Anticipation was high even though forecasts were mixed as 39 windsurfers and 22 kiters gathered in Garrison for the second edition of The Crossing. Friday proved to be prophetic, forecasted as the windiest day of the weekend, yet never really developing. Saturday morning looked very promising with early readings of 15-17 kts. Two hours later, it had eased to 12-13. Still doable, the race was on. Malmo had looked good originally, but Garrison was the final choice for the start/finish.

The sun cleared the skies as support craft gathered and kiters and windsurfers rigged. Meanwhile, the wind became more unstable. Within twenty minutes of setting the upwind and start marks, a wind shift required them to be adjusted. Few kites were in the air as the windsurfers went through their starting ritual. When it came time for the kiter start, only six managed to make it across the line. It certainly wasn’t for any lack of effort as anyone who could get their kite in the air, certainly worked it to the extreme. It was reminiscent of the final round at the first Kite Freeze in ’03 when Alex, Chasta and his fellow Frenchmen amazed the crowd with their ability to just keep their kites in the air, let alone completing their freestyle maneuvers.

Four kiters that started actually made it well out onto the lake, although somewhat downwind of the required course. Bryce Johnson covered the most distance, followed closely by Roland Rioux, then Jeff Wieber and Steve Albright. Meanwhile, windsurfer Arden Anderson was finishing his first lap. With no windsurfer close behind him, winds slightly over 5 kts at the outside mark and nearly a dozen kiters in possible need of rescue, the windsurfer race was terminated after one lap. As the balance of the windsurfers crossed the finish line and headed to the beach, the support craft picked up the remaining kiters who hadn’t made it back to shore.

If the conditions of the day provided for disappointment and frustration, it wasn’t evident at the banquet that evening at the Y-Club. Equally frustrated, the race committee assured the kiters that they had a standing rain-check for Sunday to do the distance. One special event of the evening was recognition of the return of Vojta to the competitive arena after a three year hiatus to enjoy being a dad. In addition to his multiple contributions to the windsurfing program, he helped introduce kiting to the area as well as establishing Minnesota as a leader in World-class kiting events.

Unbelievably, Sunday morning was a replay of the day before. By 9:00, several kiters and a few windsurfers were already on the water enjoying the best winds of the three days. But by the racers meeting at 10:30, it had once again become marginal for the kiters. The windsurfers managed to pull off three races despite the wind shifts and fluctuating velocity. The Awards Party was moved up to accommodate those a long distance from home.

While it may have been a refresher course in how Mother Nature can play hide and seek with the wind, it also displayed the many assets gained over the years. The real success of The Crossing relies on the experience of the volunteer staff, both on the water and off, the warm hospitality of the Y-Club and the generous support of our sponsors: everGreene Jewelers, The House, Midwest Mountaineering, Extreme Action Sports, Hoigaards, Scuba Center, Slingshot and Best Kiteboarding, Lakawa and the Garrison Commercial Club.

Official windsurfing finishers, one lap, 8.3 miles were:

Unlimited Longboard
Arden Anderson Fond du Lac WI 0:46:10
Adam Anderson St. Paul MN 0:52:58
Don Altmeyer Fond du Lac WI 0:55:23

Longboard Limited
Vojta Cervenka Hanover MN 0:55:30
Josh Woodworth Dryden ONT 0:59:46
Peter Hartwich Excelsior MN 1:02:41

Formula
Rob Evans Orono MN 1:07:30
Jeff Cole Orono MN 1:07:48
Jeff Hotvet Minnetonka MN 1:07:50

Sport – Men
Ben Clemence Minneapolis MN 1:10:11
Nathan Anderson Blaine MN 1:16:42
Peter Gisvold Lake City MN 1:17:34

Sport – Women
Kelly Johnson Shoreview MN 1:10:01
Margot Woodworth Dryden ONT 1:11:43
Shannon Stratford Dryden ONT 1:29:56

Masters
Larry Miller E Gull Lake MN 0:55:23
Don Specht Bloomington MN 0:58:21
Wayne Anderson Elkhart Lake WI 1:02:08

Youngest – Finisher
Daniel Muller Thunder Bay ONT 1:26:27

Oldest – Finisher
Roger Mondale Plymouth MN 1:22:13