Tamara Bockius reports on winning the Maui County Championships on Carbon Art.
The 26th annual Maui Race Series has been running smoothly. The first 4 events have been completed, The Starboard Slalom, DaKine Classic, MFC Open and Quicksilver Cup. The Hawaii State Championships are scheduled for July 31st. This year there were a few heat postponements due to lack of wind and an occasional deflated or run away buoy but for the most part we had good slalom racing with lots of Pro Sailors and a seasoned Race committee.
I am happy to report that all my Winter training paid off and I won the Open Women’s division at all 4 events. My Carbon Art 52 and custom 51 Carbon Art Slalom board have been working well for me. I usually rig 2 or 3 sails when I’m competing. My MauiSails TR-6s are a dream to use and feel very comfortable and balanced. My Sail quiver ranges all the way down to a 3.3 wave sail (lots of days training this Spring using that on my 51). My smallest cambered Race Sail is a 4.3, then a 4.7, 5.1, 5.5 and 5.9. I don’t like to take out bigger than the 5.9, too heavy for me.
The 5.5 and 5.9 on the 52 CA have been a perfect combination for me in lighter air. All I have to do is not fall in or mess up setting my start watch. I won 14 of the 16 heats (there are 4 each event) with some serious board speed. My Carbon Art boards are easy to ride and extremely fast. I kept telling myself to calm down and concentrate knowing I had the best equipment possible. I tried really hard not to get distracted and kept my mistakes to a minimum.
This past year we Slalom trained in all conditions. 10 knots, 35 knots, Mast High, South wind, Ho’okipa to Jaws and back, everything. We also tested all of our equipment with a GPS unit. We often set a buoy or two to perfect jibes and work on the crucial start sequence. I am looking forward to the 5th and final event, the Hawaii State Championships.
Aloha from Maui! Tamara Nichtern Bockius
(Big thankyou to Jimmie Hepp for the photos. Plenty more shots on his Facebook and also check his website: www.jimmiehepp.com)
