As a teenager in the 80's, windsurfing (sailboarding) was this amazing new sport that immediately hooked me, and I spent many years 'chasing the wind' around my local area trying to emulate the heroics of Robby Naish and other legends of the sport (well kinda). My love for the sport continued for many years until I graduated university, got a job, got married, had kids and my capacity to 'chase the wind' evaporated.

Between the late 80's and now, it appears I've missed a few things, such as:
* Kitesurfing - I know it's still really popular but probably not for me;
* Formula racing - They're crazy big sails;
* Windsurf foiling - Modern and again really popular;
* Wing foiling - Those things are wild and look like great fun;

The good news is, I got back into windsurfing in February 2024 and slowly but surely acquired a quiver of boards, sails, booms masts etc to cover a full range of wind conditions in my local area. This was surprisingly easy with quite a few people selling the '10 year old gear' relatively cheap. The even better news is, I'm absolutely loving it and constantly checking the wind forecasts (from five different websites that always seem to be slightly different for some reason) to maximise my time on the water.

Over the last 6 months there are many things I've learnt (and re-learnt) and I thought it'd be worth noting a few of them:
* It appears that almost everyone is foiling these days and I think that's amazing, but it's not for me (yet) as I'm having way too much fun on the fin;
* Board and sail technology has advanced substantially, but regardless of the age of the equipment you can still blast, and that puts a massive smile on my face;
* Getting your harness lines in the correct location is difficult, but once you get them right, everything gets easier and the whole process is a LOT MORE FUN hooked in;
* A wider board is just easier to ride when re-learning;
* Once your confidence increases, put all of your footstraps as far outboard and rearward as possible, because it just gets better out there;
* I've been overestimating the wind strength and therefore heading out with gear that is too small (sail and board), so I'm currently resetting my perspective on wind strength and associated equipment to ensure I'm closer to being overpowered, rather than under powered. The newer sails also seem to handle being overpowered better than the 80's kit did;
* Fin size matters and you'll need more than one for a full quiver of sails;
* If someone tells you windsurfing is dead and you should be foiling, walk away confident in the knowledge they're wrong;
* Time On Water (TOW) is the key to getting better. Just get out there, learn and improve because it's the best sport in the world IMO;

Cheers
Robbo

Well said Robbo

welcome back! I'm kind of disappointed i wasn't around for windsurfings heyday, not at all disappointed i'm here now though.


how are you finding the gybing now, as opposed to on the 80's gear? I was talking to one of the legends of WA the other day at the beach. He was saying planing gybes were rare back then, not from lack of skill, just the gear made it hard to plane out. He was also saying it was one board, one fin (interesting shapes but no exotic materials).

Select to expand quote

Subsonic said..
welcome back! I'm kind of disappointed i wasn't around for windsurfings heyday, not at all disappointed i'm here now though.


how are you finding the gybing now, as opposed to on the 80's gear? I was talking to one of the legends of WA the other day at the beach. He was saying planing gybes were rare back then, not from lack of skill, just the gear made it hard to plane out. He was also saying it was one board, one fin (interesting shapes but no exotic materials).

Subsonic, I'm definitely finding the gybing a lot easier now than back in the 80's that's for sure. And yes it was one board, one fin and maybe 2 sails ??

TOW, I'd heard windsurfers using that and didn't know what it was. So, thanks for that.
I thought it might be something to do with the wind towing us around or something. Time on water, being towed. Very good.

Yes you'll need more than one fin. I think I'm up to about 15 in my first year with planing boards.

Select to expand quote

Subsonic said.. I was talking to one of the legends of WA the other day at the beach. He was saying planing gybes were rare back then, not from lack of skill, just the gear made it hard to plane out. He was also saying it was one board, one fin (interesting shapes but no exotic materials).

Planing out was less common, but in slalom I wouldn't have said they were "rare". It depends on who you are talking about, but vids from the '80s surf slalom show that I'm not looking through rose-coloured glasses when I say that the top guys could certainly plane through gybes most of the time.

A lot of the reason they didn't always plane through gybes was because back then "slalom" normally meant surf slalom, meaning the inshore gybe was in water just enough to float the fin (mostly!) and where the wind was light along the beach, and a sail big enough to get you quickly through the whitewater on the way out was likely to be overpowering when you were out the back.

Waveboards were less likely to plane all the way through because they were so small and the sails so flat, and fewer people were doing them because most people were pretty new to the sport.

I just did some flipping between '80s and 2024 slalom vids and the speeds now look a hell of a lot quicker, not surprisingly.

