Ronstan Bridge to Bridge - September 6, 2002

REPORT FROM Micah Buzianis
It was a quick trip from Maui to San Fran for two days and one night, but the whole idea of the Ronstan Bridge to Bridge really peaked my interest. Thanks to Steve setting me up with a killer place to sleep and showing me around it was well worth the trip.

I arrived at SJC on the redeye at 7 am and went to where Steve works to pick up my new Devil boards. I then made a trip to see Chip and Kevin at UN to fill up a bag of goods, after a nice shopping spree and a call to AAA to get my keys out my car, yeah I locked them in, Steve and I headed to the St. Francis to do a little tuning before the start of the race.

We arrived and there was talk of winds over 25 knots and a strong ebb of 3.4 knots, so the Aussie 18's were talking about not racing if it was to rough. I followed what Steve was doing and rigged one sail size larger than him, being that I am one size larger than he is I figured I should be perfectly powered. Sailing around before the start, which was delayed by 45 minutes due to Freighter traffic, it was clear that the wind was not going to reach 25 knots so Steve came in and did a quick change up to a 9.8. I stayed with my 9.8 figuring on it being windier down by the finish.

When I arrived at the start line just below the south tower of the Golden Gate the fog was above us and the wind was lighter than expected, 9.8 may have been a mistake. The five minute gun went up and the skiffs were all together on the boat end of the line while the windboards were all at the pin end of the line, and there was some guy named Chip* in the middle of the line on a kite, who knows where he was going. It was immediately apparent that the pin end of the line was favored as the start gun went off and the windsurfers were all speeding off while the skiffs passed behind all of us including Chip. It did not take the skiffs long to get up to speed though and by the time we passed in front of the St. Francis they were starting to catch up. Chip was killing it on the downwind in the flat water and I passed just behind him as we went through the gate followed closely by Steve, the skiffs and Mike Percy. As we got closer to Alcatraz the wind and chop began to pick up, the wind was good for me as I could use the extra power, however the chop was not exactly what my board was looking for. This wind and chop did give me some extra speed though and I was able to pull ahead of Chip, we both still had a good lead on Steve and the skiffs but with the local knowledge Steve possessed and the speed of the skiffs they were both catching us. I finally had the finish in sight and felt like I could lay the finish line, and going under the city front wouldn't be a problem, not on this big formula gear. Greed did not pay off though while Chip continued out a little father into the bay where the stronger winds were he was able to pass me about half a mile form the finish line and take the victory. Steve must have also done the same thing as he was right on my tail as I crossed the line; I really had to work my butt off to not let him pass me. The skiffs had also caught up a lot in the lighter winds under the city, only 18 seconds behind Steve who was 4 seconds behind me.

I am not sure why the skiffs weren't as on it at the start but I am betting that if they would have been up to full speed and with us(the boards) off the line it would have been a much tighter race. They are very impressive to see sailing, with three guys out on the wire it must take a lot of coordination and teamwork to keep that boat up right. Hopefully they will be able to come back next year as well as some of the other fast boats to race again. I know that I am going to be putting this into my calendar again next year. It is to easy to get a flight from Maui to the bay and with all the great people and good friends I know that are involved in sailing there they are more than willing to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible.
*:no disrespect intended to Chip Wasson, he kicked ass in this race and is the best kiter in the bay area!

REPORT FROM CHIP.........still waiting

Just for the record, the wind did die completely for most of us towards the finish line. Many positions were lost and switched around dramatically. A finish line at Blossom Rock would have reflected the race a little better but some will argue "that's not the race". They would be correct. It's call the B2B. Rig for it!

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