40+ years ago I fell in love, madly and instantly in love, with a sport that was just taking off down my way (Lake Mac NSW). It seemed like everyone I knew was getting into it, tired of the same ol lame* ol (* not a typo) traditional forms of boring monohull sailing that were on offer to kids at the time (ah those exhilarating high speed aka 5 knot 3/4 reaches across Belmont Bay in the Pelican class - what a thrill!).
Introducing... Windsurfing (aka sailboarding which seems to have died as a term but still feels more appropriate to me somehow, probably because "Windsurfing" somehow feels like it excludes us flat water lovers, anyway I digress 
)
Luckily there were already a couple of local (future) legends paving the way on Lake Mac eg Grant Long and his former understudy, Bruce Wylie, so inspiration wasn't hard to find. However the biggest motivating factor was the FUN these guys seemed to be having. Way more fun than a private school knob yelling "Leeward" at you like he was going for gold in the olympics (calm down champ; firstly... you're 10, and secondly.. you're essentially sailing a bathtub!!)
Where was I?... so... I was in love. Like fully in love. No time for homework / girls / Pelicans (ha.. that's funny). It was all about the wind. I must say though, for a first love I was pretty lucky. The sport had advanced from the real early days of wooden wishbones (I think you kids call them booms now 
), and Bombora had released a range of "plastic fantastics" that went like the clappers (well compared to everything else on Lake Mac at the time that is... ah the look of utter astonishment on those guys sailing 16' skiffs as I casually motored past them - I always made sure I gave them a casual wave ... which seemed to displease them for some reason!!).
Lake Mac (back in the 80s, but sadly not so much now) was as true as it got in terms of weather reliability. The summers were all about the week long 20-30 knot NE, followed by the 25-40 knot southerly buster, then the steady and true 15-20 knot SE (that just had a different feel to it for some reason - almost peaceful) then back to the good ol NE - it was honestly like clockwork. Throw in the odd hot and inconsistent (5-40 knot 
) NW and the cycle was complete. However, Winter was where it really got interesting. Man, those freezing cold westerly winds that had no let up for days, and nights, on end. Just 30-40 knots of shear terror (with the odd 45 knot gust) ready to crush the soul of any 12 year old child daring to think they had its measure. But wow.. what a rush (and a what great teacher of respect for the elements).
Alas, 40 odd years on windsurfing and I have moved up north to The Gold Coast QLD, and it's just not the same. I've fallen out of love and I just can't seem to get it back. Yes, I was totally spoilt on Lake Mac, I know that, and maybe I should move on to another sport and just be grateful for the time the 3 of us had together.
Or maybe it's just the GC. I have to say, Currumbin Creek, with its 40 Wing Foilers who don't look when they tack, or indeed only find out what starboard is after I hit them and explain why I won't be repairing their foil, is a far cry from the sheer awesomeness of Lake Mac - enjoyable in any speed or direction of wind, with more than enough room to be with your mates, or not. I've done "the train", "The Tweed", Straddie (both Islands + their neighbour incl a camp over) and I've even sailed from Rainbow to Palmy in a screaming SE to try and get that spark back. And still, I feel our love is dead.
I'd really appreciate some advice from anyone that's going through, or has been through the same relationship challenges. Should I simply move on, or spend even more money in the hope that I find the excitement that once was, or maybe even have an affair??? (Foiling looks awesome, but less awesome on Currumbin Creek amongst the Wing Foilers cartel and the tiny 150m runs, and far less awesome if I were to take the 1+ hour drive to "the train" in the traffic from hell), or something else? I was literally ready to book a holiday to Spain, leaving the family behind, just to sail in a place that might rekindle our romance!! Insane!!!
That said, we've had a great run, 42 years in fact. We've both changed a hell of a lot in that time, so maybe this is simply... goodbye, and perhaps that's ok as well 
ps. I first joined Seabreeze in the late 90s, but that was many many many email addresses and password managers ago. Not sure if I'll ever post a topic again, but it was fun reliving this memory as well. Thank you Sailboarding, I will miss you, Jason xx
Mate. Your fault for moving :)
I gave up at one point years ago because I was sick of waiting for wind and trying to broaden my range with a car full of gear. I've come back via the LT. Sail in pretty much anything, anywhere. Lots of mates to share it with in fun racing. It got me buying shorts boards again, but to be honest I hardly use them: the LT is a heap of fun.
