackenzie (50 pts.on a Roberts 29") had some gear problems but pulled off a 5th
in the 5th race. 10th place: Rick Collins of Neapean (Ottawa area, 51 pts. on a
Roberts 28") started strongly with a 4th place in the first race, also had gear
problems. 11th place (First Youth): Ian Matthews (53 pts. on a Starboard GO) Kingston's perennial great winds and the Kingston Boardsailing Association RC crew assured the entire fleet of prime time racing (for the second year in a row). Though the event was forced off the water by the gale on it's second day, an impromptu freestyle occurred off the banks of Richardson Park, entertainment for all. An unofficial team of judges awarded KBA member ED MASON as winner of the 2001 Freestyle medallion for his slam-dunk loops. Notable were Gary Watson's jumps, and duck gybes and heli-tacks by Glenn Morton, John Anderson and Jean-Luc Fraiken, among other mostly local shortboarders. Prizes assembled by Glenn Morton of Wind Addiction included two Chinook booms and a pile of goodies from Neil Pryde (everyone took home prizes). John Darling of Windsurfing Canada thanked the Kingston Boardsailing Association for hosting and managing the event, notably Ed Mason, Jean-Luc Fraiken, and Gary Watson on the RC and mark boats. The Kingston Yacht Club supplied boats and flags. The old city of Kingston provided it's beauty, charm and nightlife, and Queen's University residences aplenty supplied nearby cheap room and breakfast for singles and families to complement the area hotels, B & Bs and motels. Windsurfing Canada looks forward to participating again in 2002, an event due to become a "classic" before too long. |