20th TABA Toledo Windsurfing Championships
Thanks to all the attended and helped out at the  20th TABA windsurfing regatta.   We had a nice turnout of I believe 41 windsurf racers who came from all over the Midwest, Florida and Canada.    A summary, results and pictures can be found on the www.mowind.org site.   The winds were great all day Saturday and a bit much for some of the novice fleet.   Sunday saw just the opposite and only one light air race was ran Sunday morning.   Below windsurfers jockey for position at the start line for Sunday's race.





blog.toledoaba.com
The  blog.toledoaba.com  domain name and Web site is hosted via godaddy.com using their Quickblog cast software.  The site account was purchased 10/16/2007 for two years for $70 and thus expires 10/16/2009.    The webmaster had hopes the Web site would get utilized by TABA members but that hasn't happenned.  The GoDaddy quickblog online software used to post messages to the site has proved to be  slow and a bit complex for a novice computer person to use.  Anyway my plan is to let the Godaddy account expire 10/16/2009.   There is a free service availabe from Yahoo that I believe will serve TABA better. 

Yahoo Groups
A better Web presence option I believe is to use the Yahoo Groups  mail list software.   MOWIND and BONC (Boardheads of Cleveland) are already using Yahoo Groups.  This Yahoo ran mail list has done well in filtering spam as I rarely get any through the list.   The Yahoo Groups software also allows for online storage of document files and images.   You can elect to receive email postings as they occur or in one big message per day called Digest mode or not receive any email notices at all.  

To access and or join group via a Web browser go to  

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ToledoAreaBoardsailingAssociation

The groups email address is
 
ToledoAreaBoardsailingAssociation  @   yahoogroups.com


I will be sending out invitations to join the group via email over the next few days.    Any Toledo area windsurfer can join this group you do not have to be a paid TABA member.

Scott  #H

Here is the  Notice of Race for the 2009 Toledo windsurfing regatta.  Please note this is an early version of the NOR so it could change a bit during the next couple weeks.    Be sure to print several copies and distribute to your windsurfing buddies and non-windsurfing friends that are interested.  

2009 Toledo NOR pdf    /   version of May 2, 2009.



Here is a list of 2009 area regatta of interest to TABA windsurfers:

May  2-3  Alum Creek  at Alum Creek State park marina - north/Columbus OH
 www.ca.geocities.com/alumcreekwindsurfing

May 30-31 TABA  Toledo Windsurfing Championships  -  at Maumee Bay State Park Oregon OH
 

Jun 13  PBC Perrysburg Boat Club Regatta at PBC Perrysburg OH  (Maumee River)
 www.perrysburgboatclub.org

Jun 20  Grosse Point Sailing Club Regatta  at Patterson Park,  Grosse Point MI
 gpwc.jimminet.net

Jun 20 Toledo Sailing Club at Walbridge Park Toledo OH  (Maumee River)
 www.toledosailingclub.com     -  unfortunately conflicts with GPWC regatta date

Aug 3-5 ILY-A   Bay Week regatta at  Put-In-Bay, OH    race course between Middle and South Bass 
 www.i-lya.com

Sep12-13 Higgins Lake at Higgins Lake South State Park, Roscomon MI    
gpwc.jimminet.net

Please join us for our Spring Kickoff Dinner at Mancy's Bluewater Grille, Dussel Drive in Maumee.

Wed. April 8th
6:30pm cocktails/gathering, 7:00 dinner

We will each pay our own bills. TABA will refund $20 for a single($20) membership, and $30 for a family($30) membership.You do the math!!

You must RSVP so we can plan for the room.


Denny Brengartner

Regatta Planning, at the original Packo's, 6pm, March 25th
We got a good start but there's still plenty to do!! Please join us again this week with your ideas and support. We have the usual issues- Race Committee, favors, staffing the event, boats, etc. Let's try to get this sorted out early this year. We need your bodies at the meeting and at the event!! Pls RSVP to Denny so we know how big a table to get.