YMMV, of course.
Select to expand quotedelmar71 said..
Mate. Your fault for moving :)
I gave up at one point years ago because I was sick of waiting for wind and trying to broaden my range with a car full of gear. I've come back via the LT. Sail in pretty much anything, anywhere. Lots of mates to share it with in fun racing. It got me buying shorts boards again, but to be honest I hardly use them: the LT is a heap of fun.
YMMV, of course.
I have an LT my friend, more than 1 in fact (I think I put Greg's kids though Uni!!), for supping, family holidays teaching my kids... all up and down the coast and even out to sea. Trust me, I've tried it all (traditional windsurf wise that is) to fall back in love.
And although it might not have been obvious (but should have been 
), I am severely traumatised by being brought up in a fanatical water racing community that was "Belmont", so having "Leeward" yelled at me by some guy reliving his youth as the VJ National Champion does not appeal to me in the slightest 
For more context, I fell out of love with windsurfing a long time ago, well before I moved north, but was just pretending it wasn't over.. and that we were just having "a break". TBH Lake Mac is a shadow of her former self. Hot and flaky NE (with clouds - what's all that about!!) and the westerly nut crackers are all but a thing of urban myth and legend.
I appreciate your efforts in Windsurf Counselling, but Bruce's LTs were a bandage at best, and at worst, an expensive avoidance technique
I never fell out of love with windsurfing, but a severe injury in 1993 knocked me off the water for a few years, and made me much more cautious for many years once I got back into it. Now, at 68, I sail in winds which would have given me pause back in my 20s, because the gear is so much better, and because I spend eight months of the year in a place where there's always some shelter from chop (Tampa Bay area of Florida).
The thing is, you're mostly being killed by geography, not the sport. I'd fall out of love with skiing if I lived in Egypt. If moving isn't an option, get a landsailer of some kind (and a helmet) and in 10kt wind with a 4.4 you'll be, in effect, planing, and able to fool around with transitions at least. And then, you HAVE to get a foil. Big board, big foil, big sail. The thrill is like your first time in the footstraps of a wave board. It's true that you can get going on small sails and foils but not if the area is as restrictive as you say. Get the longest mast your body of water will tolerate - 80cm minimum - and the biggest foil - 1500-2000cm2. During the summer I'm often on a small lake in New England, and in 10kt with a 2000 foil and an 8.5 I'm flying full time.
What to do, what to do.
You could try that affair you were thinking about. I took up foiling some time ago, it really was reinvigorating. It was like those first 25knot dates you used to go on right back at the start, you know, when you'd spend a whole day out trying new things, having those romantic luncheons on the beach with your gear and 20 seagulls, while you decided what to try next?
That first flight is as good as first time you and your board got planing together. At first I really felt like I was betraying and cheating on my slalom kit. But as time went on, I discovered that the two different but equally passionate relationships I was in really went well together. Do a little of each equally , and the two really fire off each other. I'm somewhat happy to say that polyamorous relationships really can work. You might even find yourself using those wingers as gybe marks!
All the best with what ever direction you decide on.
I feel your pain. After collecting a van full of gear. Bump and jump, slalom and foil gear. At one point 6 boards, 8 sails and a stupid number of fins. Chasing that rush...
Woke up one day and said "what's all this for?"
My solution was sell it all to fund freeride foil upgrade. Now have a quality foil set, 2 boards and 4 sails 5.2-3.3. Enjoying all conditions 10 to 30 knots
Having more fun now than ever, after starting as a 9 year old in1982.
Who knows what's next, fin again? Maybe.
But definitely will not be joining the wingers at Currumbin or the Train. There's a big ocean to enjoy
Select to expand quoteAwalkspoiled said..
I'd fall out of love with skiing if I lived in Egypt.
