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Congratulations Caroll-Ann!
USWCA President Caroll-Ann Alie was recently inducted into the Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame in a ceremony held October 5, 2024 at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club in British Columbia.
Caroll-Ann won the 1984 Windsurfer Class World Championship and the 1985 Mistral Class World
Championship. She won Silver at the 1985 IYRU Women's Worlds and Gold in 1988. She was the 1995 Pan-Am Gold Medalist and won Silver in 1987 and 1999. She is a three-time Olympian (1992-1996-2000) and was named Female Athlete of the year by CYA in 1988 and 1995. She was inducted into the Canadian Olympics Sport Hall of Fame (1993), the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame (2010) and the Quebec Sailing Hall of Fame (2013).
Congratulations on your many achievements and dedication to the sport of windsurfing!
2024
East Coast Tour -- New Jersey
June 29-30 Spring Into Summer Regatta
Recap by Ally Latham
At a little known lake in the mountains of New Jersey, the first event of the New Jersey Windsurfer LT tour is a wrap! The two day Spring Into Summer Regatta boasted big winds, a challenging range of conditions, strategic racing, and great fun! Sailors from NJ, NY, PA, & FL traveled to experience windsurfing in beautiful Highland Lakes, NJ.
Day one consisted of two very close races in a building southerly blowing down the lake at 10-15mph with gusts 20+. Following a nice lunch break, the wind continued to build so racing was halted for the day. A barbeque ended the day in great company with raffles from our sponsors. Day two came through with perfect lake sailing conditions, allowing for 3 races in 5-15mph with gusts to 18. The wind veered with time making conditions tricky with swirling pockets of wind, mentally and physically challenging our competitors!
Final Results: Heavy Weight Division- 1st Steve Gottleib, 2nd Justin Murphy, 3rd Bill Lelbach. Middle Weight Division- 1st Cody Steward, 2nd Kevin Gaston, 3rd Tom Latham. Light Weight Division- 1st Mark Powell, 2nd Ken Tiu, 3rd Ally Latham. Novice Division- 1st Zach Koberlein, 2nd Patrick Detwiler. Overall Winner- Mark Powell.
Many thanks to Highland Lakes Country Club & Community Association for hosting, Kevin Gaston & Tom Latham for organizing this awesome event, the many volunteers of our dock committee, lifeguard rescue boats, the US Windsurfer Class Association, and the amazing Steve & Cody of Sandy Point Progressive for providing our charters.
Photo Credits: Ally Latham (@allykellyphoto)
July 6-7 Extreme Windsurfing Hosts Event on Lakes Bay
Recap by Ally Latham
Greetings from Atlantic City!
The second event of the New Jersey Windsurfer LT tour, the Extreme Windsurfing Windsurfer LT Challenge, was a great success! After last week’s event in Highland Lakes, we were once again granted big, howling winds on day 1 and very light winds on day 2. Enough variety to test everyone’s skills! The fleet included a range of some who haven’t raced in years to very experienced sailors who traveled from NJ, NY, PA, CT, VA, MD & FL.
If you’re wondering what a Windsurfer LT even is, think of a modern version of the Original Windsurfer born in the 60’s. The resurgence in this design is intended to reverse the trending decline in the sport of windsurfing. COBRA, the famous Thailand-based board manufacturer, took on the challenge to take windsurfing back to its roots with a do-it-all board for everyone. The one-design package of a single board and soft sail rig allows performance to come down to the skill of the sailor, not by the cost of the sailor’s equipment quiver or their ability to hold down the biggest sail. The Windsurfer Class is all about introducing more people to the sport and keeping people involved, and we really got to witness this spirit come through in these back-to-back events.​
The hosting venue that Jim Karabasz has at Extreme Windsurfing in West Atlantic City, NJ faces southwest out to Lakes Bay which is a real rarity at the Jersey Shore. Lakes Bay has over a square mile that we were able to set a course on. On day 1 we went for distance in the SSW 17-20+ mph winds with fleets of LT’s, Kona’s, and Foilers. Following a rabbit start, sailors pinched upwind to the first mark, had a broad reach to the second mark, and finally had a mile-long beam reach to the other side of the bay before finishing. Foilers started separately following the same course and had a blast on the incoming tide. By the third race of the day, competitors were bowing out due to the building wind. In the afternoon, we decided to cease racing as the winds were gusting up to 25mph+.
