First day of 2014 season Costa Brava Spain.  Registered and got all the gear ready early to wait for the possible afternoon seabreeze.  The 2:30 start time came and went as the wind was there but only at teasing strength.  It came and went for the next hour and a half and then finally there was just enough to start the first round.  It was all big gear as is usually the case here in Costa Brava but it was a bit better than it usually was so there wasn't to much stopping going on around the marks.  Not to many early surprises for this light wind but only eight heats were completed before the wind died and the rains came.  I managed to win my first heat and my 9.3 Maui Sails TRX with my 80 JP slalom board felt good.  An average start but good speed on the first reach put me at the first mark ahead and I just held on to that around the course to advance.

Day two was more light winds, as per the forecast.  It wasn't the typically gusty and extreme light winds that are usual in Costa Brava but it was a fairly steady 8-13 knots which I was pretty excited to race in as my new TRX's and JP's were feeling very good in these conditions.  My first couple of heats went well, starts were solid after a long break from racing and I cruised into the first final of the year.  In the final I had my best start of the day but was up higher on the line thinking this was the favored spot but Alberto stuck his start at the pin as well and had the lead by the first mark.  I arrived in second but had a bobble on my exit of the gybe while pumping and Cyril who had a perfect gybe slipped outside of me into second and I came out in third.  With the light winds it was follow the leader around the rest of the course and make no mistakes.  I crossed in third for a solid start to the race.  Unfortunately the wind dropped after the final and the losers final wasn't even able to be finished and that was it for the day.  Stoked for my Maui Sails team mate Taty who finished one spot behind me in the final a very good start for him as well!!!  Big winds forecasted for tomorrow so a 7am skippers meeting was planned, good for me as I am up at 5am with jetlag anyway so I will be ready!!!

7am came and went and the big winds didn't arrive.  It was a long day of waiting around and despite a few planning runs on big gear the wind never came up enough to actually race.  It was a good day for recovering from jet lag and making sure all my gear was tuned properly and ready to go.  There was still the possibility of the strong off shore or Tramontana winds coming for day four so another early skippers was called for 9:30, I guess not that early compared to today but early for Costa Brava.

Again the strong winds did not arrive, it was pretty much a carbon copy of the previous day.  With winds coming up just enough to get a few planning runs in and get everyone excited and down to the beach but not quite enough to call out a race. Since I had the precious day getting all my gear finish tuned I spend most of the day, when not at the beach in my bungalow watching my favorite TV show justified as well as trying to catch some of the ASP womens event in Fiji.  With another similar forecast for day five the skippers meeting was bumped up an hour for 8:30am so I guess we will see if this wind will ever arrive.

Finally the winds did arrive, it started out slowly but then came up nicely and some good racing was under way for round two. I was on my 7.7 and my 66 with a nice comfortable power, I cruised through my first two heats taking it easy just to qualify and then unfortunately in my semi's I had a poor start and wasn't able to make it back to qualifying position so I had to sail in the losers final.  In the losers final I started to get slightly underpowered but was still focusing for a good pin end start and try to salvage a win or 9th.  I somehow had a serious lapse in concentration and went to low for the pin and had to come up very hard before the gun and started dead last.  I couldn't make up any ground so ended up 7th after an over early by Alberto.  Not how I wanted to follow up my 3rd but no time to dwell either as we went right into round three.  I also went up in sail and board size to my 8.4 and 80.  My first heat was resailed three times and all times we had already finished the heat but I managed to make it through this heat.  I was feeling very good on this gear and made it all the way through to the finals.  This time in the finals I really wanted to get off to a good start but again I came off the line in a bad position and couldn't make up any ground so had to settle for 6th.  At this point I was starting to feel pretty tired from sailing a couple extra heats and being on the beach all day without any lunch but the wind was still up so we went straight into round four.  We didn't get far though as the wind started to drop and we only finished six heats before the day was called.  Forecast was still good for the last day though so I am sure we would get some more racing in and hopefully at least finish the fourth round to get the discard.

On the final day it looked like the wind was going to once again provide us with a couple more good rounds of racing.  Straight into the rest of round four and after such a long day the previous day I was a bit slow to get started.  I did manage to make it back to the finals again and was feeling dialed on my 8.4 and 80 again.  This time I was going for a good clean air start to try and get in a good position for the first mark.  I did manage a good timed start but the pin end was more favored and I arrived fifth at the first mark.  I came out in fourth and passed one guy at a gybe but then got passed right back at the last mark so I had to settle for 4th.  At this point I was in a good position and with it looking like only one more round would be sailed I needed another final to make the podium.  I was feeling good and cruised all the way into the semi finals where it got a bit confusing.  Right before the start of the semi's I noticed that the guy who had finished fifth in the previous heat was starting with us so we had nine guys instead of eight in our heat, this threw me off a bit and I figured he had made a mistake so we would be resailing the heat.  But I still went for it because you never know what can happen, I had managed to get into fourth spot and was fighting for it at the third mark when a boat that was taking pictures came zooming into the mark and I was unfortunate to get some of the wake in my way and made me bobble my gybe allowing two guys to pass me.  After the finish I filed a complaint to the race director and he had seen what happened and thought that I may get a redress or a resail.  There was a very long discussion in the race crew and it was finally decided that they would resail the heat because no one knew there would be nine guys and because of the boat.  So we went back out to resail and they sent us back to the beach, somehow in this time the had changed their mind and decided not to resail the heat.  I didn't really understand how or why they changed a decision that had already been made but most times I don't really understand some of the decisions that they make as they aren't usually that clear or consistent with their calls.  So off the the losers final and not much chance to make the podium, I still wanted to finish off with a solid race.  I had a great start and was first for most of the first reach but the wind had picked up slightly and I got a little stood up on the first reach and let one guy go by me.  The rest of the heat I was just trying to stay in control on my 8.4 and 80 and after bobbling my gybe at the third mark I let one more guy go by me and finished in third which left me in 5th place overall by .3 of a point.

It was a little bit of a sour way to finish of the event but that is the way it goes sometimes, you win some calls you lose some calls I am sure it will balance out by the end of the year.  I did feel very good with my boards and sails and I think this is a good way to start of the year.  I have confidence in my gear which will mean a lot with plenty of racing left to go for this year.  Now back to Maui for some more training and a couple of Maui Race Series tune ups.

Aloha
Micah Buzianis