Regatta Committee:
The first organizational meeting for the TABA Spring windsurfing regatta was held Wed  March 18th at the original Packos with Scott H, Dick N., Rod C. and chairman Denny B present.    We missed a couple of our regulars not being there?   There will be additional regatta organizational meetings in the near future and yet to be scheduled a celebrate Spring  banquet type affair for TABA members.     Anyway those of you that couldn't attend the first regatta meeting please try to get to the second.  Watch for email from Denny, if not on his list please contact him.  

This year's regatta is the 20th Annual event and we hope to make it extra special.   If you have any ideas please leave your comment or email Denny or Rod.   The treasurer reports there is a nice balance in the TABA checking account so we have a bit of leeway to do something extra fun during the regatta.    

On a down note,  this years event may just be the last invitational regatta TABA does, at least for a while.   After 20 years of organizing this event preluded by several years of putting on local club regattas in the 80's the TABA group is looking at retiring from their race organizer jobs.   It's time to pass the beach ball to speak.   Several of the members on the regatta committee have recently retired from their day jobs and have other things they want to do like traveling and attending regatta in new places.   Variety is the spice of life and change is often a good thing.    We hope to see a lot of locals and former TABA members and racers come out for the 20th Toledo Windsurfing Championships event - - so please pass the word --  help us go out with a big bang !!!! 

Other area news:
The BONC gang down the coast in Cleveland might take up the slack with a new event next year and last year the Columbus Alum Creek regatta saw renewed interest with a good  turnout.    Talking about  Alum Creek windsurfing race, that regatta is scheduled for May 2-3,  their Web site is not updated yet but there should be updated details there soon at  http://ca.geocities.com/alumcreekwindsurfing/        This is another event held at a State Park,   you can camp on the cheap if you want, or stay at one of several hotels down the road a few miles around the 270 beltway of Columbus.   Last year the Saturday evening party was held at the RoadHouse bar and grill a very fun place just a few miles from the event site on route 23.  

Some TABA history:
In the late 80's TABA (known then as the Black Swamp Board Sailors)  had two or three social parties a year along with some club pinics and breakfasts at the beach type events.    Usually before a party started a shortish business meeting was held.    These get togethers were also the time to corral in new members and basically the way and a perfect time to join and meet the group.     The first invitational TABA regatta started in 1989 and was held at Crane Creek State park.     Unfortunately the downside of organizing and hosting a Spring regatta is people get burnt out to speak just when the summer season is starting.   Thus the group has focused on the regatta and not much else for a couple decades.    Hopefully we can get back to having a couple business/social meetings per season, maybe an organized swap meet, etc ...   your suggestions welcomed.        
 

Scott   #H

Attention Toledo Area Boardsailing Association members.
It's time to talk about and get ready for the Toledo Area Boardsailing Association's
20th Annual Toledo Windsurfing Championships, May 30-31, 2009
Held at Maumee State Park Beach,  Oregon, OH

Spring Kick-Off Meeting  at  the  Original Packo's , 6pm  Wed. March 18th
Refreshments & eats on TABA.

We plan to make the 20th regatta a good one.
Please come with your ideas for a memorable event. 

As always volunteers are much appreciated and needed to help with the regatta.
There are needs for people to do  trophies, T-shirts, party planning, breadfast, lunches, scoring, 
buoys, water, safety boats, registration, setup and cleanup.   The more people we have
helping out the less anyone has to do.  

Remember to reserve the regatta dates - Sat and Sun May 30-31, 2009!  
If you haven't raced in a while, dust off that old long board,  come out and
help make the 20th regatta an event to remember.  

 

Well maybe Spring isn't arriving in the Toledo area but it will be soon arriving in Florida.  At least a couple TABA sailors are heading down for the Island Style Classic in Sarasota and the Mid-Winters near Cocoa Beach.   

Feb 28-March 1st 2009 is the Island Style Classic in Sarasota. See Web sites
http://www.mswindsurfing.com/ or http://www.sarasotasailingsquad.com/ for information.

