Formula Windsurfing

Cost is a big thing and just the size of everything. hell of a walk at low tide too.
Generally once a slalom board is planning it will be quicker and you can plane on a slalom when its around 10knots if you have a big enough sail.
so not alot of advantage for the extra $$$$ really except maybe upwind with ya 70cm fin
each to there own i suppose.

Yeah spot on Vando, biggest negatives for most guys are cost and transport.

For me, i already had the 260 boom, 530 mast, and big sail for my raceboard, so getting into formula wasn't too big a cost.

Re transport, i've made it work happily enough with my ute and roofracks (maybe a trailer later on).

Agree 10kts is enough for slalom, but i find the fun starts at about 13-14kts, before that i'm struggling to not drift downwind, pumping lots to plane, and gybes are slow. Whereas the formula is nicely powered up at 10-14kts, pointing upwind easily, and can plane thru the inevitable 6 to 8kt lulls.

I'm new to windsurfing after a long break, and the spot has changed so much. I'm keen to try all the different disciplines for now. See you on the water soon.

Muz720, what are the wind limits for formula racing? thought i read somewhere min 6kts, max 35kts? that's a huge range? Anything else that can cancel a race? Tide, weed, chop?

I think the cost is pretty comparable to slalom if not cheaper. Most slalom guys would have two boards and a range of fins and sails whereas with formula one board 2 sails and one fin will get you by. The second hand market is very cheap, my son bought a 10.0m sail for $200.00 and 8.8 for around the same money, a board and fin and board bag for $400.00, he uses a mast I bought for $400.00 which covers both sails and a alloy chinook boom for $250.00. The mast and boom were brand new the sails and board SH. Thats pretty reasonable given all that gear will cover from 10-25knts. What would a slalom set up cost to cover the same wind range.

Why go formula? Jamie answered it earlier. They don't course race as well as a race board, don't reach well, so can't race in slalom. Too specific, and not a good recreational kit for all points sailing when compared to a race board.

FYI slalom is up to 10 m and an 85 cm wide board, with the PWA having an all winds racing policy with a bottom limit of 7 knots. So slalom kit is very good in the wind range you are talking about. Personally if it is under 10 knots and there is no swell I would prefer to teach my kids to sail.

Yep, there is reason why there is so much 'cheap 2nd hand formula gear on SB'

I had written a long winded dialogue about this topic, but it seemed like a rant, so left it.

My POV is backed up by the numbers, which speak for themselves, it's a dead horse enjoyed by very few.

If you remember the sport is called WINDsurfing and have modern kit, you fast realise you only need a small amount of gear to enjoy it, and if we all stick with that then the sport looks a lot more attractive to newbies and will grow.

0-12 knts is an ideal time to teach a newbie! or SUP/GYM or play around on a longboard, this will help keep your fitness for the next big blow!

Low wind, high performance windsurfing is not attractive, even Bjorn Dunkerbeck said as much in a recent article, and rarely comments much on stuff like this.

For my $5-$8k Formula experience I could nearly by a small trailer sailor for the entire family, or have a great holiday in WA, Maui, or a fraction of the cost Green Island! And I will come back a much better sailor for the quality and volume of windy time on the water.

Each and everyone to their own, better than doing nothing, but at that wind ranges mentioned here there is heaps of other things I'd rather be doing, if you wanted to promote a 0-12 knt windsurfing class then surely long boarding and or one design has got to be it.

here's my long winded rant.

I sailed formula on a recreational basis for 10 years.

sailed locally, the Caloundra bar, out from Bribie, Wello, gold coast broadwater, the lake, Redcliffe, the islands around redy bay. I sailed alongside vando on his slalom kit many times and he would plane within 2 knots of me easily.

I had an 8.5m sail and a $150 second hand fin and an $800 board I saved from the bin because it collapsed during vacuum bagging.

I never struggled in no wind, I never found it difficult to sail at any point of sail, I speed sailed on broad reaches, explored islands with tight upwind downwind legs and took the thing in the surf from time to time.

I found it to be the perfect all round piece of kit. I had the formula setup for under 20 knots and a wave board for over 20 knots.

sure there are formula design that are not so friendly. look for the ones with lots of volume in the tail and avoid them.

you don't need a specialised boom/mast/sail to go formula sailing. you can get the things to plane in 8-10 knots with an 8.5m sail.

Dam71 my point didn't relate to the general thread I just failed to understand why today you were espousing the virtues of light wind slalom sailing yet a few months ago you were doing your best to keep everyone away from a light wind slalom event with your negative comments.

Another point seeing as though you brought the subject up, it was a slalom event, marks were set across the wind, ok it wasn't a PWA sanctioned event nor was it within the Bayside regulated width, perhaps the organiser's didnt realise they needed to meet those criteria to host an event and call it slalom.

Now to how successful it was, I think those that stayed and sailed would call it a success, hats off to the guys on the slalom gear for sailing despite the marginal conditions, it served to really show the skills they have. But why bag it, everyone who organises a windsurfing event is at the mercy of the wind. Bayside have had their share of getting skunked but no one gets on here and points it out, its part of the risk of stepping up to doing something for the sport. And who are you to bag someone else's efforts, how successful was the season at Bayside when it was under your leadership as "el presidente" not very from what I've heard.

Finally in regard to lame attempts at stirring, can I ask you to re read your comments I posted above, if that wasn't stirring I don't know what is.

Windsurfing trailer? What about them? Wello? You need two car parks? One for the car, one for the trailer?

I want a trailer. They rule. Take your entire quiver with you. Rig to suit the actual conditions. Go home, unhook, done.

Thanks Handyman
I would like to add that we should stop immigration to prevent any more overcrowding at Wello and all the other beautiful venues we like to sail at.
300 000 people are added every year through immigration. I am an immigrant myself but lets not pretend anything is going to get better when Australias population has doubled in 40 years time.

formula doesnt plane a whole lot earlier than slalom, so the light guys are always going to clean up. Cost- it is an additional mast & boom over what most people already have, whilst there are plenty of cheap boards & sails & fins the mast & boom can add nearly another $300. Guys like vando, glynn & I sail 120+ days per year, so why do you need a formula- if you sail more then no work gets done. Launch spots on southside suck at low tide for formula. If you are limited for time & need to sail raceboard much better for any conditions, launching, imo are more fun/technical to sail & you dont need an additional mast & boom over the slalom kit.

If you are going to bring a trailer to wello respect the other guys & park in the trailer bays.

Lets not get side tracked here with traiker parking at wello etc etc. nice post Steve, you've got them talking. I would love to see formula take off. It's ten years plus since I've done it, I remember it as a blast. What I like about racebiard/ formula is that you can go anywhere you want, whenever, however and forever. Pick a destination, upwind, downwind, tangalooma for a steak sandwich and a cold corona(lemon or lime) or wherever you wish to go. I love having a destination or a course, blasting back and forwards 100m of the beach and back bores me to tears.
Some of you slalom heads should give it a go some time. Learn to go upwind and you may discover another avenue of our beautiful sport....