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Press Release: US Windsurfers Win in CMWA Canadian Championships Moose Regatta

Kevin Gratton — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:01:54 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Windsurfers Win in Canada

Dryden, ONTARIO – August 12th, 2010

Race Results: A-Fleet (.pdf) | Sport-Fleet (.pdf) | CMWA Winners (.pdf)

This past weekend, 65 Canadian and American competitors traveled to the waters of Lake Wabigoon near Dryden, Ontario, to compete in the 2010 Canadian Masters, a national windsurfing regatta. With winds consisting from light to none, the racers competed in 9 races with nearly 3,000 spectators watching from shore. The weekend was a hit with great entertainment and fun parties allowing locals and competitors to mix it up a bit at the “No shirt, no shoes, no problem dude” Surfers’ Dance.

“All of the competitors were very impressed with Dryden as a host community. Dryden should be extremely proud of how it was able to coordinate its volunteers, sponsors and City departments”, stated Brad Woodworth, the busiest man at the regatta who organized and competed in Dryden.

The competitors received awards in both their age divisions as well as an overall scoring system with local windsurf shop owner Kevin Gratton winning Grand Master in his division while his brother Andy Gratton of Oshkosh placed first in the Masters’ division. Andy also placed first in the entire regatta after a close tie with Nick Cox of Ottawa (Canada) allowing him to bring home his first National Windsurfing title.

Congratulations goes out to TEAM USA who won the CAN-AM competition by a mere 16 points; USA 1,070 versus CANADA 1,054 points. The winner was determined by combining points awarded to the top five competitors of each country; Andy Gratton of Oshkosh (1^st), Tim Cleary of Pewaukee (4th), Jeff Adamski of Minnesota (6th), Kevin Gratton of Fond du lac (7th), and young Magnus Zaunmueller of Beaver Dam (8th) got to split the cash prize of $2010.

Other notables from the area were Don Altmeyer and Jennifer Wettstein of Fond du lac, the Barhouse Family of Oshkosh, and the Magnuson family of Beaver Dam; from other states were the Johnson Family, Randy Moon, Larry Miller, and Peter Hartwich of Minnesota; Steve Callaway, Barry Tofteland, Delburn Carpenter, Randy Howell, Larry Reed, and Igor Tereshchenko of Iowa; Mike Reed of Illinois; and Niles Book of Michigan.

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Photos by Wind Power

2010 Walleye Wagatta Windsurfing Regatta Event – Wind Power / Lake Winnebago

Kevin Gratton — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:14:41 +0000

Race Results -A Fleet | Sport Fleet

Walleye Wagatta Photo Gallery

The Walleye Wagatta has been around since 1987. Originally it was run in conjunction with Fond du Lac’s Walleye Weekend (hence the name). Walleye Weekend is a fun Family festival tied in with Mercury’s National walleye tournament held at Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac. Since 1997 the Walleye Wagatta has been held at Roosevelt County Park across the street from Wind Power. Back in the Walleye Weekend days there were up to 100 racers with 3 race courses. Olympic members from the US and Canada competed along with the US Olympic Windsurfing Coach Major Hall.

This year we were happy to have 27 competitors from Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and of course Wisconsin. We were also blessed with the appearance of Tara and Ted Schweitzer, the children of Hoyle Schweitzer the co-inventor of windsurfing.

Ted was ripping the course up on a vintage original Windsurfer. Andy and Kevin Gratton joined him on the Waylers they learned how to sail on in the early 80’s.

Check out Ted’s web site the original windsurfer. Thanks to Ted you can now buy a brand new original windsurfer! Check out his really cool Original Windsurfer website: http://www.originalwindsurfer.com/ there are some really nice pictures and stories about the birth and growth of our great sport.

Front row: Kevin Gratton, Jennifer Wettstein, Tara Schweitzer, Andy Gratton, Phil Sage (MoWind President)
Back row: Ted Schweitzer, Tim Cleary

Arden Anderson E-11 the Race Director of the 2010 Walleye Wagatta hasa synopsis of the race from his perspective posted on the MoWind site. Arden Anderson took over as Race Director the last 2 years and has done a great job.

