The 1980’s and early 1990’s was an intoxicating time for racing in the Bay. It was during this era that CalCup was born.
By Jane Morson
Published: September, 2006
The 1980’s and early 1990’s was an intoxicating time for racing in the Bay. It was during this era that CalCup was born.
In 1988, Don Lester and Emily Dale began running the Berkeley Wednesday night races. It was Lester who had an idea that would take the races out of the south sailing basin — these races would be held on weekends instead of Wednesday nights. In 1991, the first real CalCup race was held at Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz, and was sponsored by Waddell Sails.
Sponsorship had its problems; the sponsors wanted to dictate where the race would be on any given weekend. The problem was that the wind did not always agree with the title sponsor’s location choice. Sometimes, the race was in the right place for the sponsor, but the wind was somewhere else. This is what brought about big changes for CalCup racing. The wind would be considered the main sponsor, and would be the primary factor in choosing a location on race day. And, CalCup had to have its own boat, tackle and crew.
When sponsorship of CalCup disappeared in 1999, Mike Percey, by default, took the reins. Today, Percey continues to supply the organization with not only the CalCup boat, but also backing and commitment, which is what really keeps the race series alive. As a result, CalCup has evolved into the hotbed of racing talent in Northern California.
Here in the Bay area, CalCup (and St. Francis Yacht Club,) has a racing calendar, which helps bring together racers who practice in Berkeley, San Francisco, Coyote Point and numerous far away places, and allows everyone to see how individual practice sessions are working out. Windsurfers can find out if their sail adjustments, fin choices, etc., are right or wrong. And whoever is up on top, will get asked a lot of questions, and other racers will try to coordinate a day of practice in that person’s part of the Bay, so they can pass on the knowledge.
CalCup is a for fun event that continues to strive for new racer involvement.
For the more serious racers, there are perpetual trophies for the different classes, which have been passed around for the last 15 years.
CalCup has had many great racing names involved with the events, and some who still participate, such as Trevor Bayliss, Seth Besse, Steve Bodner, Micah Buzianis, Bard Chrisman, Devon Boulon, Rob Hartman, Don Lester, Brian McDougal, Mike Percey, Kevin Pritchard, the Seward brothers, Steve Sylvester, Bill Weir, David Wells, Mike Zajicek and many more.
CalCup has withstood the test of time — from the heyday of windsurfing when it was the sport, to the dog-eat-dog competitions between rival windsurf shops with their sponsored windsurfing stars, to now, a time when manufacturers sponsor the top dogs of the sport. And, CalCup has seen it all.
CalCup now sees the future in new sports enthusiasts who are looking for an environmentally sound, adrenaline rush sport. San Francisco Bay could be their new gym.
Photo courtesy of CalCup
