Calema Midwinters March 1-4, 2012

Traveling to Florida with Denis Dagenais to participate in the Calema Midwinters. This is my first race outside of Canada and I will be racing in the Kona One Design Class.

We flew in to Orlando on February 29th, took our rental car and drove to Cocoa Beach where we are staying. The trip went smoothly. 

March 1st was a day to set up our rental equipment to our liking and take it out for a test run. I decided to install an outhaul system on my boom so that took a while. Once I went out, I realized that I had not put any lubricant on the daggerboard so came back to find some. Then out again, one of my cleats on the boom slid so I had to come back in to fix it. Finally I was able to go out and test everything and it seemed to work fine. The big test will be tomorrow.

The beach and some of the area where we are sailing.

March 2 - First day of the regatta
This morning the sun is shining and the winds are light. Konas are sent out at 10 a.m. to start the racing. We do one race in light wind then go to the beach for a few minutes before we are told to go back out for another race. But now the wind has picked up to around 15 knots. I start the second race, do the upwind leg and manage to start the downwind leg and then I drop my sail. It took me about 10 minutes if not more to manage to lift it up again and get going. By then, I am tired and I know I won't be able to finish that race so I head back to the beach. Lunch is served! We are called out for one more race but I decided not to do it but to just go out and play and practice. Denis is having a better day and in the third race, he finishes 5th overall, his best international race finish ever.

March 3 - Second day
It is blowing and the sun is shining! Oops but a bit much for me to race so I am beached (with John Darling). Last night I bought a cheap beach chair so I can at least be comfortable while I watch the others race. There are 4 women in the Kona race: Andrée Gauthier from Toronto who I can never beat, Joachim Larsson's daughter who is 18 and raised on a Kona, a woman named Joanna Merritt from Colorado who is older than me and moi. Joanna did all the races. So I feel a bit bad that I was not able to hold on in heavier winds with 7.4 sail. I may have been able to just play but I did not risk it. I know I can do it with a smaller sail on the Kona in higher winds but I did not have such a sail in Florida. This pushes me to hit the gym even more upon my return home. Gotta be in better shape for the summer!

Denis reflecting before a race.

The spread of equipment.

March 4 - Third and final day
It is blowing and raining but the rain stops early and eventually the sun comes out. However, it is a tad cold. The sweater and the jacket and the long pants come out of hiding. Everybody hangs out while the organizers decide if they are going to run races in high winds and in a direction that would take the racers farther out. We have lunch then we are told that racing is finished for the weekend. The awards are handed out and then everybody gets ready to go home. Denis is staying an extra day and I get a ride with Andrée and John who are heading back to Toronto and they drop me at a Walmart close to the 95 where my mother picks me up and I will stay the week with her in Ormond Beach. Even if I did not get to race much, I am happy that I came to the Calema Midwinters to live the experience of a big regatta with more than 2 fleets. (And I got to meet some of windsurfing's big names!!) There were 27 people registered in the Kona fleet and the whole event was very well organized.

A blue heron standing just there.

My old and new idols: Nevin Sayre, Joachim Larsson, Steve Gottlieb.

Me battling with John Darling at the upwind mark! (He won as he pushed me up and I could not turn!)