Describe your image
Describe your image
Day two called for a reversed wind direction with a light NE breeze of 8-10 mph, so we opted for a ‘Le Mans’ beach start for the LT fleet. It was a classic 3-buoy course out of the IWCA playbook: 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, finish, but with a downwind start. It was a great day of classic LT light wind sailing!
Final Results: Lightweight Division (120-155lbs) – 1st Peter Jacobsen, 2nd Lianne Dunbar, 3rd Michael Pinto. Heavyweight Division (155-195lbs) – 1st Mark Powell, 2nd Craig Rial, 3rd Tom Latham. Kona-One Division – 1st Steve Gottlieb, 2nd Cody Steward, 3rd Daphne Lathouras. Foil Class – 1st Didoy Francisco, 2nd Steve Jankowski, 3rd Ed DeHart.
We hope to keep spreading the spirit of the LT and keep the sport of windsurfing growing. Check out uswindsurferclass.com for upcoming events in the fall, and this photo album for more awesome pictures from the event.
Many thanks to Jim at Extreme Windsurfing for hosting, Tom Latham for organizing the event, the many volunteers, the US Windsurfer Class Association, and the amazing Steve & Cody of Sandy Point Progressive for providing our charters. And special thanks to our raffle sponsors: Extreme Windsurfing, Sandy Point Progressive Sports, Naish Sails, Ezzy Sails, DaKine, & Kialoa Paddles.
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Photo Credits: Chris Cowan (drone), Ally Latham, Jimmy Rivera
Thank you Ally and Tom for all your tireless work in coordinating the NJ events!! This father-daughter duo is awesome! xoxoxo
2024
West Coast Tour
June 21-24 Seattle Windsurfer Cup
Photos: Caroll-Ann Alie
June 28-30 Gorge Olympic Cup Photo Gallery
Photos: Susan Shipley-Winner
July 12-14 Foster City Event
Photos: Owain Chilton
Describe your image
Describe your image
16 Windsurfer LT sailors enjoyed two days of racing on the Foster City Lagoon as part of the 2024 West Coast Tour. Five course races were held Saturday in a tight fleet with perfect LT conditions. On Sunday five slalom races were fired off, testing everyone's board-handling skills. Congratulations to Brad Wilson for his top Finish overall!
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Thanks go to Alyson, Eric, and Corey for race committee and dock help!
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If you're in the SF Bay Area, check out the Windsurfer Fleet 18 Tuesday Night Races held at Foster City Lagoon from April through September, Tuesdays at 6PM: http://fleet18.org/index.html
July 20-21 Lake Washington Sailing Club, Sacramento, CA
Photos: Roland Lucas
August 9-11 San Diego Yacht Club Clinic and Fun Race Weekend
Annie Gardner led an inspirational Windsurfer LT clinic weekend for an enthusiastic group of women new to windsurfing. This is the kind of fun and camaraderie that makes the Windsurfer Class so special! Big thanks to the event volunteers--Annie, Dave Deisenger, Brian Stanford, Eric Witt, Danny North, and the organizers with SDYC for putting together a great event!
Photos: Marnie Buddo
August 24-25 Long Beach Windsurfer LT Regatta
The Long Beach Windsurfer Regatta was held in historic Alamitos Bay, home of the original Windsurfer fleet #3 and hosted by the Long Beach Windsurf Center. The fleet of twenty five entries included first time racers and former Olympians, from age 10 to 75 years old, some of whom travelled from as far away as Wisconsin to join in the competition. Activities started off on Saturday with fifteen novices who learned rigging and tuning of the LT rig, fundamental racing rules and rabbit starting, followed by an afternoon of practice starts and fun races. On Sunday, both novice and experienced racers gathered for triangle course racing with 25 windsurfer LTs on the starting line for 5 afternoon races. Competitors were divided into two starts with the Novice fleet starting first -- this reduced wait time between races and gave novices some on-the-water rest time between races. Winds for the first race were a mild 10 mph but by the third race the sea breeze started building and reached 18-21 mph. Strong winds and even stronger competition, with lots of old and new friends, was enjoyed by participants and spectators alike. Thanks to all who volunteered their help over the weekend, and to sponsors Chinook Windsurfing and Starboard; US Sailing Center for the RC boat, and to Long Beach Windsurf Center for raffle prizes.