Amazing and thanks for sharing!

TOW can also mean Tons Of Wind.

Harness lines position tip: they go on a third of the boom, almost guaranteed to be the near perfect position. You can fine tune from there but shouldn't be far off. It might feel too far back but get used to it as you'll need that pull from the sail! Lines no further apart than a fist width and 28" length minimum, try 30 or even 32 if you can.

You can measure it or get yourself a elastic string or cord, roughly 25% smaller in length than your smallest boom setting. Mark a line on a third of the length and mark a M (for Mast) on that side of the string.
Next time rigging, attach the string to the outlet hole and pull towards the mast with the M on the mast side, keep parallel to the boom. The rear harness lines should be at the one third mark. (Inspired by the Cribb sheet)

I reckon duck gybing was the only way I planed out of a gybe in the 80's. :)

Where are you sailing Robbo?
i am in similar position. Getting back into it all from the 80s. Trying to get more time on the water and build the confidence again and the fitness for sailing.

Select to expand quote

treis said..
Where are you sailing Robbo?
i am in similar position. Getting back into it all from the 80s. Trying to get more time on the water and build the confidence again and the fitness for sailing.

Hi Treis, I live in Lake Macquarie NSW. We've been reasonably lucky here lately from a wind perspective, so I've been getting plenty of TOW and loving it
Also, don't be afraid of a board with a larger volume as the new boards get going really well, even with 150 litres plus (despite the fact I thought it'd be way too big).
Persistence is the key, as it's bloody great fun and nothing worth doing is easy!

Thanks for replying. I am on gc, north kirra with a playground right out the front. Dyno 125 but still trying to get confidence to venture out. The older you get the more you think about what could go wrong. And specific windsurfing fitness is a must which is lacking. My fitness is good but need to just get out there more (when time allows).
trying the flatter water spots for a while when i can.
Enjoy. It is a great feeling blasting.

Select to expand quote

SailboardGinga said..
As a teenager in the 80's, windsurfing (sailboarding) was this amazing new sport that immediately hooked me, and I spent many years 'chasing the wind' around my local area trying to emulate the heroics of Robby Naish and other legends of the sport (well kinda). My love for the sport continued for many years until I graduated university, got a job, got married, had kids and my capacity to 'chase the wind' evaporated.

Between the late 80's and now, it appears I've missed a few things, such as:
* Kitesurfing - I know it's still really popular but probably not for me;
* Formula racing - They're crazy big sails;
* Windsurf foiling - Modern and again really popular;
* Wing foiling - Those things are wild and look like great fun;

The good news is, I got back into windsurfing in February 2024 and slowly but surely acquired a quiver of boards, sails, booms masts etc to cover a full range of wind conditions in my local area. This was surprisingly easy with quite a few people selling the '10 year old gear' relatively cheap. The even better news is, I'm absolutely loving it and constantly checking the wind forecasts (from five different websites that always seem to be slightly different for some reason) to maximise my time on the water.

Over the last 6 months there are many things I've learnt (and re-learnt) and I thought it'd be worth noting a few of them:
* It appears that almost everyone is foiling these days and I think that's amazing, but it's not for me (yet) as I'm having way too much fun on the fin;
* Board and sail technology has advanced substantially, but regardless of the age of the equipment you can still blast, and that puts a massive smile on my face;
* Getting your harness lines in the correct location is difficult, but once you get them right, everything gets easier and the whole process is a LOT MORE FUN hooked in;
* A wider board is just easier to ride when re-learning;
* Once your confidence increases, put all of your footstraps as far outboard and rearward as possible, because it just gets better out there;
* I've been overestimating the wind strength and therefore heading out with gear that is too small (sail and board), so I'm currently resetting my perspective on wind strength and associated equipment to ensure I'm closer to being overpowered, rather than under powered. The newer sails also seem to handle being overpowered better than the 80's kit did;
* Fin size matters and you'll need more than one for a full quiver of sails;
* If someone tells you windsurfing is dead and you should be foiling, walk away confident in the knowledge they're wrong;
* Time On Water (TOW) is the key to getting better. Just get out there, learn and improve because it's the best sport in the world IMO;

Cheers
Robbo

You had me ar Hello!
I bet you look 20 years younger, your happy, walking tall and catching the eye of many ladies. The miracle of windsurfing again has blessed you.

