wtorek, 15 września 2009

The season - it's over !

Well, it's been quite a long time since I wrote something here. It was due to my broken computer. I have hardly written my last report and it broke !Since then we have had Pobierowo EuroChallenger, Allegro Cup in Leba, which haven't been really lucky for me. I have taken it more as a training, we had an interesting conditions...30knts Formula sailing. Than with Maciek Rutkowski, Jacek Piasecki and Agnieszka Bilska we went for Juniors Slalom Europeans. Surely, with our fathers supporting us with traveling. This event was strange! We had difference of wind speed about 10knts in almost every race! In one final it was even 9 to 29knots! Sick! Polish team has taken 4 awards there. Maciek - 1st place U19, me - 3rd U17, Jacek - 1st U17 and Goffy - 1st girl U17. After that I moved to Marian Brzozowski Qlub in Łeba, where I will train all next season. After only 2 days there I managed to took 12th in seniors Polish Cup FW and 8th in Slalom. It was cool. The last weekend of vacations in Poland we had Juniors Slalom and FW Championships. I took 1st in Formula U17 and 2nd in Slalom U17. I have very huge plans for this winter. It's like : trainging testing trainging testing ... Hopefully with sparingpartner. Brasil? Maui? Egypt? I don't know yet. But for sure next April in Almanarre where the Juniors Slalom Worlds will take place in 2010!

Aloha,Gutek KurczewskiPOL-75 ( Smartfins, http://www.oddech.pl/ )

poniedziałek, 20 lipca 2009

JYM Slalom World Championships 2009

12th July was the registration day, on 13th we started racing. Organizers have done good work. We had special place for equipement, lunches, barbecues and races were done pretty quick every day. Mroczek arrived 7 hours before races, but his stuff had stayed in Amsterdam. We had to share mine during the first day. To be honest I didn't have good starts and jibes at that day. Speed wasok, but that wasn't enough. I finished 2nd and 4th. Wojtek in loosers and winners final. He finished 9th.On the second day stronger wind came. About 22-26 knots. I was wandering weather to choose 6.6 ot 7.6. Finally I have choosen 7.6. Lugi ( my strongest opponent ) was overearly in first semi final. I won the final. In the next one thebiggest mistake in slalom I've ever seen! We have mistaken the buoys! I was leading to the first mar, then I was overtaken onabout board lenght, and falled on 2nd jibe. But! Then Luigi went for the 5th mark! Me too, but I saw Bonaire guys sailig up wind, and managed to take this buoy with only one tack, because of upwind capability of my camber fin and finished 4th. And that gave me 1st in overall.Wojtek was sailig on about 8th-9th place. On the 3rd day we had only juniors quater finals and then it started to rain like cats and dogs and wind dropped.On the 4th I won both finals! In the first one I overtook Luigi on the last mark, wich was very motivating for me.In teh second one I was leading since start and won again. I was 1st in overall, but next 2 eliminations could have changed everything. I had pretty bad start in first final on 5th day and took only 2nd position. Together with Luigi we werea bit nervous as the last final should decide who will become World Champ. Fortunately I managed to concentrate at time,dod good start, didn't stop planing while jibes and won the Juniors World Title 2009 by last race!Wojtek ended up on 10th, and the winner of Youths was Enes Yilmaizer TUR2 ( he is top 20 PWA ). We didn't have any Polish Master so I would like to write here only that Markus Poltenstein AUT30 has won it.The official event website is http://www.bonaireslalomworld.com/ where you can find photos, films and results after each day.Now I am in Hel Penisula waiting for big formula events on Polish coast: Pobierowo EuroChallenger, Leba AllegroCup,and Europeans in Sopot.

Take care,

Gutek Kurczewski POL-75 ( SmartFins, http://www.oddech.pl/ )
















niedziela, 12 lipca 2009

First time Bonaire !

