Sorry for the delay in this report it's been a wild 48 hours out here on the Vineyard. We have had intermittent power and cable today and have witnessed some very impressive flooding throughout the Island. Interestingly enough when I woke up at 0500 yesterday and began rigging my kites in the predawn hours I was surprised to find the breeze only at 17-19 knots. This prompted me to rig just about every kite in my quiver in anticipation. It felt good to be pumping up the kites again and it felt even better to be on the beach at sunrise before anyone else was awake. 

By the time everyone arrived and rigged the wind had shifter slightly more into the east it was just barely favoring a starboard tack course in the eastern end of Sengekontacket (Sengie) Pond. I went out and took a few practice runs on my 12m and you could tell it was a building breeze. The puffs were large and unpredictable both in direction and velocity, making the already tight course very interesting and tricky. Luckily the course had an excellent water texture as the tide was high so you could get right in next to the spartina and I have a few nicks on my legs to prove it. 

At 10:05 the green flag went up and I was the first one down the course. I love that feeling of timing the starting line perfectly and ripping down the course before anyone with nothing but smooth water in front of me. The run felt good and I quickly averaged 37 Knots but on the second or third run I crashed hard doing multiple rotations on my back as I skipped downwind. When I finally regained control I was a few meters downwind of the course and started to look for my board but couldn't find it anywhere. Evidently fellow competitor and sponsor of the event Bill Lynch did find my board when he came down the course and ran right over it. I was unaware of this however and rode it for the rest of the heat only to fins out afterward that there was a massive crack in the bottom. During the Heat I was fortunate enough to lay down one solid run over 39 Knots but I just couldn't put together a second run over 39 again. I knew things would be tight and they were. Alex Caizergues won the heat with an average of just over 40 Knots. Second place went to Rob Douglas with 39.7 Knots and I was 6th with 39.1 Knots. It still amazes me how tight this fleet it is. 

At the end of the first heat the wind had shifted more to the north prompting the race committee to move the course further to the NorthWest and changing to a port tack. After having a quick snack and water I went out on my brand new HydroFlex Board for a few practice runs. I had seen that the wind had built so I dropped down in size from my 12M to my 10M but when I sailed up to the course and took a number of practice runs I felt very overpowered. The board seemed very fast but my shoulders were dropping over my hips and I wasn't quite able to control the power. Moments before the start of the second heat I made the decision to sail back downwind to the rigging area and change down to my 8M. I was very quick in the pits as I had everything setup for the change but evidently the rapid build in pressure had been short lived and I felt myself sailing the second heat just slightly underpowered. It felt good and I could tell I was peaking at some good speeds but just didn't have the power all the way down the course. Again I scored a 6th. 

The Third and final heat of the day was easily the best of the event and the most fun to sail. The wind had built to well over 30 Knots and had shifted further North. The course was perfect water texture, the beach was lined with spectators and the speeds were incredible. I sailed a great heat pushing it first on my 10M and then dropping back down to my 8M. The 8M was the ticket as I was really able to send it down the line and I even hit a new top Vmax speed for myself. 47.05 Knots! I also laid down a 44 Knot Average run, not too bad for the first day on my new port tack board. Although I was only 4th place in the heat I feel like I really sailed well. This dropped me down to 4th place but only by .6 of a point as Alex Caizergues the former outright world speed record holder passed me to take 3rd place.

Given the magnitude of this storm the Race Committee decided it would be prudent to take the day off and allow the 60-80 Knot Winds to pass through before returning to the water tomorrow. While this was disappointing to some members of the fleet I think this was the right thing to do. 
Enjoy two great shots from Deirdre Rynne who came to watch the racing yesterday and definitely check out www.cohenphotography.com for more from the entire event.

Thank you all for the support. 
All the best.
Brock

Racing resumes tomorrow at 10 AM at State Beach. The Forecast is for a building East-NorthEast Wind. Depending on the angle we could run a port tack or a starboard tack course. We will most likely run 3 but maybe 4 races depending on how the conditions progress on the course.
We will be streaming all the racing live at www.bestkiteboarding.com/nassci 

Take a deep breath, close my eyes and picture my perfect run:

Dropping the kite low into the power window. The immediate jolt of forward motion, leaning back into it I edge higher and closer to the shoreline. I feel the water texture go smooth and my acceleration building I am propelled towards the start line. As my speeds increase the energy being transferred from the kite through my body to the tail of the board increases. I store this energy, building it up for as long as my muscles can handle it. BANG! I cross the starting line, my board is pointed down the course I release all of this energy in a surge of forward motion. I spot the next puff in front of me and quickly over take it, leaning back as I feel it's effects take my kite and try to throw me over the board but I am already leaning back and I feel the board further accelerate. My muscles are tensed back leg trying desperately to hold the tail in perfect position as I execute the perfect line down the course. Nearing the bottom I see the corduroy chop looming but I have my line in site and use every ounce of energy to push the board faster through the chop and with a last effort pump the kite hard before crossing the line. 