TOW - foils, end of story

Hi Robbo, am on the same trip as you and loving it too, catching up for lost time whilst my body still can and buying anything and everything second hand cheap just to try it out to find my way. Foiling not really the same party, tried it and parked it, focus on those fin sensations. Modern windsurf kit is so much easier, mainly as its more balanced, faster and lighter. Wave sailing kinda the same trip but The slalom stuff is mind blowing compared to the 80s. The one skill that I have carried forward to great advantage is waterstarting - I find if you could do it with the kit we had back then you can do it real easy now.

Select to expand quote

Jasonwave said..
Hi Robbo, am on the same trip as you and loving it too, catching up for lost time whilst my body still can and buying anything and everything second hand cheap just to try it out to find my way. Foiling not really the same party, tried it and parked it, focus on those fin sensations. Modern windsurf kit is so much easier, mainly as its more balanced, faster and lighter. Wave sailing kinda the same trip but The slalom stuff is mind blowing compared to the 80s. The one skill that I have carried forward to great advantage is waterstarting - I find if you could do it with the kit we had back then you can do it real easy now.

Hi Jasonwave, I totally agree with you as I've found the core skills I had many years ago are still there. Loving it

Funny reading this, I was down south beach Freo today, and spotted a bunch of guys racing, well really slow on gear from 1980s
I heard something about one design racing and that must be it.
How strange, it's the gear I started out on and so happy it progressed to better gear, and now I spot the crew on these boards, quite bizzar.

Select to expand quote

RayQ said..
Funny reading this, I was down south beach Freo today, and spotted a bunch of guys racing, well really slow on gear from 1980s
I heard something about one design racing and that must be it.
How strange, it's the gear I started out on and so happy it progressed to better gear, and now I spot the crew on these boards, quite bizzar.

Look up LT sailing. We had the worlds last Dec/jan with 250 entries all on the Swan River. Brilliant. And a few dozen regulars out on their LTs every week. 3-30knots on a 5.7 sail. Its real and great fun too

Select to expand quote

BSN101 said..

RayQ said..
Funny reading this, I was down south beach Freo today, and spotted a bunch of guys racing, well really slow on gear from 1980s
I heard something about one design racing and that must be it.
How strange, it's the gear I started out on and so happy it progressed to better gear, and now I spot the crew on these boards, quite bizzar.

Look up LT sailing. We had the worlds last Dec/jan with 250 entries all on the Swan River. Brilliant. And a few dozen regulars out on their LTs every week. 3-30knots on a 5.7 sail. Its real and great fun too

That's awesome, love it.

Select to expand quote

SailboardGinga said..

BSN101 said..

RayQ said..
Funny reading this, I was down south beach Freo today, and spotted a bunch of guys racing, well really slow on gear from 1980s
I heard something about one design racing and that must be it.
How strange, it's the gear I started out on and so happy it progressed to better gear, and now I spot the crew on these boards, quite bizzar.

Look up LT sailing. We had the worlds last Dec/jan with 250 entries all on the Swan River. Brilliant. And a few dozen regulars out on their LTs every week. 3-30knots on a 5.7 sail. Its real and great fun too

That's awesome, love it.

LT has changed my sailing 5 - 20knts. Catching small waves cruising the coast. 1 x Board / 1 x Sail. Hooked again.

Amazing stuff, great if your having fun, myself, I found it fascinating, but it won't return me to the 80s,
I actually remember moving over water with barely any wind 45 years ago, was the first day and got me hooked.
I have 2 kites and 2 boards these days, pick the days with 16 knots + and at least some wave.

Hi guys. I'm just venturing into the revisit. I used to instruct in the 90's and am all but ready to start sailing again. I have spent some time collecting some great used kit. 4 x ncx sails 6-7.5. Techno 185d, JP super ride 146l and some other bits and bobs. My kids are wanting to start too so all. Up we now have 8 sails, 6 boards and enough funds to scare off the sharks.

Now it's time to see if I can still sail. I'm Near Yamba.

Select to expand quote

RayQ said..
Funny reading this, I was down south beach Freo today, and spotted a bunch of guys racing, well really slow on gear from 1980s
I heard something about one design racing and that must be it.
How strange, it's the gear I started out on and so happy it progressed to better gear, and now I spot the crew on these boards, quite bizzar.

The thing is it looks like the same gear (other than the sail) but it's not. They took the same general shape but reimagined it with modern materials and standards (e.g. modern fin box and fin). It's like taking a classic muscle car and rebuilding it with disc, not drum, brakes. Looks like the same car but the new version actually stops.