Ha. I love that quote, and yeah I guess that's true, you probably would! As I mentioned above in another response, the passion was dying long before I left for Egypt, but I am sure it's a factor. I've had some great days up here, but like any long term relationship, they tend to become far and few between if you don't work at it.
We do have some amazing stretches of beach around here with a very small gradient, meaning lots of hard sand at low tide, so I've actually been thinking about landsailing... a lot (but I haven't told windsurfing ). I honestly think that after the same thing for 40+ years I am just a bit bored and need a challenge. And it will kind of like being in Egypt & the snow at the same time
Props to you at 68 BTW. Lots of respect from me and something to aspire to. Thank you for taking the time to respond, Jason.
Select to expand quoteMr Keen said..
Woke up one day and said "what's all this for?"
You've done exactly what I've been thinking of doing. I mean, I have an "Andrew Regan / Cavemen" custom slalom that I just can't part with for lots of reasons, but other than that, nothing is bringing me joy like when I was a kid. Great to hear that it is actually possible to have a life after windsurfing and not feel guilty - cheers Mr Keen, very much appreciated! Jason.
Select to expand quoteSubsonic said..
That first flight is as good as first time you and your board got planing together.
Firstly, hilarious, and secondly, thank you for keeping the metaphors pointing downwind Subsonic - they were great (and a little bit too close to home in some cases!! 
). Ok, so that's 3 votes / 4 responses for Foiling. I mean, it looks like it ticks all of the boxes from the outside, (ie fast, exhilarating, challenging, new) but to hear 3 experienced sailors, who have all been where I am, say all the right things in terms of what I am looking for, well... I'm a bit smitten for sure 
. Thank you for taking the time to respond, and for the manner in which you did so, excellent work indeed!
Add my vote for foiling. I've also been windsurfing for more than 4 decades, and still love it when everything comes together. But I have a lower tolerance for sub-optimal conditions, which can include crowds on the water (both windsurfers and kiters). One of the great advantage of foil is that it is very easy to get away from the crowds, especially windsurfers who go the same beam reach lane from the launch. Another one is that foils are so much better able to handle changing winds, which seem to become more common everywhere. Just give it a try. Hopefully, you'll learn quickly and start a new love affair. If you find yourself learning slowly, it may be more of a love-hate thing, but you can always blame your age for messing up love-related things then, and you'll get some "blue pill" moments where everything is just great.
I think I started to windsurf in 1982 and I switched completely into it, from sailing, in 1986 when I moved to San Francisco from Italy. So, more or less 40 years plus, like you.
I never missed a season, and it has been my main recreational activity until last September, when a couple of health problems got in the way. I had my first sail after almost 9 months off a couple of days ago, and I was beyond happy. Around here it is easy to get excited, it is very often windy, 4.7 for my come-back-day, but I think I would have been happy even on a windsurfer LT in a 10 knots breeze.
But if you do not find much exciting in windsurfing any longer, well, yes, maybe try something else. At this point I will alternate a lot with other activities (MTB, hiking), but freeride wind foiling might be the obvious choice for you. It might be less equipment intensive and it is certainly "new". For me windsurf still does it, and foiling was just too much commitment to learn.
I guess its a bit like any stable long-term relationship; the original excitement /adrenaline rush tends to go away after awhile. But you can re-stoke the fire by trying new things; such as maybe wind-foil for instance.
And also bear in mind that the rewards of any relationship are not limited to that occasional adrenaline rush. Think of the satisfaction you get from achieving a new skill (or improving existing skills), talking with others about your shared interest (or about some clueless dingers /kiters /whatever), and particularly the pay-off in physical fitness & good health (gotta be more fun than the gym!).
The other thing worth mentioning is that it's not just a sport and it's not just a lifestyle either. It's a complete relationship with the natural world we don't get any other way. We get the same adrenaline rush from surfing maybe, maybe the same quiet natural awareness and ability to explore from kayaking or SUP, maybe similar sense of allying our energy with natural power as we do from skiing or snowboarding or high-performance skiffs, especially foiling skiffs. We'd get a similar intimate relationship to complicated physics from wingfoiling. Apart maybe from Wingfoiling none of those offer us everything on the list provided there's enough natural beauty around to make it worthwhile.
