My quest for speed started around 3 years ago when we introduced the first Firewing to the RRD sails collection. Originally I bought the GPS unit to help with testing, but it quickly became clear that in the gusty conditions we have over here, it didn’t give conclusive test results. However the speed seed was planted and together with the GPS-Results program and GPS-Speedsurfing.com I started logging results and getting competitive with myself to go faster.
In 2014 Bjorn was already on my case to enter his event, but unfortunately my travel plans meant it was impossible. However for 2015, the event was in the diary nice and early and there was no way I was going to miss it. Not only did it look like a great fun event, but it also would provide the perfect testing ground for the sails. I had numerous proto types to try and with the free format of the event and hour-long heats, it would allow me to experiment and learn. Having never done any sort of speed contest before it was pretty hard to set a goal, but I was desperate to get over 40 kts, even if it was just a peak speed. Twice I had hit high 39’s, with the last effort peaking frustratingly close at 39.95 kts, but with the mirror flat waters of Fuerte, surely that would give me the edge to cross the all-important barrier.
Day 1 – Originally I had hoped to head over early and test the conditions and gear combinations, but in my first ever parental compromise I made the decision to stay for my daughter’s end of year party and mini-graduation from nursery school. This meant the only option was an overnight ferry, arriving on the morning of the contest at 6am. Furthermore I made the huge mistake of choosing a yoga mat on the floor rather than a comfy cabin; and paid the price with one of the worst night sleeps I can remember (and that is saying something with a 3 month old crying baby in the house!!)
Arriving at the event site the wind was light, which thankfully gave me a couple of hours to at least relax a bit before the contest kicked off. The wind finally kicked in after lunchtime and I hit the water straight away to test the different gear combinations. With light winds for a 7.8 I had 3 board possibilities and after trying the X-fire 105, 90 and 80, I found very little difference, so opted for the middle one. Then a quick test of various fin sizes with a 32/30/28, I again opted for the middle one with my trusty 30cm RS-3 F-Hot proving to be the most comfortable.
Round 1 was the Canaries Championship and I hit the water with the 7.8 Firewing, 90 X-Fire and 30 RS-3. The race director had set a number of buoys in the water to help to order things, with 2 buoys marking an entry gate, a no overtaking zone up to the next buoy, and finally just before the start of the course, a zone where only 1 rider can enter at the same time. Unfortunately in this 1st round the buoys were in completely the wrong place. It meant that to enter the course correctly you almost needed a formula board! I stuck to the rules but as a consequence I never entered the course with any speed, struggling to get over 32 kts. Following the Canary round, we went straight into Round 1 of the European championships. This time the course was much better, and following a couple of good runs on the bigger gear (7.8/90), I changed down to a 7.0 on the 50cm speed board. Speeds turned out to be more or less the same, with the 10 second average slightly higher than the morning and a best speed of over 34 kts.