--Jeff Jones
Results:
A Fleet: 1. Mike Compton 2. Peter Bonello 3. Jeff Jones
A Fleet Heavy: 1.Dimitri Lapotko
Iron Person: Echo Lin
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B Fleet: 1. Carol Hanarack 2. Scott Carter 3. Monty Dunnington
B Fleet Heavy: 1. Scott Carter
Iron Person: Monty Dunnington
August 31-September 2 Coronado Yacht Club Labor Day Weekend
Clinic, Race, and Raft-Up
Our class president Caroll-Ann Alie had a great time at Coronado Yacht Club running clinics and fun races for folks interested in sailing the Windsurfer LT over Labor Day weekend. What an awesome way to conclude the summer's West Coast Tour!!
2023
US Sailors Compete at the 2023 Windsurfer World Championships in Perth, Australia
Brett (USA 13) charging out at the pin end Photo: Shane Baker
Way to go Lanee Beashel, Mark Powell, Brett Davis, and Jaime Malm! These seasoned windsurfers, hailing from various parts of the US, recently competed in the 2023 MPS Windsurfer World Championships hosted by the South of Perth Yacht Club in Australia. They became part of a huge fleet comprised of international participants and a hefty number of talented Aussies hungry to represent their home country.
All smiles before the races: Jaime, Mark, Brett
Homage to the hometown club
Jaime and Brett staying cool in the shade
The event opened with two days of course racing. On Day 1 conditions on the Swan River were “light and shifty”. Day 2 got “super sporty” as Brett described it, with the Freemantle Doctor kicking in in the afternoon bringing gusts to the mid twenties.
screaming reach
racing trim
good start!
screaming reach
Photos: Shane Baker
The marathon was held in a solid 18-24 knot breeze on the afternoon of day 3. From the photos and drone footage, it looked as if the start line of colorful sails stretched on for miles! It proved to be a tough race, putting competitors to the test on screaming reaches with big gusts and spray flying off the boards.
Photo: Shane Baker
Days 4, 5, and 6 saw slalom action, freestyle, and the conclusion of course racing. Brett was especially happy with his results in slalom, this being his first time competing in that discipline. Thank you Brett and Mark, for posting daily updates to the USWCA Facebook page so onlookers from afar could revel in the incredible athleticism on display, pick up a rigging tip or two, and share in the excitement of meeting new friends from around the world.
charging off the wind
heading upwind
start of the marathon
charging off the wind
Photos: Shane Baker
If you followed the action on social media, you’d have noticed many comments from competitors, organizers, and others about the spirit of sailing in the Windsurfer Class: it’s 50% fair racing and 50% social fun. As Mark said in one of his posts, “The windsurfer class is all about inclusivity, fun, and fair racing…a class that’s inclusive enough to add age categories!” Mark, who’s sailed in several world championships over the years, earned 1st Place in the Super Legend age group in his weight category.
Mark with fellow medalists and super legend competitors
Lanee, a four-time Olympic windsurfer currently living in Australia, sailed a fantastic regatta to finish 1st place overall in the women’s division. We also want to mention Valentina Vix, sailing in her second Windsurfer worlds in a row, who represented Venezuela but lives and sails in Florida. She finished 8th overall in the women’s fleet.
For Brett and Jaime, both top-level racers in several sailing classes, this was their first world championship experience on a Windsurfer, and they were stoked. Congratulations to all —Lanee, Mark, Brett, Jaime, and Valentina — for your effort and achievement!
Brett with 1984 Olympic gold medalist and former Windsurfer world champion Bruce Wylie
Everyone had a fantastic experience and all agreed that the Australians put on an amazing event. As Brett said, “The Aussie hospitality was the best!”
Cheers to our windsurfing friends Down Under!
For the complete wrap-up from Perth: www.sopyc.com.au/windsurfer-worlds-2023/
West Coast Tour Galleries: The Gorge, Seattle, Sacramento, Foster City
First stop: The Gorge 7/7-9/2023
photos and videos: Caroll-Ann Alie
Gorge Olympic Cup: Windy and Wild! Mark Powell
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This event was conceived and organized by Caroll-Ann Alie the past three seasons. In Cups 1 and 2 the IQ Foil Olympic windsurfing class was featured but this season the Olympic contenders were all in Europe competing to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics. Therefore a seasoned, mature Olympic class was brought in, the Windsurfer LT Class, which first appeared (in slightly heavier and lower tech form) in the Demonstration event of the 1984 LA Olympics. Cobra International provided a fleet of ten boards to kick off the West Coast Windsurfer LT Tour, and the Gorge Olympic Cup at Stevenson, WA was the first stop. The 3-day event started out (once all the boards and rigs were fitted out) with a rigging clinic on the spacious lawn at Bob’s Beach. Many mature athletes who were out sailing their own windsurfing or foiling gear stopped by to marvel at the board that they first learned on and one brave soul, Stefan from Arizona, donned his helmet for an evening sail in afternoon winds gusting to 25 kts. In the evening Caroll-Ann prepared a spread and we enjoyed dinner in the Ponderosa Room of the Pine and Wilder Resort.
