I am getting bored with the same old runs as well. I am downsizing the amount of gear to one rig and one board that can take either a fin or foil.
I have upsized the transport so I can go and try new places.
Select to expand quotecammd said..
I am getting bored with the same old runs as well. I am downsizing the amount of gear to one rig and one board that can take either a fin or foil.
I have upsized the transport so I can go and try new places.
Very nice. I used to have a 'lightwind' option too but sold it..
Select to expand quoteGasHazard said..
HRT, anyone tried it? It's reputed to make life worth living again.
YES! It's subtle for me, I was only borderline, but definitely worth it.
Select to expand quoteJasonJames said..
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
This is actually a really interesting topic and is something that I have experienced recently. To be brutally honest I have had to significantly lower my expectations of what I perceive as a great session. The days of spending 4 hours in a force 5 are long gone nowerdays, in contrast enjoying the peace and quiet in the non-planing conditions and the general dusting off the old gear can be something to be looked forward to. Remember, time spent out windsurfing/rigging up is less time that we have available to get on our wife nerves/ get asked to do meaningless tasks around the house/ listen to boring conversations......the list goes on.
The other major point to going windsurfing (well I tell myself this anyway) is that it is us few that are keeping it going! I have had more conversations with strangers from the beach regarding my old kit (Pandera/Astro Rock/Sputnik/Axxis) and if anything it has given the passer by a 2 minute trip down memory lane. There's not going to be a trip down memory lane for anyone if the kit is being used as a trip hazard in the garage is there?
My final point is to congratulate you on joining windsurfing when it was surely at its pinnacle; let's face it, in the 90's the kit was awesome and was at an affordable price.
I hope that this has given some enthusiasm to someone.
All of the best..
I find, as for all the sports I have down in my time, I do I need an exceptional session every now and then to keep me dreaming. So when I feel the need for a bit more carbon in my mast I sign up for a trip 6 months down the line where the chance of an exceptional session is high. Also pleasure and challenge/achievement go hand in hand. These days I recon getting a beautiful session in, just gliding over water with those sensations we all love, is an achievement in itself and very happy to have it, all things considered. But a big high every now and then is top order. The added challenge for me now is to line that up with the challenges of age.
I have been windsurfing since the summer of -92, and I guess the interest has gone a little up and down during the years but for me it is often enough to try some new gear in order to get inspired again. Doesn't have to be anything fancy a new fin in an old board or a second hand sail will do just fine. New sailing spots can also give back some inspiration, either better/different waves or flatter water. Doesn't take much to break the routine.
Locally I cannot see any point in winging at my local spots, I'm usually sailing circles around them, even in lightwind. Formula equipment planes earlier, goes faster and points better...
Select to expand quotenormster said..
Cammed,
what sort of yacht is that ? look nice
Radford 13.4, I have had her 3 years. She was built on the Sunshine Coast in 2007 by the gentleman I bought her off. He and his partner circumnavigated over 8 years after she was launched. Bit of infor and some pics of her getting built on the Radford Yachts website if your interested. Quitting work at Easter next year and off to look for new places to windsurf.
www.radford-yacht.com/dsn053/dsn053S44.html
I lost the love few years but. Picked up a cheap 100l freestyle board and decided I needed to relearn windsurfing. At Melville in the shallow bit I limited myself to max 100m distance and must do a trick any trick each run. Small sail hardly planning I had more fun that summer than years in wave sailing in Perth conditions. Learnt 360s heli tacks, switch stance, improved gybe and tack techniques etc. biggest bonus was when up north in proper wave condition, everything was so much easier and getting into position was less energetic.
But then last season I picked up a wing foil setup.. So yeah out of love from windsurfing again..
Select to expand quotepeguin said..
I lost the love few years but. Picked up a cheap 100l freestyle board and decided I needed to relearn windsurfing. At Melville in the shallow bit I limited myself to max 100m distance and must do a trick any trick each run. Small sail hardly planning I had more fun that summer than years in wave sailing in Perth conditions. Learnt 360s heli tacks, switch stance, improved gybe and tack techniques etc. biggest bonus was when up north in proper wave condition, everything was so much easier and getting into position was less energetic.
But then last season I picked up a wing foil setup.. So yeah out of love from windsurfing again..
I agree, the key is doing new things. Mowing the lawn in any sailing/foiling discipline will get boring in the end.
