Dear all,

I'm doing my A Level (end of school UK exams) Design Engineering at the moment, and am very keen to solve a problem related to windsurfing. The issue that I think might be best is related to trips/journeying with a windsurf. Like dinghies or SUPs can be used for a day trip to a neighbouring bay for example, I thought I could make something that would allow windsurfers to store their kit/lunch/etc. Before I start out I want to gauge how often/far people journey with windsurf at the moment. This can be anywhere in the world (e.g. I've heard noises about people sailing ~12 miles from Kos, Greece to Turkey) - if you know people who do trips with their windsurf too, even if you don't yourself just let me know in the replies section - all data is extremely helpful for me!

Thanks so much

Search for the video "Blown away" . Two guys sailing adventure in Fiji.

Lets consider anyone at your local with free ride setup to suit their weight and skill level.

The sea state at the time and wind direction relative to your destination would dictate the distance the average competent sailor could travel and safely return.
Also unless you were with a group of similarly capable sailors and/or had a boat I doubt to many would venture further than they could paddle the board back.

For example the ledge to Lancelin race in Western Australia is 25 kms or 14 NM although most travel slightly more, it is a course parallel to the coast rather than offshore and is predominately a deep downwind point of sail (for the purpose of your question lets call it a trip/journey)
Many can average over 30kts board speed and some much more.
It can be anything from a leisurely cruise of approx an hour to 30 mins of your life you will likely remember long after your even capable of windsurfing.

But for anyone who might remember the Jervoise bay sailing club king of Carnac race, it was 2 laps of approx 8NM each as the crow flies.
An unusual Westerly wind direction ensured that the destination was almost the same bearing as the wind direction, an upwind point of sail.
My gps confirmed in excess of 15 NM each lap and a race much more physically demanding than any Lancelin event id done.

Now consider the same punter on a Raceboard specifically setup for touring or long distance travel?
So many variables.

Personally I wouldn't sail alone anymore than @3NM offshore in a solid breeze and never more than a few hundred metres in in offshore blow.

'Journeying' is certainly not a new thing for windsurfing. Gavin Le Sueur windsurfed solo 670 nautical miles from Melbourne to Sydney in 1983!

Arnaud de Rosnay crossed a number of the world famous straits in the 80's

Les Tokli, and another sailor whose name escapes me, crossed Bass Strait on Windsurfer One Designs in the early 80's

More recently, a certain slightly mad Dr from Cairns windsurfs from island to Island around the Great Barrier Reef.

I saw this recently from a New Caldonia windsurfer, JulienVentalon. A leisurely tour of the logoon and islands around Noumea. Total of 141km. I am thinking that there woud have been very few bits of land visible to him at some points of this sail:



www.ka72.com/Track/t/383821

Many years ago, I accompanied my fellow Yacht club members on their annual overnight sailing trip from Port Weshpool to Refuge Cove on Wilsons Promontory. They all sailed their Trailer Sailers and I sailed my Speed Pro-Am race board. One of them was kind enough to carry my food allow me to sleep in their boat overnight.

There's a guy been sailing around Europe on a Raceboard for the last 6 months

europe.onebubble.earth

Didn't a British windsurfer circumnavigate the UK?

Yep sure there are a few adventure/ journey crew. But most of us just mow the grass n sail back n forth on a protected waterway.
There has already been someone who made Adventure style Raceboard with a pod on the nose to carry supplies. Cant remember where to find it.

Julien has been living in Australia for a while now. He's a very very good windsurfer.

not sure where he's at now but last saw him in surfing in Byron

Depending on the wind I sail to the coffee shops as trips either to Redcliffe or Sandgate for my capachino. Couple of gold coins in my pocket and away we go. No cup holders on the board so just have to drink it on the beach.

My first recorded 100km + day i had a 2lt hydration back pack with a banana, 2 mars bars,spare rope, knife and multi screwdriver.

Hydro pack is the answer

Wow! Thanks so much for so many replies! Just to clarify, the kind of range I'm looking at is no more than a 10 mile trip each way kind of thing, something that would allow a sufficiently experienced windsurfer to take a short trip every now and then along the coast, rather than these hardcore adventure guys! I've seen their boards often have permanent fittings to their boards so their general windsurfing (when not journeying) would be slightly impaired, which my "sufficiently experienced windsurfer" wouldn't want!

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AusMoz said..
My first recorded 100km + day i had a 2lt hydration back pack with a banana, 2 mars bars,spare rope, knife and multi screwdriver.

Hydro pack is the answer

Haha! Hydropack is a Queensland thing. Hot and sweaty up there!

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Avspotter said..
Wow! Thanks so much for so many replies! Just to clarify, the kind of range I'm looking at is no more than a 10 mile trip each way kind of thing, something that would allow a sufficiently experienced windsurfer to take a short trip every now and then along the coast, rather than these hardcore adventure guys! I've seen their boards often have permanent fittings to their boards so their general windsurfing (when not journeying) would be slightly impaired, which my "sufficiently experienced windsurfer" wouldn't want!

I don't think any of the windsurfers I mentioned in my post had any 'baggage/gear' fittings on their boards. (I just sailed a standard Raceboard!). I think you will find they might have only had a small backpack with some emergency gear, if even that!

Of course. it is safer and easier to find places to aim for if you are on an inland waterway, estuary, lagoon or lake.

When I first got into windsurfing 40 years ago, there was an annual 'group sail' (not a race) from Hollands Landing (between Lake Wellington and Lake Victoria) to Lakes Entrance, over 55km. It took all day usually, all sailed on the longboards of the day (the vast majority were Windsurfer OD). The head of the flotilla stopped on every covenient point or nice beach and waited for the fleet to catch up. Then we continued. A halfway stop for luch at Payneville. Then the long slog via Metung on to Lake Entrance before the wind died as the sun set.

It was a real grass roots, non competitive event that had over 100 sailors at it's height. It died out when the shortboard revolution decimated the available fleet!

I dream of the day when an event such as this is revived. If it was, I think I would even lash out and buy a new Windsurfer One Design!

No you wouldn't

Doesn't really matter who has done it before, its a "do my assignment for me" post as we have seen many times.

Avspotter- come up with your own idea and/or research yourself. Please.

Or, wouldn't what works on a SUP also carry the same crap on a windsurfer?

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kato said..
No you wouldn't

Well, its a hell'uvalot cheaper than my first choice, I new race board. Hey, we could even sail the Tandem!

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sailquik said..

kato said..
No you wouldn't

Well, its a hell'uvalot cheaper than my first choice, I new race board. Hey, we could even sail the Tandem!

2 x complete LTs = 1 RB hull.

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olskool said..
2 x complete LTs = 1 RB hull.

yep. Something does not add up does it.

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Mark _australia said..
Doesn't really matter who has done it before, its a "do my assignment for me" post as we have seen many times.

Avspotter- come up with your own idea and/or research yourself. Please.

Or, wouldn't what works on a SUP also carry the same crap on a windsurfer?

I was thinking that the way a SUP holds gear wouldn't work for a windsurf because of the speed/forces/movements on a windsurf, whereas a SUP is much gentler.

I'm not asking anyone to do any assignment - the purpose of this is for me to gain the opinions of those in the industry/community as proof that this is a genuine problem that windsurfers face. And if it isn't then the research here is still useful because I then have proof that people more experienced than myself have helped me make a judgement and then research a different problem.