We had our final round of the state titles over the long weekend at Stanley in the NW. It was one of the best attended events we've had and the weather could not possibly have been better, which really is saying something. Sunny at all times. Saturday there was a constant 15 knot NE wind and we had 4 Formula races. The course was brilliant and there was a big, gentle ocean swell rolling in making all points of sailing interesting. The bottom mark was set just inside the 'impact zone' near the beach, making it necessary to weave through gently breaking (but still quite nasty) waves. Heading for that bottom mark flat out, deciding which way to dodge swells on a broad reach and then rounding the mark and heading upwind into waves as big as any we had in Melbourne was a great feeling (waves weren't so close together though and you could bear away and miss them easily if you wanted to). Everyone had a ball and the level of sailing improved dramatically for most sailors during the day. Steve and I took out two firsts and two seconds each and had the best racing we have ever had. We used 10.5's all the time, but all sailors came in between each race and most did sail changes, some up and some down.

That evening the wind picked up and it blew all night from the NE. By

morning it was 25-30 knots and the bay had a big sea rolling in (there was no way a course could be set). I went out on my wave board with a 4.7 for an early sail at 8:30 AM. There's a little sheltered area (from the rough sea) where the swell gets in (in sets), but there's no chop, and the wind funnels through cross-offshore (we're on a point). I had a ball, mainly trying a few back loops and getting heaps of jumps only a couple of hundred metres out from the caravan park where we all staying. Came in at 9:40 to find that we were having a briefing at the inlet (flat water) at 10:30. Good to have an organised race committee!! By the time I got there the course was set and people were rigging slalom gear. The tide was on the way out and the big long sand-bar was being exposed. We limited ourselves to 4 figure of eight slalom races and were finished by 1:30. These were the best slalom races I have ever sailed. Flat calm, 30 knots and just so powered up with a 5.7 wave sail (2002 KAOS) on a slalom Board. It was almost silly, the speed we were going, how close to the sand bar we were and how close we sailed to each other going back and forth. Anthony Perkins won three of the four races and I won. Steve managed Three 3rds and a 4th on an acid 77 (latest model) and a 5.3 wave sail (Keith's). Steve was often last around the first mark, but didn't fall in at all, so made up a lot of places through consistent sailing.

After racing, Steve and I went back out to where I was sailing in the

morning and sailed our wave boards (4.7's again) for nearly three hours. Tide was now out, so we had to sail out in the rough ocean chop/swells. Fantastic. Hooting down the faces of huge breaking waves. Super big seas, lots of fun. Trophy Presentation and dinner at the local restaurant at 8 PM. Everyone feeling knackered. Fantastic meals, leave after midnight, go back and watch 2 hours of video footage of the days slalom. Digital camera with footage taken from the sandbar - excellent.

We changed our rules this weekend. Instead of having potentially confusing rules regarding boards, sails etc (especially when quite a few people still like to sail long boards in lighter winds), we now have just two rules.

Minimum wind of 8 knots and maximum sail size of 12.5 metres. We have a race committee of four who decide what course to set. That committee

comprises a long boarder, a slalom sailor and two Formula sailors (that's their preferences anyway, they all have Formula boards). Good thing about all of this is that, instead of trying to go onto slalom gear as early as possible (wind wise), which is what we did when half the fleet only had slalom gear, now, we'll be pushing that Formula envelope to the max, and only sailing slalom when it really is windy (well at least 20 knots+).

Anthony Perkins took out the overall and the slalom, which was a fantastic effort.

Dave Morehead