DAMN! Makes me excited just thinking about it. As you can see by the forecast below we have no wind scheduled until Saturday but most likely no racing until Sunday. For me this is the perfect opportunity to rest my body, visualize my runs and prep myself for what should be a very exciting finish to the 2012 North American Speed Sailing Championships.

I have made a few subtle alterations to my boards, thinning the tails and adding weight under the footpads, trying to maximize the boards' abilities in the expected heavy winds. The Race Committee is currently reviewing safety protocols and we are scheduled to have a safety meeting on Saturday morning. Everyone is just trying to get ready. I have often said that when the Storm Warnings light up this is when I get excited and this time it is no different. 

So for now it is time to try and relax, stay focused and visualize my perfect run.

It seems like everywhere you turn these days there is an argument between different classes in sailing. In the America's Cup it is Multihull Vs. Monohull. In the Olympics it's Windsurfing Vs. Kiteboarding. Everyone has an opinion and everyone wants to voice it. But what is amazing to see is the level of efficiency that is coming out of all aspects of sailing. Currently, we have the 2012 North American Speed Sailing Championships Invitational happening out on Martha's Vineyard. This is a battle between some of today’s fastest sailors and as you would expect, there is an ongoing argument.

Which Board is faster? As we all watched Rob Douglas take the Outright World Speed Sailing Record in 2010, we all agreed the asymmetric Speed Board was the fastest craft on the water; oh wait, no we didn't all agree. But that discussion aside the numbers didn't lie. Rob's Speed Board built by MikesLab was hands down the fastest thing on the water. And it remains that way today. However, as the 2012 NASSCI has been going on for the last 9 days we have learned something...Course Boards are freakin' fast! To date the NASSCI has encountered winds no greater than 25 Knots and to date Rob has won all but two of the races on...you guessed it a "Course Board." Now this is not your average Course board it is a highly customized board that is narrower, has a flatter rocker line and significantly smaller fins and he rides the proverbial shit out of it. But the craziest thing about it is that his peak speed on it has been 44 Knots!

When we started the event, the organizers set a minimum speed of 35 knots. That meant that if two riders didn't lay down two runs of 35 knots or more on the 250 meter course, then the heat didn't count. This was an attempt to keep this a specialized speed event that was intent on only racing the fastest boards in the fastest conditions. The inherent thinking was that in 20 Knots or less a Course Board was faster and in 20 knots or more a Speed Board was faster. But what we have seen is the evolution of the Course Boards and that threshold has been bumped from 20 knots of wind to probably closer to 23 knots.

So with the potential of Hurricane Sandy introducing herself to the Northeast and the definite possibility of some good winds early next week the question remains...Which board is Faster?

No matter what side of the arguments you are on; Multihull, Monohull, Windsurfer, Kiteboarder you have to agree that the sport is evolving at a rapid pace and the efficiencies of our crafts are increasingly more dynamic. What remains to bee seen is how will the sport adapt and take advantage; who knows, but either way it's going to be exciting.

TUNE in Sunday for LIVE coverage of the Racing at www.bestkiteboarding.com/nassci

Yesterday morning came quickly. Having worked on my boards until 1 AM the night before I set my alarm clock to 5 and I think I was probably already awake when it went off. Dressing quickly I scuttled downstairs to run a few last pieces of wet-sand paper over the now filled pinholes, then was out the door. The sun was still sleeping when Media Producer Rich Sabo dropped me off at Edgartown Marine. Knowing that we were going to be out at Cape Poge I had left my car on Chappy the night before and decided I would Paddle boarded across in the morning, this saved me from waiting until the 0645 ferry like everyone else. I already had a little jump on the competition. 
It didn't take me long to drive around Cape Poge to the "Windmill House" and the drive alone was enough to get you fired up. Deer all over the place, the predawn light shining over East Beach and the water already starting to cap with white. I unloaded my car and started pumping my 15M and 17M TS BEST Kites just as the sun poked up over the bay, still no one in sight. 

The first of the day started just after 0800 and it was easily the most "square" course we have sailed. This meant that there is a serious balance between holding an edge and yet still trying to let the board run fast. Leading into the Entry Gate was basically upwind and then you had a very short area to build your speed before hitting the starting line and trying to hold your line up in the smooth water before pressing the nose down and flying over the corduroy chop that was at the bottom of the course. For this heat I started out on my new HydroFlex board designed by Stan Pleskunas. I found it to be very fast at the bottom of the course and it was amazing at cutting through the chop. The only problem was that the course was so square that I really needed to be ultra comfortable on the boards edge and be able to push it 100%. Given my time on my older board I switched back and found this made this difference. I scored a 4th.

