2004 Velocity Games - 17th US Open - Overall Results Sorted by Class/Division Score

The 5th stop on the USW NRT was the US Open in Corpus Christy TX hosted by the Velocity Games May 26-31. In the past the US Open has often had the reputation of being a windy event and this year was no disappointment. Racers, sport fleet and pros alike, arriving early in the week for practice found the Bay filled with whitecaps and wondering if they had sails small enough to handle the conditions.

With chicken straps installed, the racing commenced on Thursday to overcast skies and winds gusting over 30 mph. Under the expert skill of race director Darren Rogers, 12 races were over 4 days with most competitors wound 10 meter or smaller sails. The exceptions were Wilhelm Schurmann and Mike Percey who were amazingly able to tough out the first races on 11s as they waited for smaller sails to arrive.

The racing went off smoothly each day with only one general recall for the whole event. Windward leeward courses were the call and keeping the board on the water while maintaining speed through the Corpus chop was the task at hand. Needless to say, the downwind runs had everyone's complete attention. There was great camaraderie between the pros and amateurs, sharing fins, sails and knowledge as the racing progressed.

The high wind held throughout the racing days which meant early skippers meeting and racing starting around 11 a.m. to try to finish the day's racing before it went nuclear. One day was cut short because a volunteer on the committee boat got so seasick he couldn't continue. When the racing finished on Sunday, so did the strong winds. Awards were handed out on Monday to mellow breezes and sunshine. Micah Buzianis, Jimmy Diaz and Sam Ireland ended up as the top three on the podium.

Please e-mail me your reports to be posted here. Pictures would be great too.