Saturday the races were delayed a bit until the women’s 6 person outrigger canoe downwind race started (a spectacular sight on its own). By noon a windward-leeward windsurfer course was set by PRO Craig Daniels with help from mark setter Karl Waldman and his helpers RIley Powell and Spencer Duffy, and a few rugged sailors went out into winds already gusting above 25 kts. Our star Olympian and race organizer Caroll-Ann was sidelined by a hand injury but was out on patrol in her Tornado RIB. Saturday’s races were dominated by former Canadian National Team members Gabrielle and Stefan. It was their first time on the LT but they proved it can be raced in winds that were now gusting over 30. Also impressive for even getting out to the race course were Greg Mejlaender, Stefan from AZ, Joe Waldman, and Barbara Belt, who had the flattest LT sail I have ever seen. My goal for Saturday was to just go for a sail and I did…. I lasted about 5 minutes just before the start of the outrigger canoe downwinder. Saturday night we returned to the Ponderosa Room at Pine and Wilder for Pizza and craft beer.
On Sunday races started at 9:00 am in much more approachable 12 kts and five races were held. By the 5th race only 3 sailors were still standing and the wind was nuking again like it was on Saturday. Again it was a Canadian National Team reunion but Barbara Belt and I were able to mix it up a bit with them in a couple of races. There were some lead changes and strategic decisions to be made. The west wind was shifty and gusty and the current was going against the wind, and stronger mid river than closer to shore. Timing the starboard lay line tack was crucial to catch the “elevator” (favorable upwind current) without over standing the mark. I was very happy to sail 3 races!
We all had a blast reintroducing the windsurfer class to the Gorge! Special thanks to the tireless efforts of Caroll-Ann Alie “She’s here, She’s there, She’s f’ing everywhere” driving 120 miles roundtrip each day, patrolling on the water, driving the 26ft Uhaul Truck across white-knuckler bridges, unloading boards, recycling cardboard, you name it she was doing it! Thanks also to our various West Coast Tour supporters: Cobra International for providing a fleet of charter Windsurfer LT’s, Chinook for providing harness lines for all the charter boards, Columbia Gorge Racing Association, Goya, Arntson Marine, Tajima-Direct Lenses, and Pine and Wilder for letting us use the Ponderosa Room at their race site cabin resort.
Lots of stoked and thankful longboard sailors enjoyed the Windsurfer revival!
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Second Stop: Seattle's Lake Washington 7/14-16/2023
The Seattle Windsurfer Cup was hosted at the Sail Sand Point Community Boating Center on Lake Washington. Local boardsailor Greg Mejlaender put together an awesome event with a full schedule of clinics, social sails, fun races, and apres-sail gatherings. A sizable group of boardsailors from all over the Seattle area and beyond came out to try the Windsurfer LT’s and were treated to beautiful weather and fair winds. Many thanks to Greg and his volunteers for organizing the event!
Video: Caroll-Ann Alie
Big smiles all around!!
Photos: Caroll-Ann Alie and Greg Mejlaender
Third Stop: Sacramento, CA 7/29-30/2023
On the Road Again…that could have been Caroll-Ann’s theme song this tour, as she drove the charter fleet from the Gorge event to Seattle and back again and then to Sacramento! Participants had two great days of sailing in sunny, warm breezes and warm water. Organizer John Mathias hosted the event at the Lake Washington Sailing Club, a friendly and laid-back spot popular with local sailors and windsurfers. Course racing filled the day on Saturday with Bradley Wilson coming out on top. On Sunday the day started with a skills clinic for all, followed by a pursuit race up the shipping channel. Thank you John, Caroll-Ann, Owain, and the great group of volunteers from the club who made this a fantastic weekend!