I don't much like sailing on a 200 acre lake in the summer, but it's nestled in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts and that makes a big difference. Don't really care for the heat and humidity of the Florida Gulf Coast, but there are rays and anhingas and dolphins and manatees and the occasional shark to keep me company, along with a growing stoked group of other sailors. The tidal vagaries of Cape Cod Bay (where we have a cottage we rarely get to) are a pain in the neck, but I can rig a longboard and an 8.5 and sail from my house 25 miles across the Bay to Plymouth where the pilgrims landed, have lunch and then sail back. (These days it's true I sometimes ask someone to pick me up and drive me back home)
If none of that goes on where OP is situated, then yes, it's time to budget for road trips where those kinds of opportunities do exist.
Subsonic nailed it as usual, so i dont need to say much more than give windfoiling a go mate. You should be able to get a cheap foil set up that will get you into it while being able to use some of your current gear. Just remember that the gear is getting better each year, so try to get as decent a foil as you can without spending the inheritance. Good luck and have fun. :)
Select to expand quoteSubsonic said..
What to do, what to do.
You could try that affair you were thinking about. I took up foiling some time ago, it really was reinvigorating. It was like those first 25knot dates you used to go on right back at the start, you know, when you'd spend a whole day out trying new things, having those romantic luncheons on the beach with your gear and 20 seagulls, while you decided what to try next?
That first flight is as good as first time you and your board got planing together. At first I really felt like I was betraying and cheating on my slalom kit. But as time went on, I discovered that the two different but equally passionate relationships I was in really went well together. Do a little of each equally , and the two really fire off each other. I'm somewhat happy to say that polyamorous relationships really can work. You might even find yourself using those wingers as gybe marks!
All the best with what ever direction you decide on.
One of the things I loved about foiling at the outset was the adrenaline rush and a bit of anxiety I'd get at the sight of just whitecapping wind that I got when starting out years ago in 20-25. The challenge of learning something new, the sometimes very unfamiliar sensations (when the board comes out of the water the first time and it all goes quiet is WEIRD), the fear of getting overpowered in just the slightest of breezes gave an intensity to sessions that would otherwise be me going BAF on a formula board and big sail. There's nothing wrong with bigger gear but it didn't have me at waters edge in 12 kts with a 6.0 on absolute pins and needles.
Lastly, the key to a lot of things, for me at least, is the people you do them with. Arrange to go with friends and maybe mentor someone coming up. For me, many of my best sessions were because of who I shared them with rather than what we did. Good luck!
I love windsurfing and I don't want anything to change. But things do change....
I was a late starter, I was in my late twenties when I got into windsurfing. By chance my arrival in Australia saw me setting up home in Lake Mac. I was not the sporting type, I wasn't cool enough to surf so I decided to give windsurfing a go. I quickly made some friends, several of which I still see thirty years later. Many things have changed over the years. I have moved through all the following disciplines: long boards, short boards, bump and jump, course boards, formula boards, Slalom boards, speed boards, racing windfoil boards, freeride windfoil boards and eventually even winging. The thing that hasn't changed is my constant desire to be out on the water no matter what. Could I have maintained my enthusiasm without changing my gear? I don't think so. Even though I never want anything to change because I love it so much the way it is, I know it has to keep changing.
I understand that winging is a step too far for many older windsurfers, but don't knock it until you have tried it. I am still happy windfoiling, It still feels like windsurfing and of course I don't want that to change.
^^^
So makes sense to me.
Gots to get the foil out more.
But something inside is saying , if you try winging , next thing to try is kiteing, and that is a slippery slide to no going back.
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
^^^
So makes sense to me.
Gots to get the foil out more.
But something inside is saying , if you try winging , next thing to try is kiteing, and that is a slippery slide to no going back.
Tried the wingding thing, trust me you won't want to kite after.... that said if you are are a windsurfer, windfoil is the bees knees Speed, freeride, waves!!
Do as you please,, for me riding swell gets my kicks!
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
^^^
So makes sense to me.
Gots to get the foil out more.
But something inside is saying , if you try winging , next thing to try is kiteing, and that is a slippery slide to no going back.
