The U.S. Windsurfing Nationals are returning to San Francisco this month. The premier windsurfing event in the continental United States, this World Cup competition showcases local, national and international windsurfers racing in some of the most challenging waters anywhere. The competition will unfold from August 7th through August 11th and will be based at Crissy Field, where spectators will be able to follow the course races as well as see the popular slalom competition.
Windsurfers (in order of position) Steve Sylvester, Al Mirel, Steve Bodner and Alan Prussia race in the San Francisco Classic this July. Photo courtesy of Christian Ariel Pomodoro of 4C Design Studios
By Scott Hargis
Published: August, 2007
A number of local windsurfers are expected to be among the contenders. We have an extremely strong amateur fleet here, says Steve Sylvester, the U.S. Windsurfing Chairman of Events, and a past president of the organization. Our local surfers can expect to be in the top 20 finishers, even at this world-class level.
The event will also feature several prominent windsurfing celebrities, including Anders Bringdal, a veteran world cup racer, and Seth Besse, an up-and-coming competitor who resides part-time in the Bay Area.
Sylvester, himself an avid windsurfer since 1975, says that competitive windsurfers tend to be in their thirties and forties despite the physical rigors of the sport. It’s like combining downhill skiing with golf, he says. The physical element is key, but it takes years and years of practice to learn to work with the natural forces. Many of the contenders in the August event will be in their forties and fifties.
Windsurfers travel at breathtaking speeds on San Francisco Bay; they can go 15-16 mph upwind and as fast as 30 mph downwind. Managing a board and sailing at those speeds requires a medley of skills that can only be acquired through long practice. Sailing helps, said Sylvester. I sail five or six days a week.
Spectators at the competition will have great views of the slalom, and the competitors will launch and land from the beach at Crissy Field. More information can be found at the U.S. Nationals Blog, located at 2007uswnats.blogspot.com, or at www.uswindsurfing.org.
