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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ron.c wrote:
6.0m and less sail size, bump and jump on outdated narrow guns.

Is there any other kind of windsurfing? Very Happy

I guess I'm going to find out this season, as my surgeon forbids footstraps until at least this Fall.

When people ask me about how easy it is to learn this sport and how they can get into it, I ask them whether they have the time and dedication to drive an hour or two each way every weekend all summer and some weekday evenings and are willing to spend a couple hundred bucks on lessons on top of a grand or two for used gear. If they balk, I advise them not to bother, that it's nothing like throwing a leg over a jet-ski and mashing the throttle.
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joethewindsufa



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1190
Location: Montréal

PostPosted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

windsurfing is:

weather dependent
equipment dependent
storage dependent
vehicle dependent
some fitness is required
some expenses will occur
------------------
how do I overcome these little hurdles:

for weather - i windsurf in 8 to 25 knots for about 6 months of the year
then i windsurf on ice n snow for about 3 months of the year
almost year round
winds from any direction other than north n south are covered - within 30 minute drive

for equipment - longboard, free formula, large free-ride + mid-size free-ride
my windsurf buddy is a heavyweight like me and has only a Hawk 135
so, even as a windsurfer, he is limited to 16 knots +
he does not like the 8.5 sail and thus is almost limited to 18+ knots
good luck with that locally
good rental gear is available locally - APVM - local club

storage - garage, longboard outside and chalet basement in the winter
there are storage lockers that people can rent locally

vehicle - old van
have fit the free-formula + sail inside the hatch back Subaru Impressa
people were trying to put their stuff together on their vehicle and laughed at
themselves when they saw what i had managed to do
buddy manages to get it on the roof of his car
some have trailers locally

some fitness required - windsurf 9 months and weight train in between
wish i could keep the fat off - need to lose about 20 pounds each spring

some expenses - have purchased good boards for $300
good sails with mast for about $500
this one is not so easy to overcome

if you like water and have some around - there is always a way to get around the hurdles
i love nature, water and the social aspect
the fact that is NOT easy - is actually of interest to me
if it's easy , i get bored

i usually bring 2 to 3 people out to windsurf each summer season
some seem hooked, but never venture out to purchase stuff
probably easier just to borrow mine Smile

have a Mistral Windglider up at the lake for the kids
they love it - as do some of the older kids - in their twenties

one way i try to encourage windsurfing is i talk about it all the time
and blog about it as well
http://joewindsurfer.com
i try to show people IT CAN BE DUNN and it is FUN !!!
"walk the talk" and "talk the walk"

how to get people on the water ??
http://vimeo.com/89076247
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ron.c



Joined: 30 Oct 2004
Posts: 1460

PostPosted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hope (Driver) that all is going well out there on the west coast.

RC
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DriverA



Joined: 08 Aug 2010
Posts: 206

PostPosted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ron.c wrote:
I hope (Driver) that all is going well out there on the west coast.

RC


Yes Ron,
The west is rocking. Check PM
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sun Apr 20, 2014 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

joethewindsufa wrote:
some fitness required - windsurf 9 months and weight train in between
wish i could keep the fat off - need to lose about 20 pounds each spring

Stop eating carbs other than non-starchy vegetables and a little fruit, and watch the pounds melt away ... and that's just the beginning of its benefits.
See "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" and "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance" by Volker and Phinney.

joethewindsufa wrote:
one way i try to encourage windsurfing is i talk about it all the time and blog about it

Be careful. Many people here resent what they consider excessive writing.
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billwest



Joined: 31 May 1990
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Windsurfer for past 25 years. Took my first trip to hatteras in 1986.

Now I mountain bike. A lot of fun, cheaper, aerobic, can do it in a bunch of different places and never get skunked. Great feeling of shared accomplishment I used to have with my buddies sailing.

I think the today's "want it now and want it to be epic" generation could never handle being skunked or waiting for wind.

