Sport Today

I have visited a lot of windsurfing sites lately thinking about
getting back into the sport, but I don't live in the Gorge, Maui or
right behind Kalmus.  I live in lovely Connecticut, where we are
*lucky* to get 1 or 2 sailable days a month during the summer.  So I
quit sailing, because I could never get my Bic Presto planing.  Poor
equipment, probably.  Wind snobbery?  Definitely.  Never went sailing
unless it was 18 - 25 knots and I could get out of work.  

So here is the question:  I had read recently of a dinghy sailor
(Laser) selling his boat to get back into windsurfing because new
"designs" of boards and sails can get planing in as little as 8 knots.
Is this true?  My sailable days would go from 1-2/month up to 10 or 12
if I could get planing in those speeds.  Is this a slalom board?  Or
one of those huge Olympic pool sized rigs?  Ya know, 12 feet, 29
pounds?

Thanks,
Stuart
Cheshire, CT

Slowcarfasterbike

93 Passat GLX, 93 Mazda Miata
DoD #2057 (Denizens of Doom)
VPOG #1  (Volkswagen Passat Owners Group)
AAAAA #147 (American Association Against Acronym Abuse

Said by a Volvo driver recently:  "Driving Lessons?...
why waste money when the car practically drives itself!

Yes, it is true, I can plane around ~8mi/h, and planning to extend that
range by buying bigger sail next year. You'll need new design wide
slalom
board (I have pro-tech 296), >=48 cm fin, >=8.0 m2 sail, high carbon
mast
and boom, size choice depends on your ability and weight. It's quite
pricey but you'll be able to plane almost every time you're out.

Good Luck,
Sergio

YES!! its all true! you can plane in 8 knots and really rip in 12 knots on a
short board. The equipment that is efficient in this type of wind is
surprisingly easy to handle. Much of the length has been traded forlighter,
wider shapes which are designed to be sailed with very long, but very efficient
fins.

The type of sailing you do on these new shapes is a little different than the
18-25 knot gorge blasting. For me it is more about being able to go anywhere in
very little wind. You can smoke up wind, and blast down wind without worrying
if you'll be able to make back to the launch. So, I find myself sailing to
different places, sailing up the coast, and blasting around the harbor islands
in Boston. Don't expect to get one of these suckers 10 feet in the air or
perfect your high speed board 360's but if you want to go fast, get out in very
little wind, or perhaps enter a regatta or two, you should check em out.

As soon as the demo tour is set for next spring I'll post the times and
locations. We usually have several events that are convenient to Connecticut
where you could try some of the new stuff out for yourself.

Skip Dennis
US-SD77
USWA - Board of Directors
Tech Rep: Neilpryde/AHD/Finworks/Okespor
Cape Cod Windsurfing Association - Vice President
"You're not trying hard enough till something breaks :-0"

Hi the new board are now bigger but still short but you may want to think about
the fact is that thay are using big sail too. This my depend on your weight .
In the summer istill sail a rece coarse board and carry a 10.5 sail but i'm  a
full figure sailor  But you will never hear me crying about wind , I've been
doing this for years and now more people are joining me
TRY IT YOU WILL LIKE DON"T HANG IT UP YET