I have just read over the Compitotor Race Manual for the up and coming race from Rottnest to Leighton and was very impressed by the presentation and information made available.
It is refreshing to see all angles considered in informing all the competitors of the information required to make a succeful crossing.
Interstingly i am making these remarks from Rottnest, Will i be staying here untile the event ? - No - i will be catching the ferry back Friday morning , to catch the ferry back Sat AM.
Had a kite out by the Barracks today and the wind was a bit average, got a few runs in but on my last run was only just lucky enough to make it back to terra ferma almost missing the island all together !
Looks like there should be enough wind on Saturday though,
As far as i am concerned - the wind can't be strong enough or the swell to big !
Just read the info manual also and very happy to have all those answers and the day schedule 
What size kite did you fly? and what board were you using? (Pending wing and all)
and would you say the swell was about as large as the swell 1km off Leightons beach?
I am bringing over a 9 & 12m and riding my twin tip over...super excited now woohoo
I will be riding my Surfboard, as i always do so the makes my decision easy
and kite size will depend on wind strength -
I think it is better to have more kite rather than less as it will be a broad reach where you can handle more power.
i dont reckon swell will make a difference but its the chop/seas that'll sort peeps out. who can skim fastest across the choppy sou wester surface without coming unstuck? superhyper board n kite or not, i reckon it'll come down to who has the b@lls to go fastest and can stay on, surfboard/twinnie/speedboard and i reckon thats the best aspect of the race, might as well throw 50 ski ropes on the back of a ferry and see who is left at the end, he who charges hardest wins.
i dont wanna question thier organising efforts, obviously a lot put in but does anyone else think its a bit optimistic to expect a decent breeze at midday? if its a superlight breeze, the race boards n kites will win, all those who cant kite in 14 knots will be....at the pub or swimming i guess.
goinna be a cracker either way!
Hey Bully it is sheduled to start at 230 not midday.
You would expect the breeze to be in by then and Im guessing they will postpone the start if it is too light.
Kite size is probably going to be a difficult choice though as you would expect the breeze will pick up on the way across.
@Kat it doesn't really matter what size the swell was when Ioz was out, it changes by the day or sometimes the hour, ATM though it is not forecast to be that big.
I agree with Ioz though.
Interesting to note that Felix Pevic won the Ledge to LAncelin race a few years back by tacking out to sea and then downwind...
I didn't get a start but if anyone needs a pfd and flare, let me know.
I think it is going to come down to pure strength and endurance , for me it is anyway .
Did a few long tacks (1-2 kms) off Scarbs yesterday and found that my legs where already turning to jelly .
Will be interesting to see what type of board proves to be best though . Everybody I speak to has a different view .
Looking forward to it though , should be fun .
Cya on Sat.
You also need to concentrate on the start watch the flags and jostle for position without going over the start line or tangling lines.
Its exciting and hectic enough in a yacht.
Plus you are only allowed to go in a clockwise direction - thats gonna be exciting with 49 others gibing and tacking at random intervals.
I wouldn't want to be on a strapped surfboard having to do 3 maybe 4 gibes super quick with kites bearing down on me on a starboard tack.
The start is going to be everything
Huge swell and high winds is ideal for me but part of me hopes for sub 15kn and small swell tactics really come into play then.
I've hired the penthouse for the night before....polished up my "bros" CD and gonna pimp it all night long....
Got 3 bedrooms spare, but my ego has put dibbs on one spare room, and my arrogance the other two.