Hi guys I have been a passionate windsurfer for over 25 years and still am but the seasons have changed now and the constant seabreezes aren't as regular. So I have been wing foiling as well the wind can be crap and you still have an amazing time why not have the best of both worlds it is exciting to learn something new make the most of every day because you don't know what tomorrow will bring or take away
I windsurf (from wave to raceboards) did windfoiling for a while but prefer winging. Looking at maybe buying one of those new Exocet wave longboards because I only other with really light wind when waves are on offer and around here it's side-on.
Just need to find something to get stoked about.
Thank you everyone for your thoughts. As expected there wasn't a clear 100% "do this" however windfoiling was the overwhelming opinion, and I must admit, it's what I was leaning towards so hopefully no unconscious bias. Being a sailor from the age of 4, I really want to keep that sense of sailing over surfing, and speaking to the local wingfoilers who came from windsurfing, they say it is, but isnt, like sailing.
Cheers again - I really appreciate everyones opinion, well accept the guy who said I shouldnt have moved from Lake Mac lol; I think even the most diehard sailboarder/windsurfer puts family before the best sailing conditions... we'll you'd hope so anyways !!
See you on the water,
Jason
Subsonic has mad skills. It's not all peachy polyamory for me after delving into windsurfing whilst in a long term surfing thing. Surfboards and windsurf boards are fighting like dogs and cats for attention.
I'm stuck up the beach in the middle of them wishing for no wind and swell, at the same time, wind and no swell.
At this point, it's a bit conflicting for me, in that the two activities seem worlds apart, but that makes for a very exciting world just getting into the wind thing at 47.
I'm probably lucky that i wont have enough time to fall out of love with it, or just enough to reach the point in skill where i can bring them all together, wind and waves.
Lately i've felt the love of both dwindle, because i was forgetting what it was like to be with them as the conditions were not favourable for long periods of time.
But then i brought myself to go sail in less than favourable conditions and now it's on again -bada bing bada boop!
Whatever you do, just go do it.
Select to expand quoteImax1 said..
But something inside is saying , if you try winging , next thing to try is kiteing, and that is a slippery slide to no going back.
I doubt that you'd want to kite after you start winging. I know lots of windsurfers who went to kiting and then winging. Many still kite sometimes. But I don't know anyone who went from winging to kiting. Why make you life complicated again after it just got easy?
Flying two feet over the water on a foil is a feeling very different from windsurfing, but just as good (and some say better). You could get a similar feeling kitefoiling, I guess, but you'd first have to learn to kite quite well, and the to kitefoil (which seems to be harder to learn than windfoiling or winging). There are some days where kitefoilers still seem to have an advantage - mostly when the wind does not stick to the water, and they get better wind up in the sky. But compared to very good wingers, that advantage seems to be small. And when the wind completely drops, the wingers just drift in on their boards, while the kiters swim.
The bigger danger of a "slippery slide" when you start winging is that you may stop windsurfing. I still love windsurfing, and always think I should do it more because it's a better workout, but with usually variable wind and less-than-ideal conditions, I pick the wing over the fin 9 out of 10 times. The same seems true for most windsurfers who started winging at our local spot; some never windsurf anymore. Windfoiling seems safer in this regard - it's easy to switch back and forth between foil and fin then the wind changes.
It's like women, heartbreak one moment then another great one comes along and Voila!... Roses.
I forgot my mast today for my sail so i watched the wingers for at least half an hour at Melville.
Maybe a few dozen of them max out today mostly on very small gear with many of them struggling to get planing.
Three things that struck me.......
They are super easy to turn at least for some
They do not like shallow water
They have very little top end speed.
Windsurfing since 1979, I have been there a couple of times thinking where is the stoke.
Then everytime I sailed proper big waves which would scare the hell out of me the stoke was back.
Just sail good waves and everything is fine again.
Jeebus, It's like Saturday night at the wailing wall around here! This should fix you all up - especially you guys thinking about foiling.
Mighty impressive top end speed.
Does help when you have the large frame to hold it down especially in the gusts.
I feel better already thanks.
