How many windsurfing sports?

[joethewindsufa]

.
what about freestyle?

tandem ??

TOO MANY !!

is this why there are now twice as many kites at the local beaches
compared to windsurfers at the same beach ...
seems there are about three of us with longboards in Montreal !!
and maybe as many using Formula
ok, maybe three more using FreeFormula
and we are in a light wind area

on this day - about 20 kiters and 10 windsurfers schlogging in 20-30 kph winds
i was on a BIC Techno Formula 94 cm wide with a 10-oh cambered sail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmlLyL8yC3A

hopefully KONA ONE and SUP sailing will bring the masses back !!
in N.America that is - i hear windsurfing is still strong east of the Atlantic

[d0uglass]

As a biologist I love to classify things. The taxonomic classification system that we use is hierarchical. It goes from broad categories of which there are few and which represent the oldest and most fundamental divisions in the tree of life, to more specific categories of which there are many and which identify the relatively recent evolutionary splits that separate genera and species within families.

You can certainly break windsurfing into many specific categories, but I think the more interesting thing is to try to group the many specific categories into a few broad categories.

I would say the deepest division in the trunk of the tree of windsurfing life is between Longboard Sailing and Shortboard Sailing.

[J64TWB]

Kevin,

Have fun at the Northwestern game. Their sailing beach may have a board to rent. I know they give lessons on beginner rigs, not sure if they have any advanced equipment.

There is a group of dedicated windsurfers who launch off Dempster's sailing Beach. It is a short walk South from the NW sailing beach down the bike path. They rent hobbies, sunfish, kayaks off that beach as well, but no windsurfers. Might be more fun there. If the winds are from the Northeast, lake will be in turmoil. Gusty S.W. can be very challenging. Most likely it will be dead. What ever you do, rent something and get about 300 yards out into the lake you get a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline! You cant go wrong.

I'll be in Wisconsin hoping for wind. Go purple!

[Sailboarder]

D0uglass,

I think you are classifying the objects, not the sports. I think wavesailing evolved from surfing, and course racing from dinghy racing.

For me the deepest division is between clocked and judged events (for lack of a better term). Around here, raceboard course racers will also do speed, slalom and formula if they can. Both short and longboard...

In the other branch, Wavesailing and Freestyling are both judged. I would even include Freeririding since I know at leat one guy (Joe are you there?) that seems to score his own sessions!

It's a bit like in skying. I do both alpine and x-country. Telemark is done with equipment similar to x-country, but I would classify it in Alpine anyway. The mindset and objective is the defining part, not the tool.

[isobars]

How about sailing in serious planing conditions on a strapless windSUP? It's significantly different from anything I've ever done on a strapped board in similar conditions.

"Stealth" sailing (up to one's knees on a completely submerged, underpowered sinker, for significant distances, deliberately)?

Heck, let's expand or dispense with the "sports" constraint; I know of a guy who WSed to and from his office much of the time, across a Florida bay.

[dhmark]

Kevin,
If it looks sailable on any of the days in Chicago, go to Dempster beach. If I am there (Blue Ford Flex, Hot Superfreaks, everybody knows me) introduce yourself and you can sail my gear. Permits are needed (I have one) but guests are allowed. dhmark (david, grew up Bay Area)

[whitevan01]

[Sailboarder]

[kevinkan]

[joethewindsufa]