While driving to the beach today I noticed a cyclist all dressed up, like they do for the Tour de France. I am really glad that we don't cover ourselves in tight fancy coloured Lycra 
Then I got thinking about all the other sporting quirks and that made me glad I am a windsurfer. Imagine if we were like...
Rugby players - we would all have to have some special hairdo 
Horse riding - the ladies wear hats and the guys blinkers
Soccer - we would have to fall off clutching our foot every time we bumped it against the mast
F1 racing - with 10% of our contract we buy a board/sailmaker company and use the other 90% for R&D 
AFL - windsurfing would have extensive television rights 
Cricket - we would tour all the best spots around the world for ten months and then come home for two months to recuperate 
Tennis - we would have to learn how to make grunting noises when beach starting
Swimming - we would have to get up very early every morning just to do some training
Basketball - only tall people can do it 
Beach Volleyball - no one ever goes in the water even though they are wearing a swim suit.
Diving - wearing of speedos is compulsory 
So are there any others? I couldn't think of one for synchronised swimming or handball.
Select to expand quoteMarkSSC said..
While driving to the beach today I noticed a cyclist all dressed up, like they do for the Tour de France.
Stop whinging at once MarkSSC Just in case you forget, a certain cyclist who dressed up, perhaps more aptly, dressed down, in bright lycra so bright that it will blind you if you looked at it directly, got to become our PM. Well, at least for a short year, but painfully too long for some 
You forgot to include Matt Shirvington in his skin tight lycra on track and field events.
We wear harnesses at the very minimum. People that don't understand windsurfing may think that a harness looks funny on a person. Heck, when I'm out I wear my harness, booties, knee wraps, tendon wraps on my forearm, gloves and a hydration pack on my back. When I have come out of the water with all that gear on, pumped up and buffed out after a session, I get some looks at times. Don't know what they are thinking, but I don't care. Add a full length wetsuit on for the cold days, with my black hoodie head mask, I probably look like this intimidating dude that doesn't wanna be messed with.
Each sport has its own recommended clothing and gear to wear and to us, it's normal to wear these things, or maybe minus the knee wraps, and tendon wraps for most windsurfers.
How about windsurfing naked. Has anyone done that? Would imagine you would have to find either a nude beach or a secluded beach. That's on my bucket list.
Select to expand quoteMarkSSC said..
While driving to the beach today I noticed a cyclist all dressed up, like they do for the Tour de France. I am really glad that we don't cover ourselves in tight fancy coloured Lycra Then I got thinking about all the other sporting quirks and that made me glad I am a windsurfer. Imagine if we were like...
Rugby players - we would all have to have some special hairdo
Horse riding - the ladies wear hats and the guys blinkers
Soccer - we would have to fall off clutching our foot every time we bumped it against the mast
F1 racing - with 10% of our contract we buy a board/sailmaker company and use the other 90% for R&D
AFL - windsurfing would have extensive television rights
Cricket - we would tour all the best spots around the world for ten months and then come home for two months to recuperate
Tennis - we would have to learn how to make grunting noises when beach starting
Swimming - we would have to get up very early every morning just to do some training
Basketball - only tall people can do it
Beach Volleyball - no one ever goes in the water even though they are wearing a swim suit.
Diving - wearing of speedos is compulsory
So are there any others? I couldn't think of one for synchronised swimming or handball.
Teabaggers - Boardies on the outside of their wetsuit 
Select to expand quoteMagic Ride said..
Heck, when I'm out I wear my harness, booties, knee wraps, tendon wraps on my forearm, gloves and a hydration pack on my back.
I am surprised the nightclubs let you in like that
I think we should quit while we're ahead here. I'm a surfer that's new to windsurfing so I feel a little bit dicky just wearing my harness that looks like a man nappy on top of my boardies/rashie and a chinstrap style hat (that I wear surfing anyway because I'm a "folically challenged" gentleman).
When I see the now generic windsurf attire of black booties, a black short sleeved springy, a black impact vest or pfd, a black harness, a black hat, a black GPS device in a black holster on the arm, I cringe and hope that I never ever get there. If I wore all this stuff that made me look like some water based SWAT team member, there's no way I would be hanging krap on a middle aged man in lycra.
And Joe Windsurf, that photo cannot have been taken in Canadian waters ..............
I guess I should let Markie down easy, I own a night club son, but you gave me an idea. I think I will wear my windsurfing outfit in my club for Halloween with a Friday the 13th Jason mask. That should get some heads turning. Jason just took up windsurfing! Watch out kiters, here comes Jason, but on a machete wide board and a killer wicked sail this time! I hope Freddy picked up kiting
Strange but I quite like wearing neoprene thease days around the house bin thinking maybe go bed in it to save time getting on the water next day! Yeah it feels kinda good
Select to expand quoteMagic Ride said..
I guess I should let Markie down easy, I own a night club son, but you gave me an idea. I think I will wear my windsurfing outfit in my club for Halloween with a Friday the 13th Jason mask. That should get some heads turning. Jason just took up windsurfing! Watch out kiters, here comes Jason, but on a machete wide board and a killer wicked sail this time! I hope Freddy picked up kiting
reminds me of a pick I saw of full length black wettie, black Gath with dark visor down. Jumping out on the highway to scare following windsurfers in cars
Now who was it? Not mentioning any names and do u still have pics (Dave)
Select to expand quotePaddles B'mere said..
And Joe Windsurf, that photo cannot have been taken in Canadian waters ..............
you're right
this is Canada:
Select to expand quotenerdycross said..
Strange but I quite like wearing neoprene thease days around the house bin thinking maybe go bed in it to save time getting on the water next day! Yeah it feels kinda good
I spent the better part of an afternoon, in my wetsuit, at home, out on my decks, on a seriously rainy/stormy day, scrubbing them down to get all the weathering off so I could give them a nice refinishing after they died out. (I like run-on sentences)
I worked like a charm, I used none of my water (we're on water restrictions due to drought), but my neighbors were wondering WTF!?!
Select to expand quoteMastbender said..nerdycross said..
Strange but I quite like wearing neoprene thease days around the house bin thinking maybe go bed in it to save time getting on the water next day! Yeah it feels kinda good
I spent the better part of an afternoon, in my wetsuit, at home, out on my decks, on a seriously rainy/stormy day, scrubbing them down to get all the weathering off so I could give them a nice refinishing after they died out. (I like run-on sentences)
I worked like a charm, I used none of my water (we're on water restrictions due to drought), but my neighbors were wondering WTF!?!
It's all ok so long as you don't fix some footstraps and anti slip to your deck when you refinish it