The Calema Mid-Winters follows the next week running March 5th - March 8th 2009
This is a 4 day event Thursday(registration) with racing Friday, Sat and Sunday. Check the Web site http://www.calema.com/for details.

Denny B.  reports there is an opening or two in a house for his Spring Hatteras trip in April.  This is not a club organized trip.

Sometime late Jan or early Feb there should be a  winter TABA get together to kick off the new year.  So watch for an email
or new posting here on  blog.ToledoABA.com 
 
Also likely the first regatta committee meeting of our 2009 event will happen within the next few weeks.  Please contact Rod or Denny if you can help out.    

MOWIND -  MidWest Organizers of Windsurfing are still kicking and providing insurance to events.   Visit  www.mowind.org for the Midwest MOWIND calendar (which should be up soon).     Phil Sage of the Cleveland area has been elected as MOWIND president this year.   We are adding a Help for Racers and Help for Directors page to the Mowind.org site so yeah we need help and ideas for content on those new pages.   

Scott H.  developed a nice  video slide show introduction to the Racing Rules of Sailing.  It is posted at several locations including the Mowind.org site on the "Help for Racers" page.      You can easily view the YouTube versions by going to Scott's blog post at
http://www.amoka.com/blog/?p=235   There are a couple changes in the 2009-2012 new RRS rule book that you should know if you race.    The big change is that the Mark Zone is now three hull lengths.

If you would like to join TABA,  check the Join TABA  Category and find the form attached to the post there, 

Please plan to attend the 20th Annual Toledo Championships Windsurfing Regatta May 30-31, 2009.   A notice of race and additional details on the event will be available here and on the Mowind.org site next May.

The 2009 Memorial Day holiday falls on Monday the 25th thus the Toledo regatta is a couple days earlier then usual.   TABA members plan to make the 20th event a big one we all will remember!  If you haven't made it to the Toledo race for a while please reserve the dates.  


Scott  -  #H - Go Prodigy          

The winds blew onshore from the NE in the 15-22 mph range all afternoon.   A  5.5 sail is all you needed and with a nice blue sky and temperatures in the mid 70's conditions were ideal.     Several TABA windsurfers made it out, some on big boards and some on little boards.   Below Mel uphauls his 5.0 on his Prodigy.   The summer season is near over so get out there while the water is still warm!   The Holiday weekend is calling for light winds and sunny skies.

  

Great weather and great fun was shared by 9 One Design Prodigy windsurfers during the 115th running of the Bay Week regatta.   From Monclova it's just 53 miles to the Miller Ferry docks on Catawba and then a 45 minute ferry ride over to Middle Bass Island.    The regatta registration and festivites take place at the Put-In-Bay Yacht Club (PIBYC) on South Bass Island.   The big water taxi the Sonny S. runs every hour from Middle Bass to South Bass and docks just a 100 yards from PIBYC.    So getting back and forth between islands is easily done.  Below part of the group poses for a picture.   From left to right Denny, Frank, John, Joe and Scott.



I-LYA Bay Week was sail boat racing only but in 2006 5 of us from TABA were the first One Design Windsurfing group to ever sail in the 112 years running of the event.    The I-LYA group has been very impressed by the Mistral Prodigy One Design kits.  I'm pretty sure they feel our one design class is a great addition to their centerboard fleet.    This year we got in 3 races on Monday in good winds, 4 races on Tues in awesome 10 to 15 mph winds and then on Wed racing was canceled due to very light air conditions.

The final results I believe were:

1 Dick Tillman
2 Rod Clevenger
3 Denny Brengartner
4 Chris Barry
5 Scott Haas
6 Joe Belhobeck
7 Frank Murry
8 Gary Smith
9 Don 

We plan to do this event again in 2009 with hopefully an even larger Mistral Prodigy class so check the  I-LYA Web site next Spring.    There is a new renovated state park on Middle Bass Island scheduled to open sometime in 2009.  We are hoping it is open in time for Bay Week which usually starts the first week of August.