The racing rules of sailing are not based on style points or freedom of expression. The rules are intended to encourage fair competition amongst sailing craft. But racing can be too restrictive for some people who seek alternative forms to demonstrate their creative and technical prowess.
This week's video is a clip from a made for TV documentary of the 2011 "Lord of the Wind" Showdown in Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Held in January, this was an international kiteboarding, windsurfing, and stand up paddleboard competition with high degrees of beach attitude and no degrees of proper yachting.
"Having read on Scuttlebutt all the talk about getting the audience back into events, we brought all races along the beach in front of the crowd," explained Wylie Nisbet. "Talk about a crowd pleaser. It couldn't have been better. It reminded me of a slalom ski race in Europe. People were cheering as the sailors came downwind in front of them."