For the second Heat of the day the wind remained up and although it was still pretty square I felt good. I had found my rhythm and was starting to be comfortable with the lines I was drawing and I knew I was right on the edge of being in control. Actually I was out of control a large amount of the time and I had three hard wipeouts at the bottom of the runs. Towards the end of the heat I noticed the wind had shifted slightly more North of West. This slight shift would make all the difference as I noticed I could now hold a very fast line down the shore and keep the good water texture. Right at the end of the heat I made two solid runs. I knew they were fast but unfortunately my GPS case was fogged up so I couldn't see just how fast. When the heat ended and I pulled the GPS's out my thoughts were confirmed, I had VMAX'd over 42 Knots and had an average over 40 knots. I scored a 2nd. 

The last heat was probably the most difficult. The NW breeze was starting to soften as the gradient pressure slackened. It had warmed up considerably and although the puffs were really good the lulls were really bad. I decided to stick with my 15M and my little board. After a few runs I decided the wind was lifted enough I could go with the big new board but after two runs I knew that I was still to slow at the top of the course. Finally I did what my gut had told me to do from the get go and I switched to my 17M and the little board. I made a few good runs and was able to connect the dots but I knew that my runs were inconsistent. I scored an 8th.
Overall I have been really happy with my performance thus far in the Competition. I can see that when I am dialed in on the equipment then my results are there. This drives me to work harder and find the ways to make the equipment better. I can see that the work I have done has paid off and now it is exciting to look to the future. The next week will be interesting as we have a couple of days off before the breeze on for Sunday. Then we will have just a few more days until the end of the event on the 31st. 
Thank you to everyone for your support and words of encouragement. Also a huge thank you to my wife Sheylah who has put up with my incessant work and devotion to speed. She has done more than I could possibly imagine to insure that I am properly fed, rested, motivated and prepared to race everyday. Thank you Sheylah. 

All the best from the Vineyard.
Brock

The 2012 North American Speed Sailing Championship Invitational started on Monday and I was very happy with the first two days. 
On Day 1 we arrived at Katama Bay for a beautiful sunrise and we were rigged and ready to race by 0800. I took a few practice runs on my 15 Meter Kite as the wind was 18-21 Knots. I felt really good about the lines I was drawing down the course but I felt like I had a little too much control. So I rigged bigger. Just before the 0900 Warning Signal I went out for a run on my 17 Meter kite and I could immediately feel that this was going to be the ticket. I was just on the edge of being able to hold my line and I felt that I had enough power at the end of my run. I was able to score a 36.936 Knot Average run and 36.897 Knot Average which puts me in second place. 
We almost scored a second heat but a heat is only valid if two riders average over 35 Knots. Rob averaged just over 37 Knots on his Slalom board and I was just short with a 34.688 Knot average. It was good to see that again I was right at the top but unfortunate that the heat wasn't valid.
Day 2 of the 2012 North American Speed Sailing Invitational started out with cloudy skies and gusty erratic winds. Race Committee made an 0800 announcement to wait for the frontal boundary to clear and the WNW Winds to build. I arrived out at Cape Poge at 01000 hrs just as the front was clearing. You could tell it was going to be an interesting day with the cold air dropping down and mixing with the relatively warm surface temps. I rigged my 15M and 17M and went out and took a few runs on both. Immediately it was apparent that if you locked into a puff you could do some good speeds but if you didn't time it right you would suffer. 
Heat 2 of the series started at 1345 hrs with Winds from 310 Degrees at a velocity of 15 knots. During the first 15 Minutes of the 60 minute Heat there were a few gusts on the course which touched close to 18 Knots. I decided to go with my 17M and it probably hurt me as I was a little overpowered in the 18 Knot puffs and got pulled off my line. I immediately made the decision to switch kites which I did quickly and efficiently as it was all rigged up and ready but the damage had been done. The larger guys on the slightly smaller kites had posted some great speeds and I ended up with a 6th.
Heat 3 was a tough one the wind was oscillating from 298 degrees to 320 degrees. Being patient at the top of the course and waiting for the right shift and right puff was huge. When you were able to recognize the right combination and take advantage it paid. The wind started out at 16-18 Knots and I was ready to strike. I went back to my  15M and it paid. The first half of the heat the course was fast and I made the most of it. I ran the course with two average speeds over 38 Knots for a scoring average of 38.327 Knots and another 2nd place. 
Today is a day off as the wind is light. I will be using this time to check over my gear and make some minor adjustments. 
Huge Thank You to BEST Kiteboarding, The Dancing Turtle, Gorilla Rigging, Atlantis Weathergear and my everyone else especially my family for the support.