Holiday Party and Board Elections

by Andre Albot

Although we missed some of you, the party was a blast (as usual). Many thanks to Lyn for hosting the party and providing us with some surprise entertainment. The food was great and the wine was very good. Being French and all, I'm a bit partial to wine, but I've been told that the beer was great too ;-)

Besides friendly conversation and the traditional exchange of windsurfing tall tales, we were treated to some live entertainment. First Lyn surprised us by inviting dance instructors who tried (with mixed results) to teach us the basics of East Coast Swing. That was a lot of fun.

Then Karl took his guitar and sang for us. As I missed last year's party, it was the first time I heard him sing, and I was both delighted and very impressed. Karl is amazing!

There was a short business part to the meeting:
First we thanked the outgoing Board and Mike Schultz for the outstanding job they've done in 2008 for the promotion of windsurfing, with the five Learn To Windsurf clinics and the first Lake Travis Invitational race. The LTW sessions were a big success first by the attendance (all five sessions have been sold out) and also because, as a result, we're starting to see more and more new faces at the lake.

The Race was a huge success and a lot of fun. The stand-up paddle boards saved the first day which was plagued by the absence of wind, and a good southerly breeze on Sunday made it up for the actual racing.

Thanks again to Brian Shepherd, Tim Marvin, Darran Rolls, Mike Schultz and every one of you who volunteered to help for these events.

Then we elected the new Board for 2009. This was a hotly contested election (just kidding :-). The new Board members are:

Chris Davis - President
Dylan Van Meter - Vice President
Jon Penner - Treasurer and Webmaster
Andre Albot - Secretary

Finally, many thanks to Vanessa for for her outstanding work as the Club's Newsletter Editor.

On behalf of AWC, I wish you all a Happy Holiday and Happy New Year. See you on the Lake.

Race Results from Lake Travis Invitational

On November 8 and 9, the club hosted its first formal race, the Lake Travis Invitational at Windy Point.

Our pres Brian S and vice pres Tim M hatched the idea of a local race while they themselves were out on the race circuit. As Tim states, "The Lake Travis Invitational came about on the long trips to and from race sites."

On Saturday, we almost got through one race (most of the B-Fleet completed; some of A-Fleet got towed back). We finished the afternoon up with a 4-team (7-8 members) Stand-up Paddle Board relay race.

Sunday provided with us with great winds that allowed for 7 races.

Results:

• A/FORMULA FLEET:
  
  
  
  1. David Grogono
     
  2. Guy Miller
     
  3. Peiter Botha
     
  
  
• B FLEET:
  
  
  
  1. Andre Albot
     
  2. Michael Tita
     
  3. Jon Penner
     

In addition to the great prizes, a raffle of extraordinary gear, t-shirts, and other windsurfing goods went out to every participant! The best of the best was a complete Maui Sails rig, boom and mast. If that weren't enough, a BBQ buffet meal was enjoyed at the park. Lucky folks the next day enjoyed those leftovers.

Big thanks to our sponsors: Maui Sails (thanks to Tim), Chinook, Clif Bar (thanks to Jon P), and the Austin Windsurf Club. Even bigger thanks to everyone who threw in a helping hand that weekend to make the event outstanding: Darran, Brian S, Erica S, Guy, Vanessa, Hayden, Nguyen, and Kate (sorry if I missed including your name).

Checkout the photos in Bill Bunton's great images and the AWC gallery.