Look for his race by race commentary on the MoWind web site: http://www.mowind.org/wp/?p=864

He has also posted some pictures & videos which are also on youtube. Check them out!. One of Arden’s goals is to make it a really affordable regatta and pass any profits to the MoWind Association. I believe this year he donated $100 to Mowind! I would like to thank Arden and his family for running the great event, making everyone feel comfortable including those whom it’s their first time. He raced everyone hard yet maintained the huge fun factor. I’m looking forward to working with them next year!

There was also a MoWind raffle which brought another $63 to MoWind. Tom Stokes from Indiana is the raffle winner and he will be a finalist for the Final Raffle in Sept. at the Wind Power Champs held again in Fond du Lac, WI.

The forecast was for light winds Sat. & Sun. but the wind Gods looked in our favor. We had decent wind for the 3 course races before lunch at which time the wind died to a vacuum. After lunch the wind picked up enough to do some figure 8 slalom in front of the beach. I finally was caught up with my shop duties and had a chance to get out myself. My brother Andy had rigged up a Wayler One-Design (the board we both learned on in the early 80’s) for me and himself. It was the first time on the race course for me in several years after having shoulder problems. Last Dec. I finally bit the bullet and had shoulder replacement surgery. So after months of great therapy at Back-In-Action I was ready to test my new shoulder out. I have to say it works much better and I really enjoyed getting back on the race course. Now sailing on ancient equipment was a relearning experience. The sails don’t pump the same, but needless to say I still had a blast. Ted, Andy and I had a great time in the Vintage Class. For the Slalom races a Bald Eagle sat in a near by tree and watched intently. What an awesome sight for the Eagle and us.

Saturday night after supper (many went across the street to the Sunset Supper Club) everyone enjoyed the typical bonfire. Due to late night partying the night before, most packed it in earlier than usual. Fires are important to keep the Wind Gods happy!

Adding Fuel to the Fire - See more images in the photo gallery

Sunday racing started around 11:00 am with 10 -12 from the southeast. Arden ran 4 races with the wind building through all 4 races. After starting the 3^rd race I was struggling with the Wayler 6.8 sail on 9 foot booms. The gust were getting stronger and more pronounced. Once I got to the upwind buoy the beach was right in front of me and calling. So in I went to rest my shoulder and get out of the starfish stance I perfected when I first learned how to windsurf. (I didn’t want to starfish stance to develop into a habit). In the last 2 races I saw the guys on the bigger sails planning through most of the slalom type course Arden wisely set as an option. So the moral of Sunday was we had great wind from the bonfire, and don’t pay attention to the forecast when a regatta is being held.

JUST SHOW UP and HAVE FUN!

Winter Sailing & Kiting on Lake Winnebago: Freeskate, Snowfer, Snowboard and more

Kevin Gratton — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:16:06 +0000

Wintertime at Wind Power Windsurfing & Kiting Center is a busy time once Lake Winnebago freezes and the Ice is safe. Windsurfing & Kiteboarding in the winter can be better than the summer for a lot of sailors & kiters.

The Winter ice has many advantages:

you can get more sailing/kiting days as winds tend to be stronger in the winter and the wind requirements on the ice are much less.
you can use your smaller kits (sails or kites) since less wind is required. This is a great time to get more use of your smaller sizes that don’t get used much in the water season.
Wind Direction is not as critical with sailing/launch spot. You can sail in front of Wind Power all winter long on all wind directions.
Learning to sail or kite in the winter is easier and the preferred method. See this post by Kevin – Learn to Kitesurf in the Winter at Wind Power (this is especially true for kiting, but applies to windsurfing too!)
No dealing with cold water. Yes, the temperature is lower, but dressed appropiately (Ski or Snowboard clothing) with proper protective gear (helment and pads) you stay toasty warm.
You probably have most of the gear if you windsurf or kitesurf. You may get a different board or use your snowboard for snow kiting.
See the 09/10 Winter Flyer for pictures of the freeskate, snowfer, winterboard and iceboard.