Select to expand quote

BeesNeez said..
Hi guys. I'm just venturing into the revisit. I used to instruct in the 90's and am all but ready to start sailing again. I have spent some time collecting some great used kit. 4 x ncx sails 6-7.5. Techno 185d, JP super ride 146l and some other bits and bobs. My kids are wanting to start too so all. Up we now have 8 sails, 6 boards and enough funds to scare off the sharks.

Now it's time to see if I can still sail. I'm Near Yamba.

Nice work BeesNeez, my kids are also keen to windsurf but not during winter it appears!

I'm sure you'll soon be blasting out on the water, absolutely loving life mate.

Good to see you back to the most exciting sport in the world
Its fun and being on the water is the place to be .
Beer always taste sweeter
after a good windsurf ,
I only fin ,because its feels more like surfing ,

Select to expand quote

BeesNeez said..
Hi guys. I'm just venturing into the revisit. I used to instruct in the 90's and am all but ready to start sailing again. I have spent some time collecting some great used kit. 4 x ncx sails 6-7.5. Techno 185d, JP super ride 146l and some other bits and bobs. My kids are wanting to start too so all. Up we now have 8 sails, 6 boards and enough funds to scare off the sharks.

Now it's time to see if I can still sail. I'm Near Yamba.

I believe you have a bees knees flatwater spot there behind the break wall too. Sounds like you'll be back to pro level soon!
I'm keen to come try it there asap.

Select to expand quote

MobZ said..

BeesNeez said..
Hi guys. I'm just venturing into the revisit. I used to instruct in the 90's and am all but ready to start sailing again. I have spent some time collecting some great used kit. 4 x ncx sails 6-7.5. Techno 185d, JP super ride 146l and some other bits and bobs. My kids are wanting to start too so all. Up we now have 8 sails, 6 boards and enough funds to scare off the sharks.

Now it's time to see if I can still sail. I'm Near Yamba.

I believe you have a bees knees flatwater spot there behind the break wall too. Sounds like you'll be back to pro level soon!
I'm keen to come try it there asap.

Just us and the sharks!!!!

we also have Wooloweyah which should be awesome. Hope to see you there!!!
Ben

Select to expand quote

SailboardGinga said..
As a teenager in the 80's, windsurfing (sailboarding) was this amazing new sport that immediately hooked me, and I spent many years 'chasing the wind' around my local area trying to emulate the heroics of Robby Naish and other legends of the sport (well kinda). My love for the sport continued for many years until I graduated university, got a job, got married, had kids and my capacity to 'chase the wind' evaporated.

Between the late 80's and now, it appears I've missed a few things, such as:
* Kitesurfing - I know it's still really popular but probably not for me;
* Formula racing - They're crazy big sails;
* Windsurf foiling - Modern and again really popular;
* Wing foiling - Those things are wild and look like great fun;

The good news is, I got back into windsurfing in February 2024 and slowly but surely acquired a quiver of boards, sails, booms masts etc to cover a full range of wind conditions in my local area. This was surprisingly easy with quite a few people selling the '10 year old gear' relatively cheap. The even better news is, I'm absolutely loving it and constantly checking the wind forecasts (from five different websites that always seem to be slightly different for some reason) to maximise my time on the water.

Over the last 6 months there are many things I've learnt (and re-learnt) and I thought it'd be worth noting a few of them:
* It appears that almost everyone is foiling these days and I think that's amazing, but it's not for me (yet) as I'm having way too much fun on the fin;
* Board and sail technology has advanced substantially, but regardless of the age of the equipment you can still blast, and that puts a massive smile on my face;
* Getting your harness lines in the correct location is difficult, but once you get them right, everything gets easier and the whole process is a LOT MORE FUN hooked in;
* A wider board is just easier to ride when re-learning;
* Once your confidence increases, put all of your footstraps as far outboard and rearward as possible, because it just gets better out there;
* I've been overestimating the wind strength and therefore heading out with gear that is too small (sail and board), so I'm currently resetting my perspective on wind strength and associated equipment to ensure I'm closer to being overpowered, rather than under powered. The newer sails also seem to handle being overpowered better than the 80's kit did;
* Fin size matters and you'll need more than one for a full quiver of sails;
* If someone tells you windsurfing is dead and you should be foiling, walk away confident in the knowledge they're wrong;
* Time On Water (TOW) is the key to getting better. Just get out there, learn and improve because it's the best sport in the world IMO;

Cheers
Robbo

Also had a 30 year break, got back via Windfoiling on a low wind lake. The thing I have learned (and been lucky enough to experience) is that there are some great places in other countries, mostly islands that have fantastic rental shops where you can select from a wide selection of board and sails, (and foils) and tune in to the wind. My favourite spots are JibeCity in Bonaire, and TWS in Tenerife. Both locations are generally 18-30knots.

