Hi everybody I had tried windsurfing 6 years ago didn't learn much in 2 hours just go forward if lucky and stay on the board. I was wondering if anyone knows any club where I can learn windsurfing for reasonable money. I am living in Manly.
Cheers everyone

which Manly? the Sydney or Brisbane one?

Prolly not this time of year.

IF you go on holiday somewhere beachy, you can take lessons for a few days, and then hook up with local windsurfers when you get home, who will advise you on what gear to get and what to do, etc...

Windsurfers are really helpful and understanding toward beginners; don't be afraid to approach them , no matter how uber cool they may look...

Profile says NSW so you have two options when it comes to windsurfing schools. One is close by at Balmoral Sailing Club. The other is at Pacific Palms close to Foster.

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Wet Willy said...

... what gear to gey...

Are you thinking about going over to the dark side Willy?

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555 said...

Wet Willy said...

... what gear to gey...

Are you thinking about going over to the dark side Willy?

Typo. Fixed now. Y is next to T on the keyboard. Plus I was typing left-handed *wink*

Balmoral OK place to learn, but only in the summer (actually great in the summer with the sheilas and all). Off-shore and terrible place to learn in the winter. Rose Bay has rental but not a whole lot better, plus you have to go around boats when learning - annoying.

Is there a school or rental at Kurnell? Used to be yonks ago.
Good wind in the winter, but make sure you learn in on-shore, light conditions. Ditto Narrabeen, there is a school at least in the summer on the south end of the pond.

Else there is the Dubroyd club, look it up. Finally, ask the lbwindsurfing.com site, as they are more Sydney-based and may have ideas. Do it, man!

A possibility is buying a crap-cheap board, learn yourself and by asking people, as the previous poster said. If you do so, go to Balmoral in the morning (summer), or Narrabeen in the winter. Both are near Manly.

Watch out when you ask sailors around, you'll often get smart-arse answers like: "you need a 125 liter board with a 5.2 meter sail for a 13-knot wind", that sort of crap. You can join the Tupperware party later, once you learn.

Your previous bad experience was surely due to the fact that you went out on wrong gear and/or offshore winds and/or wrong conditions. 2 hour should be enough to get a feel and start enjoying. Go out and try and learn only if wind is offshore and light and easy. Make sure the booms are not too high - many people like to have them 2 feet above their head for the macho thing, but it's impossible to learn on those. Armpit-high.

Best advice I think is to go away for a week where there are reliable conditions and you can get the basics. You can then buy a basic set up when you get back.
The weather is so variable in Sydney and some of the locations like Balmoral tricky to learn that it would take you much longer to get to grips with it. I would go to WA next summer (Lancelin or Perth) or check these guys out for somewhere close

ww7.extremesportscafe.com

You also have places like Boracay in the Phillipines, Fiji, Vietnam all of which have good reliable windy seasons and have good equipment availible.

Get down to Dobroyd Aquatic Club in the inner west next summer when the lessons start. Everyone gets sailing in their first session (well, unless it's 20 knots plus).

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Chris 249 said...

Get down to Dobroyd Aquatic Club in the inner west next summer when the lessons start. Everyone gets sailing in their first session (well, unless it's 20 knots plus).

But it's never 20knts plus at Dobroyd, so I guess your guaranteed to learn in one lesson!

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pierrec45 said...

Balmoral OK place to learn, but only in the summer (actually great in the summer with the sheilas and all). Off-shore and terrible place to learn in the winter. Rose Bay has rental but not a whole lot better, plus you have to go around boats when learning - annoying.

Is there a school or rental at Kurnell? Used to be yonks ago.
Good wind in the winter, but make sure you learn in on-shore, light conditions. Ditto Narrabeen, there is a school at least in the summer on the south end of the pond.

Else there is the Dubroyd club, look it up. Finally, ask the lbwindsurfing.com site, as they are more Sydney-based and may have ideas. Do it, man!

A possibility is buying a crap-cheap board, learn yourself and by asking people, as the previous poster said. If you do so, go to Balmoral in the morning (summer), or Narrabeen in the winter. Both are near Manly.

Watch out when you ask sailors around, you'll often get smart-arse answers like: "you need a 125 liter board with a 5.2 meter sail for a 13-knot wind", that sort of crap. You can join the Tupperware party later, once you learn.

Your previous bad experience was surely due to the fact that you went out on wrong gear and/or offshore winds and/or wrong conditions. 2 hour should be enough to get a feel and start enjoying. Go out and try and learn only if wind is offshore and light and easy. Make sure the booms are not too high - many people like to have them 2 feet above their head for the macho thing, but it's impossible to learn on those. Armpit-high.

I assume you meant to say onshore.

LOL yeah you're right, on-shore.

I was helping in running a school long time ago at Botany Bay. The only time we'd let someone get out in offshore winds is when it was some "I got big muscles" loser and we wanted to cruise their girlfriends while they getting deported off-shore by the wind...

But I meant on-shore here, since I don't know what his GF looks like...

cheers guys
looks like I am gonna try Balmoral. I am just spending little bit more time browsing equipment. It's all well confusing. so many sizes thickness of boards and shapes of all sails any one got any idea what to go for I ma about 70 kg water sport junk. I'd love to get something little OK so I can use it longer not just few months. preferable second hand as I am studding and still trying to get all gears for scuba diving. Good thing I have a van so no problem to go almost anywhere load up windsurfing and Surfboard as well and go.
Cheers guys

Give the guys at Windsurfnsnow a call at Collaroy. They are just off Pittwater Rd opp the tennis courts.
Close to the lake (freezing).
They will be able to point you in the right direction.
9971 0999

Thanks mate I definitely will
Cheers

> Balmoral

If you go in the winter, wind will be offshore. At least consider going (dragging equipment) at the far east tip of the beach. Might get more puff there.

Try Narrabeen at least once, but go to the eastern shore.

> Equipment

There are numerous threads in this forum as well as others on advice for newbies who can afford only one board. Indeed avoid the quiver thing at first, read those threads, then come back to us for more conflicting advice

hey guys thanks for good tip to see guys at Windsurf@snow went there on Saturday they gave me phone number for instructor next morning I was windsurfing at Narrabeen lakes . Really cool. Lachlan was really good in all explanation we windsurf cross the lake up wind and down wind, really enjoy that good fun, learnt a lot Cheers again