My first slalom race.

I had plans to compete in all the races in Scandinavia this summer. Unfortunately most of these were cancelled due to low winds. Save one – this weekends NC-5 in Glesvær, near Bergen!
A great venue for slalom sailing, but somewhat gusty with the winds coming from a southern direction. The gusts snook up on us and hit really hard, so almost every one of us got lifted and slapped around a little every now and then.

Being the first race I was a bit nervous especially in the beginning. I sorted my head out better  during the last day. I had a couple of good starts, and a couple of good races, unfortunately I didn’t manage to have them together… 😦

I got to put my gear to the test, and its a great feeling when you realize that your equipment is top notch, compared to anyone! Sailing with the best slalom sailors in the country i can see I am moving in the right direction. My speed is good at its best, my jibes are good at their best, but I do far to many stupid mistakes. I need far more time on water to avoid these. I am going to use every opportunity to practice during the winter, no matter how cold it is. :O
This pic is from the first day – wind changing direction and speed from 12 to 45 knots with heavy showers most of the day!
the next day was better with winds around 20-25 knots and no rain. This is Sondre Krey and Kristian Oppdal, two of the best masters in Norway. Sondre has entered two PWA races this season as the only Norwegian slalom sailor. Good start on my behalf 🙂 Racing was so much fun! the people are great, the action was fantastic and you push yourself so much harder than you do if you sail alone! I am convinced that I will develop much faster as a windsurfer when I race.