Select to expand quote

oscardog said..

SailboardGinga said..
As a teenager in the 80's, windsurfing (sailboarding) was this amazing new sport that immediately hooked me, and I spent many years 'chasing the wind' around my local area trying to emulate the heroics of Robby Naish and other legends of the sport (well kinda). My love for the sport continued for many years until I graduated university, got a job, got married, had kids and my capacity to 'chase the wind' evaporated.

Between the late 80's and now, it appears I've missed a few things, such as:
* Kitesurfing - I know it's still really popular but probably not for me;
* Formula racing - They're crazy big sails;
* Windsurf foiling - Modern and again really popular;
* Wing foiling - Those things are wild and look like great fun;

The good news is, I got back into windsurfing in February 2024 and slowly but surely acquired a quiver of boards, sails, booms masts etc to cover a full range of wind conditions in my local area. This was surprisingly easy with quite a few people selling the '10 year old gear' relatively cheap. The even better news is, I'm absolutely loving it and constantly checking the wind forecasts (from five different websites that always seem to be slightly different for some reason) to maximise my time on the water.

Over the last 6 months there are many things I've learnt (and re-learnt) and I thought it'd be worth noting a few of them:
* It appears that almost everyone is foiling these days and I think that's amazing, but it's not for me (yet) as I'm having way too much fun on the fin;
* Board and sail technology has advanced substantially, but regardless of the age of the equipment you can still blast, and that puts a massive smile on my face;
* Getting your harness lines in the correct location is difficult, but once you get them right, everything gets easier and the whole process is a LOT MORE FUN hooked in;
* A wider board is just easier to ride when re-learning;
* Once your confidence increases, put all of your footstraps as far outboard and rearward as possible, because it just gets better out there;
* I've been overestimating the wind strength and therefore heading out with gear that is too small (sail and board), so I'm currently resetting my perspective on wind strength and associated equipment to ensure I'm closer to being overpowered, rather than under powered. The newer sails also seem to handle being overpowered better than the 80's kit did;
* Fin size matters and you'll need more than one for a full quiver of sails;
* If someone tells you windsurfing is dead and you should be foiling, walk away confident in the knowledge they're wrong;
* Time On Water (TOW) is the key to getting better. Just get out there, learn and improve because it's the best sport in the world IMO;

Cheers
Robbo

Also had a 30 year break, got back via Windfoiling on a low wind lake. The thing I have learned (and been lucky enough to experience) is that there are some great places in other countries, mostly islands that have fantastic rental shops where you can select from a wide selection of board and sails, (and foils) and tune in to the wind. My favourite spots are JibeCity in Bonaire, and TWS in Tenerife. Both locations are generally 18-30knots.

That's awesome oscardog and some good advice there. International windsurfing is definitely part of the future plan

Hi all.
Well I finally had a chance today to go for my first "return to the sport sail" and it wasn't quite enough breeze to get plain g, I had an absolute ball.
I'm a really Tall and well built and at this point in time I am weighing in at just on 120kg. My floaty board is the Tahee Techno 185d and this is the one I took out today.
I had a few nice 2-3km runs and nailed my first gybe. I came off in an unexpected gust due to a lack of attention but lo and behold; I can still waterstart!!!! Who'd a thunk it!!!!

All in all, I'm in once more, hook line and sinker (actually still just a floater for me as I can uphaul it.
fun fun.

Ben

Select to expand quote

BeesNeez said..
Hi all.
Well I finally had a chance today to go for my first "return to the sport sail" and it wasn't quite enough breeze to get plain g, I had an absolute ball.
I'm a really Tall and well built and at this point in time I am weighing in at just on 120kg. My floaty board is the Tahee Techno 185d and this is the one I took out today.
I had a few nice 2-3km runs and nailed my first gybe. I came off in an unexpected gust due to a lack of attention but lo and behold; I can still waterstart!!!! Who'd a thunk it!!!!

All in all, I'm in once more, hook line and sinker (actually still just a floater for me as I can uphaul it.
fun fun.

Ben

That's awesome. Nice work Ben
Cheers Robbo

I'm in a similar situation to yourself and I'm currently buying kit and made another thread asking for advice.

Reading the comments in this thread and some others It seems that we are not alone. It's great to hear about others doing the same thing and I would love to hear more about people returning to the sport after a long absence.