Might be the strongest winds we have ever had for both days of the Wind & Wave. And the forecast of 20kt-plus winds probably hindered our entry-level attendance that has become the event focus. But it didn’t keep the Johnson kids from showing us all, the kind of determination and resolve that most of us needed just to first get started on a board. Kylan, 11 years old, missed the first race, but finished the next ten, eventually finishing within a minute of Larry Reed, a very established racer.

But Kale, only eight years old, wrote his own story. In most of the early races, he just worked hard to get up to the starting line. Surrounded by recreational windsurfers and kiters shooting by, he told his dad to just go race, and kept heading for his goal. Totally exhausted, after the break on Sunday, he told his dad that he might just go out and sail around near the beach. Somehow, he just showed up at the start line for the second race of the afternoon. And in the strongest winds and biggest waves of the weekend, he sailed the half-mile out’n’back workshop course with total determination. Now, more than ever, we recognize why we need to rebuild our racing program, at the very least, to provide an opportunity for any kid to experience the love for our sport that most all of us have shared.

As for the old guys, the competition was tight with seven points after 11 races separating the top three. Steve Johnson had five bullets to edge out Ray Muller and Larry Miller. Larry Reed from Iowa held off Kylan to take top spot in sport fleet, with Glenn Kramer of Worthington in third. The furthest travelled award goes to Tom Stokes who drove all the way from Michigan City, Indiana.