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Hi, My name is Robbie Radis.
I have been competing all over the world, windsurfing as a professional for the last 6 years and have learnt a lot about racing which has helped me reach my goals, winning the World Formula windsurfing title, Australian championships and the Asian Windsurfing Tour, and I would like to share with you some simple tips that I have learnt along the way which helped me to reach my goals.  1. Make sure you know your equipment, tune your equipment as much a possible before the day of the race so on the race day you don't have to sail a lot to tune your gear. This will give you more energy for the race.
2. Make sure on race day you arrive early so you can set up your gear so you don't have to run round setting your gear up just before the race starts. You want to be a relaxed as possible before the race starts.
3. Make sure what ever you do don't miss the sailors briefing. Listen carefully and make sure you understand everything, if you don't know just ask about what ever it is you are not sure about.  4. At the sailors briefing the most important thing to be sure of is the start time of the event, the course which you have to sail and the starting sequence.
5. If the start is going to be a boat start which will be for sure the case if it is a course race make sure you have a start watch and make sure you know the whole start sequence because there will be different flags for how many minutes is left. If you know all the flags you can afford to miss the start of the sequence because you can start your watch on the next flag.
6. Before the race starts, if you have time, go and sail the course to get to know it. This can really help so when you start the race you don't have to think about where you have to go.  7. For the start of the race if its a boat start a good technique is to plan to be planing at full speed before the start line and try and time it so you cross the start line at full speed when the race starts.
Its really hard to time perfectly so you are better off being a little late across the start line but at full speed. Better being a little late than over the line early.
8. If you mess up the first race of the contest don't throw in the towel. There is a good chance you wont even have to count that race because you get to discard your worst race after 4 races.
Try and forget about that race and get on with it. Learn from it but don't keep thinking about it. It will mess you up in the rest of the races if you do not stop thinking about it.  Well I hope this can help you out. The most important thing is that you have a good time and don't worry if you don't do well in your first race, I didn't. It takes time for everything to fall into place but if you keep sailing and enjoying yourself you will improve.
Happy sailing.
Robbie Radis.
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