Here is a Video of Kevin on the Freeskate with a windsurfing rig. The freeskate is similar to a large skateboard with blades instead of wheels. It has larger trucks, and the board is very manuverable. You need pretty clean ice for the freeskate. The snowfer offers a more ‘all-terrain’ board and it works good on ice and snow. And the kiters use mostly skis or a snowboard.

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Snow Kiting Jumping sequence on Lake Winnebago

Notice of Race, 2009 Wind Power Championships 24th Annual Regatta, Participate or Watch

Kevin Gratton — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:27:41 +0000

Wind Power Championships 2009 Notice of Race!

This is the 24^th Anniversary of this fall windsurfing event. It is on the US Windsurfing National Race Tour and a MoWind (Mid-West Organizers of Windsurfing) Event.

Don’t let all the hype fool you though, it’s a great event for all. Even First Time Racers! Wind Power caters to the beginner and novice racer. We try our best to make them comfortable, educate them and make them feel part of the Windsurfing Racing Family. Course and Slalom and Long Distance Racing will be offered, wind permitting.

New this year is the addition of the O’Pen Bic Kid’s Sailboat Class. Click on the blue link and see a detailed description of the boat and it’s uses and the 1st Annaul Event. Wind Power held the 1st annual O’pen Bic un-Regatta Aug 22nd. With 22 racers it was a great success even though it was chilly and very windy in the morning. By noon the sun was out and the wind subsided some to offer perfect conditions for all the kids. The kids and parents unamiosly voted to make next years a 2 day event. Wind Power will have boats available for kids to race in the Championships.

Saturday afternoon the Winnebago Association of Kiters (WAK) will host a brat & hamburger sale. Saturday night a meal and drink are provided at the Sunset Supper Club located next to the race site. At the meal the 2009 year end MoWind Awards will be presented. A bonfire at Wind Power will follow. Don’t forget to bring your Tent! Free camping in Wind Power’s backyard.

Sunday starts with a 9:30 skippers meeting followed with racing. Sunday afternoon will be awards, prizes and sub sandwiches. Bring your friends and family and watch or be a part of the 2009 Wind Power Championships.

Why is it important to take Windsurfing lessons?

Kevin Gratton — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:25:31 +0000

Most People know by now that Windsurfing can be difficult to learn. There is also a misconception that it takes a lot of upper body strength to learn. Well let’s discuss some facts.

The human being is born with instinctive reactions for windsurfing. I say “We are born with a windsurfing program in our brain. It’s a poor program like Windows 98. It causes you to crash a lot!” The windsurfing Instructor’s job is to make you aware of the instinctive problems and teach you the proper techniques so you have good balance while windsurfing. The instructor will teach you the proper reactions. Repeated use of the proper reaction will build muscle memory and eventually the poor instinctive reaction will change to the proper reaction and balance will improve, windsurfing will be easy and fun with no swimming involved.

For instance, most beginners fall backwards quite often. Why? Because their instinct has them not standing on the centerline of the board but to the windward side of the board and they tend to put too much weight on their heels. That stance along the instinctive reaction of hugging the sail (bending the elbows) after up-hauling leads to an in-balance to the windward side of the board and the result is falling in backwards.

Windsurfing has many, many different balances and the instructor will teach the student how to be aware and feel the balance points. Our instincts make it difficult to find and feel the balance points. An Instructor should have what I call the Instructor’s Eye. The instructor will see the reason for imbalance or the cause of a fall and they will inform you how correct the move and work on muscle memory.

The misconception that windsurfing takes a lot of upper body strength is correct when one uses poor technique. Learning the proper technique of keeping your arms straight and relaxed, thumbs on top of the boom, back straight with a sitting posture transfers all the pull from the sail into your legs instead of using hand, arm and back muscles. There is no need to, and using those muscles just wears one out in no time.

A good Instructor teaching the proper techniques with a seasoned Instructors Eye, will make your 1^st time learning experience fun, easy and successful. Oh and a lot drier!

Advanced Windsurfing Instruction is equally important because again of the Bad Instinctive Reactions. They seem to appear at all levels of this great sport.

Don’t waste precious time, you only live once! Put forth the effort to find a good Windsurfing School and learn to master the great sport of windsurfing quickly. Put yourself on a fast learning curve, it will be your Best Investment in Windsurfing!