NEW Distance Race Cocoa Beach - Vero

[mikerooka]

what time @ Cheries for Meeting & start?

[ricki]

Originally Posted by mikerooka

what time @ Cheries for Meeting & start?

AJ had this on the page before this one:

Originally Posted by kitebdr1962

Hey Everyone...

We are a go for Saturday morning...Forecast is looking like NE winds, 15 to 25...We will start the race at 10:00 a.m. Sharp....Skippers meeting at 9:00, and you must be there to hear it..Fee for the race will be done at 8:30 til 9:00...25.00 check or cash, NO CARDS..There will be a pre-race party Friday night at Liar's Pub, 3800 US1, Grant, Fl. 32950, and a Skippers Meeting there too, around 8:00. You can pre-pay there also before the race Saturday..Just to let everyone know, I have been working with PAFB, and all that info will be told at the Skippers Meeting, Friday and Saturday..The Race is "ON"...There will be a 36 hour notice coming soon..Get ready Riders, it is going to be a blast, and tons of fun, that is what this is all about..Be sure to check out the FKA forum, there is stuff there to read, and I will try and update info there also...Rick has put up a aerial view on this forum, thanks Rick..The start line will be at Cherie Downs Park, at the corner of Washington Ave and Ridgewood Ave, which is just south of Ron jon resort..Be sure to look it up, and be there for the meeting and start, not at the resort..The finish line will be marked well, so that should not be a problem..btw if anyone has people following them down, for a support team, be sure to have them take pictures at the Cocoa Beach Pier, and at the Sebastian Inlet Bridge on top of it, should make for some awesome shots..fyi, this race does not have a name, and I am just trying to keep a flame going here for neil, because we know that his Race/event will be back next year. I know about the local knowledge very well, and I know that there are some new shops that just opened up there. I will back sure that We do not cause any problems up that way for their future business. If anyone has family memebers that want to help in anyway, have them see me Friday night or Saturday morning around 8:30..Thanks Again for all the help Rick and Kent. Hope to see everyone soon..A.J...

[ricki]

This just in from AJ:

"2009 Downwinder Race
Friday Night Discussion Items:

1. Driver License: Everyone will need to bring their driver's license. A.J. will collect these BEFORE you leave the beach and will be put in a safe place.

a. WHY: It is ALL about Safety. If we have your driver's license, you will have to check in with us once the race is over so we ensure that you have not been "lost at sea". Most people will not think about calling me and letting me know that they made it back to shore Safely. This just covers my butt, when your family comes looking for you. Everyone will have a number put on the top of each arm, and then my cell number on the inside of your right arm.

b. Be sure to have money and a cell phone in a water proof bag.


2. START OF THE RACE: You will already be in the water, kiting back and forth, upwind. There will a person standing on the shore with flags. That person is the Start Line, and you must stay upwind of that person, before the start of the Race.

a. There will be ONLY Two Flags to deal with. One Red and One Green.

b. Red flag will be held up at 5 minutes before 10:00, one minute before 10:00, it will go away, then at 10:00, the Green Flag raises, and the Race is ON. If anyone goes before the Green Flag comes up, you will be DNF. PERIOD. This will not be hard to do, if you just stay upwind and wait for the Green Flag.

c. If you want to start on the beach, not in the water, just stay upwind of the start line, launch your kite 5 minutes before start, and then take off the shore when the Green flag shows.

d. We would really like to have everyone start out in the water, which makes it Safer for those on the beach. If you think that you would have problems staying upwind in the Ocean, then launch from the shore.

e. Try and stay as far away from each other (kiteboarders) as possible.


3. END OF THE RACE (Finish Line): There will be two flags in the ground, about knee high. You must go thru them to have your time recorded. There will be NO "the first one to land" wins. You have to walk thru the flags. They will be right on the shore about 10 to 15 feet away, so you do not get hit in the back with a Wave/Shore pound, per say.

4. The distance off shore will be discussed in the Meetings, Friday and Saturday.

5. The Race is still a Go, and ALL is a "GO AHEAD" From PAFB, ONLY just for this Event/Race/Fun Run, etc."

[srq kiter]

Hey what is the water temp like over there right now???

[kitebdr1962]

Hey Everyone..I am glad to hear that a lot of people are coming to the Race, Thank-You very much...I did make a call to Yellow Cab today, and they told me, if you got a Cab from Cherie Downs and went to Vero Beach, one way, then it would cost 150.00..So that means that you should care at least that much money with you, to be on the safe side..The water temp will be in the mid 70's, but Me personally, I am going to wear a full suit, since I am going to be in the ocean for over 3 to 4 hours..Yes I will be doing this Race also, but I will not start til after everyone passes PAFB. That also means that I will be the last Guy coming in, so I am going to put a "Stop Time" on the Race. Rumor has it, that the Big Guns are coming to the Race, and they are trying to finish it in under 2 hours, Whow..With that being said, then I need to push the rest of Us to catch up..The window for the Race, time wise, will be two hours after the Pro's. If anyone can do it that Fast, then they are Pro's in My world..So the offical time for the race will end at 2:00, but wait, that does not been that you stop Kiting to the finish, that is just the Offical Stop Time. If I do not make that time, o well, I am in it for the long run. Remember everyone, this is the First Ever Downwinder on the Central East Coast, this far, and the first since 911 that anyone has had the offical "Go ahead" to cross in front of PAFB...Who cares all long it takes, its the point of beginning in this kind of Race..We will do the trophy event after 2:00, but not before I get there...lol..So to those who are waiting for Me to show up, be sure to have fun, drink a few beers for Me, I promise I will catch up, and be sure to show off your stuff in front of the Beach resorts..Freestyle Riding...

Just a heads up on swell conditions, here's a shot from today from around Melbourne Beach:


(clearly a bigger set wave but indicative of the size of the swell, the winds this afternoon were only around 8-10mph)

Currently the buoy 20 miles off of Cape Canaveral is reporting 6' @ 11 second swell. The swell size is forcast to increase with the winds over the next 2 days. So plan on large swells running during the race. The starting area will be sheltered a bit from the swell by the Cape since it's from the NE, the Cape shadow goes away around Patrick AFB so plan on seeing increased swells south of that area all the way to Vero.

I went surfing today and the water temp. was 70. Come to your own conclusions on how much rubber to wear to stay comfortable. It's not cold, but it's not warm either.

Just heard about the race this morning but sounds like a lot of fun.