I'm a total beginnner... i've been trawling this forum for months and figured there would be similar people around needing reassurance that they're not alone. I posted this on the SA page a few days ago a few people pm'd me and said i should post it on general page. So here is my story so far. I'll keep it updated as i go... any people with advice or similar experiences please reply because its so valuable to us all

Specs: 30yrs old. Male. 85kgs. 178cms tall. Fitness 7/10. Still playing tennis, golf, cycling, running, paddle a surf ski regularly, Snow skiing, Wakeboarding but have never windsurfed or sailed. Office Job. Engaged. Looking for a few sports to enjoy before golf becomes more common in future years.

My Start: I was given a bunch of 20yr old gear by my uncle, because he wanted the space in his garage and i was silly enough to say yes. Inventory = 360cm learner board, 265cm slalom, 235cm wave board... none of which i can balance on. Also got 4 x Simmer Style sails at 4.00m2, 4.90m2, 5.00m2, 5.25m2. 1 x 441cm Mast, 1 x 465cm Mast. 2 mast foot extensions (700 + 500), 2 booms both adjustable. 1 Neil Pryde yellow harness made for someone 5-10kg skinnier than me.

Progress: Christmas 2013 i am given 2 x 2hr beginner lessons with Windforce at Nedlands in Perth. Lessons taken almost immediately in late December 2013. Starboard Start equipment. Winds 5-10 knots. Picked up the skills pretty quickly and could sail both directions, steer upwind and downwind, carve gybing, etc. Loved it. Easily best in class. Confidence sky high. Started sifting the internet for affordable second hand gear and even looked at flights to windy destinations for future trips and qantas luggage regulations with regard to windsurfing gear. Can't believe people on these forums think windsurfing is harder than kite-surfing... i could be a legendary kite-surfer if that is the case...

Small Initial Investment: Massive amount of internet research leads me to believe a that mysterious SeaBreeze Forum calculation of 85kg Me + 20kg Sail/Mast/Boom = 105kg and theoretically that any board above 105-110L i will be able to uphaul since 1L displaces 1kg water approximately. Its 12 years since I graduated from year 12 with a B in Physics but it seems to make sense, especially when you account 10% extra flotation for salty water because its more bouyant. So on 1st January i purchase a 112L 265cm Bic board with sexy new fin off Gumtree from a friendly dude who gives me a bag for the board for free and a tonne of advice. Bag was apparently bought from some epic shop called "Naish" in Hawaii, so i pretended that was cool and I knew where it was. Great Guy. Intermediate windsurfing world... here i come.

The Real World: So a breezy evening with 10-12 knots comes along and i head down to the swan river. I realise on arrival that i don't have any base plates whatsoever and can't connect the mast extender to the board, so I head to windforce on closing time to buy a couple of parts. The guy at the shop was great, was not dismissive about my ancient gear at all, and gave me a few bits and pieces for free and only charged me for the major equipment. Total gentleman. By the time i get back down to the water its getting dark and wind is almost gone. So i email a buddy of mine and the next night we head to JH Abrahams Reserve when its 20+ knots. Experienced blokes everywhere. I rig up the 112L Bic and my 5.25M2 sail - get everything tight & right with a bit of help, and i'm in the water ready to go. One problem. The board sinks when i stand on it so I can't uphaul, and i start to curse the anonymous post which provided me with the calculation mentioned earlier. Second problem. Water-starts in 20 knot winds are impossible when you've only seen it done on youtube. Whilst my mate is struggling a bit he's got a sweet Starboard-something-or-other which CAN be uphauled so he's getting going... eating sh-t... then getting going again. I have spent 45 minutes wrestling with my sail in the wind like a seagull trying to eat a taco tied to a wind sock. Completely exhausted, i unpick the equipment and pack it back in the car... i'm NOT intermediate. I'm definitely beginner and i will be for a little while. So I need a bigger board in the 130-150L category, a smaller ego, and more time on the water.

Weekend ahead... rental of some more Starboard beginner gear.

To be continued.

Below are a couple of questions i can't quite answer yet... seeking wisdom from the fountain of forum knowledge;

1.1970-1990's windsurfing gear - why is it all in fluro and hypercolour? Is it a safety thing for when you wipeout and can't waterstart the awful thin boards? Was it the fashion? WTF?

2. If I get a 130-145L modern learner/progression board... can i get something like that up and planing? I notice the hired starboards with 4m/5m sails still plough through the water slowly whereas the experienced guys around me are up on top of the water and flying along... can i produce similar planing results with a bigger board that can also be uphauled? If yes... which board(s)? This kind of board would be excellent for my current beginner stage, and any future intermediate stage.

3. Last time i went out i wiped out and I lost my $250 sunnies in the Swan River. That's easily my biggest investment in windsurfing so far. I need some of those unfashionable sunglasses leashes so a similar incident is not repeated... anyone got recommendations of where to get them?

4. Adelaide. I spend 3 out of 4 weeks a month here... but i have no idea where to hire gear on ad-hoc basis. In Perth its easy, there's a bunch of people down the Swan River every day. Does anyone in Adelaide provide easy rental of learner equipment at a regular location?