Do you think Windsurfing is making a comeback?

[WaveWashed Hatteras]

Over 100 sailors entered the OBX-Wind long distance race last Thursday in. Avon, NC    Formula boards and 11m shared the course with 4.7's and wave gear over the 10K sail.  It was so much fun they ran a second race a few hours later.   Windsurfing isn't dead out here on the East Coast.    The AWT last fall had close to 40 competitors.   Most of the sailors have SUPs and WindSups too.  The cross over is a natural.

[SUP Sports ®]

21 windsurfers at my hot spot (A.L.) last Saturday, some of them from Warren's crew (as seen in his latest post), so no, it never went away.
17 the following Sunday.

Aloha Greg,
I'll prolly see you in the zone manana...wind swell should be building up there...Sunday may be good waves...SUP and/or sailing...we'll see...
Yesterday was phenomenal wind...but, today was off the hook...smaller guys on 3.7m2 and 4.0m2 sails...zero kites...7 sailors...
Ian, the youngest sailor around here, just turned 21...

[Weasels wake]

It's a good thing you didn't come up today, we waited for the wind to fill in, and then it did.
What we've been hoping for is at least one hour on 4.7s when the waves are still clean, then bail out when it becomes stupid/strong wind that kills the waves.
Yesterday and today were not two of those days, a good solid 15 minutes of comfortable w'surfing until it became stupid/strong.
IOW, you missed nothing, we are longing for normal wind, maybe tomorrow.

[SUP Sports ®]

Aloha Greg,
We were actually north of the Golden Gate that day...
Hope to see you, and the gang, on the next south swell blow...we've been getting some sessions in...but, not good waves...
Deb is even fired up to sail A.L. after a couple of days of 5.0m2 at the lake...

[headmount]

With all this talk about foils it brought me back to what I always enjoyed about wndsrfng which was a solid contact with the surface.  Reading the surface the best you can and doing whatever you are into to maximize that effort whether it be just hauling ass, jumping or carving a turn.  Downwind paddling replaced it because of the unbelievable joy I've found surfing out in the middle of the ocean but I still dig wndsrfng. 

Wndsrfng without strong winds doesn't seem so enticing so unless you live around SLO or Waddel Creek or the Gorge,  it might be ho hum.  And with the assault of DW paddling and kites in these places, I'd guess wndsrfng will continue to decline.  It has here.  Most of the guys that do it here are visiting from Europe or elsewhere.

[Weasels wake]

The prices of new w'surfing equipment is getting ridiculous, $2100 for a new board!!!!!!!!!!! , $600 for a new sail or mast!!!!!!!!!! , $700 for a new carbon boom!!!!!!!!!!.
If you haven't kept up with it, only needing a new whatever only once in awhile, then it's pricing itself out of the market for newcomers.
It's still easy to find used stuff to learn on, but once you want some new stuff, you'll be asking yourself, what the hell!?!
It's probably on par with golfing now (including green fees on the finer golf courses), only a guess, I don't golf because I tend to be a club thrower.

[SUP Sports ®]

Aloha Greg,
Definitely some sticker shock out there...even with closeout deals...but, being out on good gear that you have confidence in, sure gets the adrenaline going and makes it worth it...

p.s. new carbon wave boards are more than $2100...some new carbon race boards are now over $4K...;-)

[JimK]

Yes the SUPER High end windsurfing equipment is pricey
BUT
There are plenty of high performance NEW windsurfing boards for under $1200
Carbon mast starting @$200 NEW Sails (high performance/major MFG) for around $500
All the above will last (and perform) for over 10yrs so the cost per use is CHEAP

JimK
Extreme Windsurfing

[starman]

In 1998 I bought a used Mistral Wave 257 for $900. Last month I bought a used 2016 Starboard Atom IQ for $1,000. Not buying the "too expensive" argument.  Quality has gone way up and the prices are not much different when adjusted for inflation.

[PonoBill]

It's tough to go from SUP downwinding back to windsurfing. I pulled my stuff down from storage a few days ago, and I was stunned by how much crap I have, and some of it needs to be replaced. I did a couple of setups, just to see if the mast sleeves and stuff were okay. Amazing how much time it takes. I know I'm out of practice, but sheesh!

All the same, since 70 is my breakout year, time to get back into windsurfing and probably kiting. I'm stepping up my bicycling too. Even with a motor it's great for my knees and legs. Stronger already.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

I sold my last windsurfing kit last year. I don't miss it. Too many sails needed. Too long to rig. Too many problems. Too much speed.

I enjoy the simplicity of SUP. Plus, I can get out more than twice as often.

[JimK]

Bill,

I have plenty of 70+ yr old windsurfer and ONE 90yr old here in NJ Don't know what the scene is in HR & Maui

just my 2 cents
JimK

[SUP Sports ®]

I hope to become a 70 year old windsurfer someday...I know a few...and, I have plenty of SUP clients in their 80's...

I have been windsurfing with my wifey, Deb, for over 30 years...she was never a "windsurf widow"...more like a "rigging slave"...;-)
Her sister has been windsurfing with her husband for just as long...they mostly do the Alaska to Maui to South Padre Island circuit...

However, the vast majority of couples that we knew from sailing over the last three decades, either don't sail together anymore...or, don't sail period...or, aren't together...

I know the level of commitment and time and money that it takes to get proficient...especially, in waves and beach break scenarios...very few couples are ever going to get there...especially, if they have kids...so, that is one of the reasons that windsurfing is a hairy legged dudefest...with declining participation...

Let's also not forget that hanging out on a windy beach is not the most pleasant activity in the world...it takes wind to windsurf...;-)
Deb has squatted behind her fair share of shrubs deep down in the Baja, while chasing wind...showering with Hudson sprayers to conserve H20...etc...so, necessity became the mother of invention to keep the marriage together...it succeeded...;-)

She windsurfed last week...cold and windy...and, wants to go again on the next blow...still rigging after all of these years...lucky me...;-)

http://surfingsports.com/wheelless_trailer.asp



That doesn't change the fun factor of it, though...it's still just as fun...even the flat water sailing...probably even more so, now that it's not the scene it once was...

For me, it was never about just selling windsurfing gear...or, SUP gear for that matter...it was total immersion in the sport and lifestyle...and, a desire to make the gear go better...so, that it was easier and more fun...more miles of smiles per recreational dollar invested...that has been the passion and driver...and, inspiration for our byline...

Stoked For Life ®

That's what drove me to start designing fins decades ago...helping to design light air wavesailing gear...building lighter and stronger and better performing SUPs...and, now messing around with windfoiling in light air...etc...and, whatever comes next...

[surfKnobby]

I'm 60 and have been windsurfing a long time - still stoked when it gets windy. I have 1 board, 1 boom, 1 mast and 3 sails. That kit covers me from 18 to 40 mph wind, in waves or bump sailing. I spend the winter in Baja surfing and sailing and being able to sail when it gets too windy to surf is awesome. Long live windsurfing!

[JimK]

+1 Surfknobby

JimK
Extreme Windsurfing