Problems?! As usual had started long time before the trip! The first is that the Cadiz Formula Worlds take place inalmost the same time as this in Bonaire ( Slalom ). As the only one from Polish team I have choosen only Bonaire. Mroczek is coming here, but straight from Cadiz ( he will have 30 hours to come here from Europe and he will go straight from the plane to races ).Hopefully he will be able to acllimatise fast. The second problem ofcourse on the airport in Poland. I have hadall bags confirmed, as well as the price etc in KLM. Up till 30min before departure I wasn't sure if my stuff will fly with me. Finally they managed to put it into the plane, but the price was two times higher. What's good news, event organizers managed to organize free equipement transfer for all competitors traveling with KLM on their way back home.At my stop in Amsterdam I met Morane Demont FRA59, Denni Jakobsen DEN64 who were coming for the same event, and Sarah Quita Offring who were on her way back home after winned PWA on Lanzarote. After 10h flight I was welcomed with 30 Celsius temperature ( 4AM ) and 150% dampness of air!Accomodation for most of competitors is in Coco Palm Garden, which in my opinion is the best option: the closest tothe spot ( Lac Bay/ Sorobon Beach ), free!, and pretty nice. We have own house, bathroom, salon, diningroom, bedrooms.The distance to Lac Bay (7km) I go by bike. As soon as Mroczek come we will have a car.Since now I had two days with 7.6, two with 9.2 and one with 8.4. Some nice guys as: Connor Baxter USA333, Zane Schweitzer USA52, Morane Demont FRA59, Rich Jones GBR32, Danni Jakobsen DEN64, Enes Yilmazer TUR2 ( winner of the last year's Slalom Youth Worlds ) are here already. The registration list is pretty short now, but Ann - organizer of EVERYTHING - says that there are still many competitiors not registered. Well, the windsurfing place is perfect... for freestylers!It is much too shallow. If you want to sail slalom you have to go 500m beach or 700m in the knee deep water. Hopefully event site is predicted to be nearby the normal -deep- water. By the way, the temperature difference between air and water is barely perceptible.People here are very kind. Everybody wants to help you, even if you don't need it. Unfortunately prices are much higherthan those in Europe. For exaple: normal Margharitha with delivery is $18! That's all for now. I wait for Mroczek POL48 who should come here tommorow and we will keep you posted with our results!
Aloha,Gutek POL75 ( Smartfins, http://www.oddech.pl/ )

poniedziałek, 1 czerwca 2009

Jeziorsko Cup 2009

A little bit late report, cause it’s the end of school year here in Poland and I am in need of marking my grades.
But well, week ago we had first Polish Cup this season, which took place as usual on Jeziorsko Lake. Organizers were quite happy, cause all top Polish sailors has came, even some sailors from abroad where there! Wind was also good for us. We had 6 races.
On the first day ( Friday) we managed to do two. The wind was about 5-15knts, offshore, so it was very gusty. Both races were won by Wojtek Brzozowski. Second was Filip Korczycki and third Łukasz Konieczny. Wind had dropped so quick, that most sailors got back to shore by paddling with their masts.
On Saturday we managed to do 4 races. Wind was stronger. About 12-19 knts, also offshore. Most of us were sailing with 11m2, some even with 12m2. Changing sail between races was rather impossible, due to offshore wind (50-100 meters off shore was possible to sail only by paddling). Well known dancer – Steve Allen AUS0 has joined us that day. Only for training, but it didn’t disturb him with winning one race, by overtaking Wojtek just a few meters before finishing line. On Sunday there was no wind enough to do any racing.
Wojtek Brzozowski won, second was Huber Mokrzycki and in the third Kuba Guzdek.
Unfortunately it was more like weak ragatta for me. In the first day I have chosen bad fin, in the second it was also something wrong. After races I breathed a sigh of relief, cause I realized that I had got broken battens and the worse positions were not only my fault at all. The cold comfort is that not only me had such a bad luck. Maciek Rutkowski POL23 weren’t doing well in the first day, and in the second his extension got broken, so that he hadn’t finished 2 races. Michael Polanowski can also say about bad luck. 3rd in the Worlds in Portimao last year, and 5th on Jeziorsko…
When it comes to Youth’s the best was Michał Aftowicz POL83, who managed to take 7th in general ! Juniors were won by me – Radek ‘Gutek’ Kurczewski POL75. 1st master was Rysiu Pikul POL40, and in the women fleet Aga Pierasik POL19 was 1st.
Next Polish Cup is in Chałupy VI ( Hel Penisula ) on 19th- 21st June. Organizers plan to do Formula as well as Slalom. Hopefully wind and equipment will do good, and you will have a whale of game !

Aloha,
Gutek Kurczewski POL-75 ( SmartFins, http://www.oddech.pl/ )

piątek, 1 maja 2009

SmartFins

ta A few weeks ago I signed sponsoring contract with new fins company - Smart Fins. These fins are quite revolutionary.
It has different and changing profile - depends on the tack you are sailing. Company says that they look it up on fishes flippers and planes wings, which are also not symmetrical.
Because of this idea, we got about 20%
shorter fins then normal. I sailed my 7.6 sail
with 32cm fin today!



I can't say much, cause wind was so so, but the first impression is pretty nice!


Gutek (SmartFins, http://www.oddech.pl/)




niedziela, 26 kwietnia 2009

26.o4.o9

I opened season in Poland while Easter, but didn't have photographer then.
These are photos of me sailing slalom with 9.2 on Zalew Sulejowski on 26.o4.o9.
Aloha,
Gutek