Anders Björkqvist shares with us his experience and video of the Speed Event in Karpathos, Greece.
Time to conclude this years Karpathos speed event. It is the 5th year and my 11th week on the island. Karpathos proved once again to a very reliable place when you want offshore wind during fixed dates. I is not many places in the world with 7-9 Bft every day from the same angle and with no rolling sea etc. Also the service that we have with airport pick up, storage and rescue is unique.
This year we were less Swedes that participated, but instead more Dutch and Ukrainian sailors joined the event. We really had a great time together.
Some reflections about my own sailing
I have got a lot more used to the spot than the years before. This year my pulse almost never rose at all. And I did not find the place gusty on the upwind at all. It was extremely easy to sail every day. About 800km during 14 days in a row, with speeds around 38-42 knots everyday.
This year both Daniel and myself used our sessions to practice and trim for Luderitz. The difference compared to other years is that we used smaller boards, sails and assy fins. And I also did practice to stop from 39-40 knots on 25 metres many times.
The boards that I brought this year where Carbon Art SP44, SP48, SL55 and SP60. I do not want to write bad about any fin-brands, but on the good side I must say that I am surprised how well the Gasoil Assy fin worked both upwind and downwind on the SP44. I tried a lot to trim the new SP48 but struggled with the fins. Daniel had better flow with this board than I. Maybe a better fin and also the board size suited his weight better than for me. Hard to say, but I will try to find more carbon fins in sizes 26-28 with medium lift.
I am also surprised how well the SP60 worked as both slalom and speed board with 7.0 sail on flatter water in lighter winds. It went upwind better than a formula and I peaked the top speed at 39 knots in moderate wind. On the sail side we, all the Loft riders, preferred RDM on all sizes. I used mainly Racing Blade 6,3 2013, but also 7,0 and some runs with 5,6. The first two sails needed a lot of downhaul, and the 5,6 the opposite. This year I use less spacers and it seems to work well. The feeling in this year’s smaller rig are great.
Maybe the whole combo has got a lot better year by year. Because neither Daniel nor myself had any problems with catapults or any serious spinouts. Balance is the word! I feel I am writing a lot of positive bullshit above, pushing my sponsors etc. Sorry if you feel that, what can I say more than that Daniel and Markus E where also very pleased with their sails from NP and Simmer!
Next year I will NOT bring the 7,8 rig and a lot of G10 fins will also be left home.I made a little video from this year that explains why we keep on visiting the Island of Karpathos. It is the reliable offshore wind, but also the fantastic town Pigadia, the food and all the nice people we meet. The Greeks but also all others that are visiting the island every year.
Congratulations to Daniel and Anders for coming 1+2 position from all of us at Carbon Art!
If you want to know more about the event and full results, you can read here Karpathosspeed.com