San Francisco Classic
- August 17, 2002
REPORT
FROM Gaastra Web Site
Mike
Z wins classic in true local style.
Mike Zajicek from Berkerly finished the San Francisco classic just over 1 hour for the second year running. After trailing minutes behind Phil McGain for most of the race Mike made his move as the sailors moved down towards Berkeley and into open water. McGain fired right past the jibing bouy "R4" and headed towards Richmond Bridge not knowing now which bouy to jibe. However locals Mike Z and Steve Sylvester knew the exact location of the mark and went on for an easy victory. Third place in the classic went to Jean Rathle, Chris Radkovski in 4th with McGain finishing up in 5th place.
Mike said- "I knew exactly where to go, I had great speed downwind today, it was another classic San Fran Day. Phil should have waited for us, so he could find his way".
The second part of the race was the upwind leg"Ultra Necta Challenge" back to St. Francis Yacht Club. After finishing you had to head straight back upwind with the your finishing time recorded another time started. McGain made no mistake here as it was easy, "go up wind to the Yacht Club". Mike Z had a good lead on the fleet but decided to head towards the city instead of under Angel Island, this was costly and put him back in 8th place for the upwind leg. McGain however was aware of the flood tide and kept tight under Angel Island. Right after the finish he headed on Port tack for about 20 minutes and then two quick tacks set him up to head across the bay to the Yacht Club and onto the finish. Second place on the upwind was Rob Hartman who finished 4 and half minutes behind McGain. The Big surprise for the day was Brian McDougal who using his strength powered through the heavy chop right into 3rd place.
McGain said- "It was a great day regardless of my mistake, I really enjoyed the view and speeds we were able to gain downwind. You just have to take it like a man and move on. I was fired up for the upwind leg and really put it down when I got to the heavy chop, I was getting tired but I knew the others would be more tired"
SPECIAL BULLETIN For PHIL MCGAIN
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'Phil - your fellow racers from S.F. were concerned about your mistake on the Classic course. We wanted to make sure this didn't happen again next year so here is a more accurate map of the course - complete with a rendition of your participation in the race. Hopefully it will be of some help... Respectfully, Click image for full map |
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REPORT
FROM a
From a first-timer's perspective the classic/UN Challenge was a kick! Literally:
I had to KICK the darn cams about a hundred times to get them to rotate
with all the jibes and tacks on this course.
My biggest worries prior to the race were getting called off the course at Anita by JC, and finding my way around the bottom half (E. of Alcatraz) of the course. These turned out to be non-issues as I breezed past Anita with nary a call, and also had a group of seasoned East-Bay veterans just ahead of me laying down perfect lines to the marks. What I should've been worried about was my gimpy elbow, and rigging the wrong sail.
The top half of the course (W. of Alcatraz) went reasonably well. I got a decent start, passed a bunch of people, hung with a pack of good sailors, and successfully navigated the monster swell at the bridge. The only calamity was on the way down to Anita as I heard a sickening crunch as my heel went clear through the deck. Darn *Board potatochip deck!
The gimper elbow gave out at Blossom Rock, and I made about 25% of my transitions after that. The 9.0 (I weigh 170Lbs.) was actually perfect for most of the downwind leg. It briefly became a handful between R4 and the top of the pier, but then settled down again on the way to X and then to the finish. I think the superior power it was generating actually helped me go deeper on the way to X and pass one of the guys I was following. Then I finished. I ACTUALLY FINISHED!! I felt triumphant and victorious over the Bay...
...short-lived! The return trip was one of the most grueling physical and mental exercises I've ever been involved with. I almost quit about 50 times. My favorite move was getting lifted out of the water by a monster gust, rotating halfway into a forward, and landing face first in a pile with the gear. The 9.0 decision was coming into its own... I pressed on upwind at a snail's pace with the gimpy elbow throbbing, and the board taking on water by the gallon. Long gone were my fellow travelers. Ben, where was Ben?! I headed for the lee side of Treasure Island in search of calmer water and shelter from the wind. It was brief, but it worked. I saw the W.L. Stewart taking on some passengers there. Still I pressed on.
I stopped for a while in the middle of the washing machine (after another aborted forward) to lengthen the boom and try to squeeze more outhaul. Now a decision to make, should I go behind Alcatraz, or keep tacking up along the City Front? The decision was made for me as the elbow gave out on the long tack to Alcatraz, and I had to switch to give it some rest on starboard. Things settled down a bit once I got W. of Alcatraz, and then I was home! I saw some competitors come in after me while I was de-rigging, which buoyed my spirits a bit (I finished ahead of that guy?!?), but then I saw the results and remembered the UNC is timed, and how long I'd taken to get back...
Next year's
resolutions: try to have both arms working prior to the race, and pay careful
attention to the sail size the seasoned veterans are taking out!
Please e-mail me your views on this race and I'll post them for you. .CLICK HERE
