Found these old photo's of the windsurfing learning days. Love the fluro gear and the perm!
If anyone has some old windsurfing photo's put them on the forums so we can all have a good laugh!

This shot has been posted before, but looking at the windsurfing gear Steve and I had back then (25 years ago), not too much has changed

I think I have posted this photo before. Its the west inlet at Stanley, the board is a Bombora dromadary the year is 1981-2.

wow dave thats alot of gear layed out i spose dad and i would have alot too i wont post any thing my oldest pic is from 2006,so not that old

noticed in the east inlet last time i was at Stanley i think about 30m in length and about 10m high, has been knocked off the end and that was a solid bit of sand dune too.

Al, that is pretty vintage! Going quick too. Never actually sailed a Dromedary, but have seen a few. If they were made out of carbon and given a good fin they'd give the designs of today a run for their money!!

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AUS02 said...

Al, that is pretty vintage! Going quick too. Never actually sailed a Dromedary, but have seen a few. If they were made out of carbon and given a good fin they'd give the designs of today a run for their money!!

Its was long long time ago, my memories are a little hazy but the drom was definitely a step up from the windsurfer in windy conditions. Mostly I remember that it was pretty flexy which was good for smoothing out the chop but probably meant that it was quite slow which was a good thing in the 25 to 35 kt westerlies at Stanley. They also had lots of problems with delamination, probably caused by the excessive flex and the lack of reinforcement around the mast base.

While the board almost looks recognizable with the mast base well back from the nose, the sail is from another planet and has more in common with a traditional Arab sailing dhow.

There was so much flex in those rigs that there was a substantial time lag from the point when you sheeted in to the moment when acceleration was created. It was all ultra low tech but still pretty user friendly compared to the early fun board rigs that came later that were heavy, rigid and, unless you were built like Dunkerbeck, almost unusable.

I have just found some photos from a session at Goats in Dec 1982 with Mark Paul and when I work out how to transfer them from slide format I will post them.

A carbon Bombora dromadary just seems wrong but......I remember sailing the waves at Burnie yacht club at an event organized by John Van der Wood and some Dutch dude turned up with a hollow Kevlar board that weighed less than 10 KGs!!! and had a cute windmill emblazoned across the sail...crazy times.

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AUS02 said...

Never actually sailed a Dromedary,

I hear they're best for "bump & hump"

sorry

Jack and I Early 1980

Couple of my pictures in the mid to late 80's...i think.The pic with the x on it is at one of lagoons near scamander.while the other is at port sorell with my mate shaun in front.

Johnno, the first pic looks like you're sailing up Sh.t Creek in a canoe

Thanks Houston that is Jack van Ek first day ever on a windsurfer on the lake going into Sisters Beach NW coast Tas. He broke the excuse for a universal J just after the pic and I had to wait for another day for my first go. The boom was an wooden one the owner was Mark Fitzgerald. Only ever seen him once since then about 25 years ago

Love the booms Perks!

Love the blond chick Kazza

It's not old by the standards of all the old blokes posts on here, but it is great memories. Every one loves wedding photos. I've been with Ezzy for 15 years now and our relationship is still going strong, even the one in white hasn't tried to seperate us!

THE BIG BLOKE HOLDING THE RIG LOOKS SMARTER

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buzzy said...

It's not old by the standards of all the old blokes posts on here, but it is great memories. Every one loves wedding photos. I've been with Ezzy for 15 years now and our relationship is still going strong, even the one in white hasn't tried to seperate us!

You trying to say your wife is ezzy

MemoriesRIP the big fella! And all the other smart ones!
Dam!EB! that got me going, bugga! I think it must be sand in my eyes!

Still rubbing the sand from my eyes 30 knot southerly again.[}:)]Have a photo of the big fella holding an Ezzy myself.Rip

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buzzy said...

MemoriesRIP the big fella! And all the other smart ones!
Dam!EB! that got me going, bugga! I think it must be sand in my eyes!

Father...or should I say Farter. RIP. I loved your wedding guys, a big windsurfing function.

Think about Kenny all the time, he and Pete are no doubt in windsurfing heaven having a blast. xxx

that pic with the cross looks like me at diannas basin with my old blue wind series chest harness on but who knows i rember being there that day it was very muddy haha

Goats in 1982. Mark Paul and some Hobart dude sailing and pretty much everyone else, me included, having a bit of a swim after our gear in the rip, lots of fun. Mark Paul was shredding (by the standards of 1982).

Thats Sandpits Al. Along the neck to South Arm.
Mark Paul shreds by any standards

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buzzy said...

Thats Sandpits Al. Along the neck to South Arm.
Mark Paul shreds by any standards

Yes that makes sense, with the island offshore, my memory is a little hazy but I remember that it was very cold and regular fronts brought some rain and about a 20kt variation in wind strength. The bombora proto demo was the first proper wave board I had sailed and that probably wasn't the best location, or day, for learning short board technique. Mark was very helpful but all his advise wasn't going to make much difference to me on that day, though watching him sail was inspiration enough to justify the road trip.