Hi Everyone.

I had a Tyron Sea windsurfer when I was about 10 years old. It was my introduction to windsurfing and I LOVED it.

At the ripe old age of 38yrs and with 2 boys aged 8 1/2 and 4 1/2yrs I am trying to recapture my youth and show the boys that their old mum has still got what it takes!![;).

The difficulty that I am having is that I don't know what size board and sail I need. I have been trawling through classified ads (Gumtree and EBay) for hours, in search of equipment on the cheaper end of the scale (less than $400). Most of the gear I am coming across has mast's sizes around 4.5m in height. At 5 ft 7" and weighing 63kgs I am thinking that my size won't counteract the weight of a water-filled sail in even the slightest of breeze!!

My knowledge of what to look for is limited. Can someone suggest brands or sail sizes that would be best suited to my size. (I do cardio and weight work 3 x week, so I am reasonably fit and strong for my size). All feedback and suggestions are appreciated.

Alissa, where are you located?
For instance we have a free thread in WA that has equipment you may want to start with for "free".
And 38, Pffffftttt, bloody spring chicken you are
But on your profile, which State, your height and a range (because ladies like to keep it quite), your weight between X and Y will help. Lots of people like to keep women in the sport so help will flow quickly.

It's glaringly obvious that I am new to the 'forum scene' isn't it!!! I'm not even certain of how to reply to your comment!? I am in NSW, , so that is a real bummer re the equip in WA . Thank you for the feedback, greatly appreciated. I will now go to my profile and add more info!!

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mineral1 said..

Alissa, where are you located?
For instance we have a free thread in WA that has equipment you may want to start with for "free".
And 38, Pffffftttt, bloody spring chicken you are
But on your profile, which State, your height and a range (because ladies like to keep it quite), your weight between X and Y will help. Lots of people like to keep women in the sport so help will flow quickly.

Hi Alissa saw your post there are plenty of places in n.s.w where windsurfers go try getting down one arvo to have a chat to whoever is there .a lot of sailors are usually friendly & maybe give you some hints on what type of gear you will require. Great to see you getting back into this sport & all the best!

Alissa
Welcome back to the fold

Try Marmong pt sailing club on a Saturday

They have a learners board / gear to use

Thanks for that suggestion Ben 555, hadn't considered approaching a club. Thanks for the heads up re beginners board info also.

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Ben 555 said..

Alissa
Welcome back to the fold

Try Marmong pt sailing club on a Saturday

They have a learners board / gear to use

Great suggestion Ben. Alissa, the club is on George St in Marmong Point. Should be people there from around 1pm.

Good luck getting back into it.

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jamesf said..

Ben 555 said..

Alissa
Welcome back to the fold

Try Marmong pt sailing club on a Saturday

They have a learners board / gear to use

Great suggestion Ben. Alissa, the club is on George St in Marmong Point. Should be people there from around 1pm.

Good luck getting back into it.

It will probably too windy in the arvo for a beginner on Saturday. Whereabouts do you plan to go windsurfing Alissa? I'm not sure how you will go after a 30 year break. However I remember first trying windsurfing when I was about 12 years old on a TC Beacher. Good luck with it. Hopefully your kids are inspired too.

The good news is that the gear nowadays is soooo much better than 28 years ago. Its worth getting through the beginner stage to where you can sail using a harness and waterstart and then you can use very small gear.

Because the gear is so efficient, you can use less gear because it has a bigger wind range and its lighter.

The learning will also be easier because there is a lot of gear designed for learning and you will be using small lighter sails when learning. The sport has also moved on to having gear suitable for women.

You should find your fellow windsurfers very helpful and encouraging.

Its best to get local advice and talk to the locals as there is probably a lot of second hand equipment that doesn't get advertised but they might know about.

An interesting article by one of the pro windsurf girls, but the key bit is her advice to a girl getting into windsurfing. "Just strive to become good and have fun."

http://www.windsurfermag.com/magazine/justyna-sniady-windsurf-rider-profile/?params=MjR8Mjk2fDA=

Welcome Alissa! As far as I know I'm the only local woman windsurfer in the area. I am your weight and size ( well 5'5") but 20 years older..It's a challenge at times but I'm addicted to the sport.
Good idea to try the board at Marmong I'm sure the guys will give you tips. I was an intermediate who got back into it after a 10year break & I got a Tabou Rocket ( + 60 over my weight). Something like that would probably be a good board ( freeride) for when you get the basics..It may be a little challenging to tack and gybe at first but is pretty forgiving and plug & play and can be your lightwind board when you get better..It gets a bit much in 20kts + chop but if you stick to Marmong area it should be pretty flat in a NE and onshore breeze so safe.Actually a 135 ltre Rocket would be easier to learn on and still be ok up to 15kts later on..
I'm sure other people will give plenty of tips.Good luck with it all! It's a great way to keep fit and keep the weight off too!

7 or 8 meter kite with a 128 twin tip, be good up to 25kns

hope this helps ;o)

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hamburglar said..

7 or 8 meter kite with a 128 twin tip, be good up to 25kns

hope this helps ;o)

She's not an old lady! Although I do see your point if she wants to be able to master a sport in a summer.

Good idea!

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Ben 555 said..