Still sail 4 or 5 days a year but once my equipment becomes really dated I have a tough decision to make. Would rather invest in something I can do 80 days a year.

If I lived in Maui it would be different.
Smile Smile Smile
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PeconicPuffin



Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 1830

PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For the community I sail with, SUP has been a fantastic compliment to windsurfing.

-we wave SUP sail when it's blowing 8-14 (and there's anything like swell)
-we SUP surf when the wind is lighter or nonexistent. I never expected to catch a wave without a sail in my life until a windsurfing friend dragged me out in 2-foot waves to teach me. I bought my first SUP board the next day.
(and wow did it help me with my wave sailing skills.)

_________________
Michael
http://www.peconicpuffin.com
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joew



Joined: 18 Jul 1999
Posts: 156

PostPosted: Tue Apr 22, 2014 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Life is really busy, so yeah it would be nice if it was epic more often but if it's blowin' I'm goin" is still the mantra around here. The last 18 summers in the Gorge may have something to do with this relaxed approach for me. Getting kids involved is tough, they do not want to learn from Dad, so how to get them into it? Both my kids learned to sit down sail on Optimist dinghies, got pretty good around the buoys, and really enjoyed the regatta circuit. Our youth sailing season is about to end so I've spoken to a bunch of Dads and about 6 of us are taking our kids to a local YC to get them into a windsurfing group TOGETHER. For kids, the group approach is the key to keeping it fun. To address the original thread. Kiting definitely is the video that killed the radio. Easier, less space, new "it" sport etc. Why did windsurfing take off when it did in the 80's? some of us skiied first, some of us sailed first, all of us (boomers) were beginning to have decent incomes that allowed us to become WS equipt. junkies. Now you got SUP and kiting, that leaves WS way behind when you you consider the steep learning curve and all the necessary gear.
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice points all around, I'll say this, with any problem there are multiple causes it's never just one thing.
Let's look at the known facts everyone can agree on.
Most of you all are into your 50's and 60's and started WFing back in the 80's when it boomed. You learned on crappy gear but made up for it with youth and determination. When you made it over the beginner hump and the gear evolved you became somewhat expert. These people and the foreign market drove the industry.
In the 90's the gear started to become specialized and this next generation of WFers never materialized, the sport became more difficult to learn as the benchmark of the capabilities of a good WFer continued to be raised.
At the same time society changed, increasing demands on personal time, distractions with the advent of personal computers, entertainment media, bubble economies, wars, Dad's becoming more involved with family, etc...
It's now socially acceptable to sit around all day on one's computer but not acceptable to go hang out at the beach all day, every day.
Corporate greed, lawyers making everything expensive, back in 88' I took a Mistral course in windsurfing at Shoreline lake in Mountain View Ca., I never took it any further until 2012 due mostly to work and personal issues but the class was full and I don't see any manufacturers putting on classes these days, they're too busy making the latest evolution of gear for the aging baby boomers experts to add to their collection of toys.
The attention span of a young person has been seriously shortened due to the culture of today, they don't have the desire to stick it thru and get sidetracked by quicker thrills. The advent of kiting has certainly put a big dent in it and frankly it's probably a better option for a lot of locales,
Two groups moving in different directions.
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KGB-NP



Joined: 25 Jul 2001
Posts: 2856

PostPosted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 7:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know, but I kind of like that it isn't as crazy popular as it used to be. It takes a certain personality type to be into this sport. Windsurfers are a special breed and I love that. As long as I can have one good buddy to sail with, especially when it's cold weather sailing, I'm a happy camper.
I'm still amazed at the number of hardcore windsurfers still ripping it up in Ontario, Canada starting as soon as the ice is off the waters, and it is slightly above freezing right up until the snow flies. I've already put in 7 days this year and its been a long drawn out winter. Going to do some nice wave sailing sailing on big old Lake O today.
In a way, be happy it's less popular....more parking, less kooks, and more space on the waves.
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