Alissa
Welcome back to the fold

Try Marmong pt sailing club on a Saturday

They have a learners board / gear to use

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Mobydisc said..

jamesf said..

Ben 555 said..

Alissa
Welcome back to the fold

Try Marmong pt sailing club on a Saturday

They have a learners board / gear to use

Great suggestion Ben. Alissa, the club is on George St in Marmong Point. Should be people there from around 1pm.

Good luck getting back into it.

It will probably too windy in the arvo for a beginner on Saturday. Whereabouts do you plan to go windsurfing Alissa? I'm not sure how you will go after a 30 year break. However I remember first trying windsurfing when I was about 12 years old on a TC Beacher. Good luck with it. Hopefully your kids are inspired too.

I plan to sail on Lake Mac, the specific location will be dictated by the wind direction of the day.
I hope it inspires to boys as well. I think that my big boy will be super keen to have a go......

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terminal said..

The good news is that the gear nowadays is soooo much better than 28 years ago. Its worth getting through the beginner stage to where you can sail using a harness and waterstart and then you can use very small gear.

Because the gear is so efficient, you can use less gear because it has a bigger wind range and its lighter.

The learning will also be easier because there is a lot of gear designed for learning and you will be using small lighter sails when learning. The sport has also moved on to having gear suitable for women.

You should find your fellow windsurfers very helpful and encouraging.

Its best to get local advice and talk to the locals as there is probably a lot of second hand equipment that doesn't get advertised but they might know about.

An interesting article by one of the pro windsurf girls, but the key bit is her advice to a girl getting into windsurfing. "Just strive to become good and have fun."

http://www.windsurfermag.com/magazine/justyna-sniady-windsurf-rider-profile/?params=MjR8Mjk2fDA=

Great advice, thank you. I will also check out the link. Terrific stuff.

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sboardcrazy said..

Good idea to try the board at Marmong I'm sure the guys will give you tips. I was an intermediate who got back into it after a 10year break & I got a Tabou Rocket ( + 60 over my weight). Something like that would probably be a good board ( freeride) for when you get the basics..It may be a little challenging to tack and gybe at first but is pretty forgiving and plug & play and can be your lightwind board when you get better..It gets a bit much in 20kts + chop but if you stick to Marmong area it should be pretty flat in a NE and onshore breeze so safe.Actually a 135 ltre Rocket would be easier to learn on and still be ok up to 15kts later on..
I'm sure other people will give plenty of tips.Good luck with it all! It's a great way to keep fit and keep the weight off too!

Well if I see another woman on Lake Mac I will give you a wave . Thanks for the info on brands, and locations, that's a great starting point for me.
I am surprised that more women aren't participating, in our local area anyway. Lake Mac is such a great spot and in close proximity to most of Newcastle. My plan is to head to Marmong Point and ask for help at the sailing club. I'll feel like a dag, but judging from the feedback and enthusiasm on this forum alone I anticipate that most people will be helpful and accommodating.

What beginners (to intermediates) gear and lessons look like.



Its usually best to start off on a really big board and smallish sail and depending on how fast you progress, the boards get smaller and the sail gets slightly larger.

You can use the same sail from beginner right through to expert. I reckon sail control is the major skill to learn and that you can learn a lot of that on land. I have mounted a sail on a wood plank attached to the ground and practiced turning the power on and off, tacking and gybing the sail, lowering myself down to the ground and back up again using only the sail, and using a harness.
When you can use the harness and footstraps and waterstart, then you are into the really good stuff.

This is the size of gear you would end up using.

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Cluffy said...
Hi Alissa,

I can echo what the other guys have said about learner and intermediate boards. They have come a long way since the old tyronsea days.

Here's something that may(or may not lol) motivate you. Some freestyle vids from the boys at JP. These guys will blow your mind.

http://jp-australia.com/2014/media/freestyle-videos/

Oooommmmmgggggg, they are incredible!! They make it look effortless too. Thanks for the link!

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terminal said...
What beginners (to intermediates) gear and lessons look like.

Its usually best to start off on a really big board and smallish sail and depending on how fast you progress, the boards get smaller and the sail gets slightly larger.

You can use the same sail from beginner right through to expert. I reckon sail control is the major skill to learn and that you can learn a lot of that on land. I have mounted a sail on a wood plank attached to the ground and practiced turning the power on and off, gybing the sail, lowering myself down to the ground and back up again using only the sail, and using a harness.
When you can use the harness and footstraps and waterstart, then you are into the really good stuff.

This is the size of gear you would end up using.

Thanks for the YouTube links. They're great. The footage of them starting out is reminiscent of me when I started out. I see that their starting boards were quite large and wide, as u mentioned.
I had an older cousin who sailed with me when we were kids. He had a harness and could do the deep water starts, I recall it always looked exciting.
Fingers crossed I can reach that point ....... Somewhere down, along the track!!!
Thanks for the on-land training tips also. Great suggestion.

The only other thing I would say is that with all this progress in equipment, windsurf gear has got a bit technical.
To have everything working so well, things like matching a sail to a mast do tend to matter and there are ways of tuning a sail for different winds.

That's another reason for talking to the experienced locals as they can guide you on what gear works together and how to set the gear up to work the best or be easiest to use.