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steve1
Joined: 30 Apr 1998 Posts: 239 Location: Alameda, CA
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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zirtaeb wrote: | I think the reason there were a few sailors at Berkeley on Wed was because the winds were W to WSW at Coyote and the Penninula, and anyone with a pager knows that's Berkeley time. Even JSE from Marin sailed regular Berkeley!
Winds gave everyone everything they wanted or didn't. From SSW around 12-19 to WSW around 20-34, back and forth, changing directions and velocity.
Constant sail changes from what I saw. And lots of short sessions.
5.8 at 4:30 was exciting. |
Ha yes pretty windy - I went out on my Isonic 117 with a 6.3 expecting a classic Berkeley lull. Big mistake - I dont think an Isonic has ever gone that fast before ha ha. I came in after 40 min with 2 snapped battons and a nearly busted wrist and switched to a 5.5 and a 100l Mistral for the remainder. Pretty great start to the season.
It was still great to see so many out there. |
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drysuit2
Joined: 01 Apr 1997 Posts: 119
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 8:37 am Post subject: |
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“I'm thinking windsurfing replaced dinghy sailing and racing from such classes as Sunfish, Laser, Windmill, 470, 420, and Fireball. A good number of windsurfers also came from the ranks of the catamaran sailors. ….”
That’s interesting. For me Windsurfing represented freedom. As in I no longer had to spend an entire weekend trapped on a boat. Whether it was family cruising with my Dad; working the Bow, or sitting for hours, as rail meat on race boats. I am pretty sure that’s why till this day, I still have a distain for racing.
I was pretty lucky: I have been sailing with a great crew of guys for the last 35 years. While we went through all the phases of gear: from easy to sail…to fast, unrealistic, and un jybe-able…back to easy to sail. It’s been the NON-competitive, supportive nature of our sailing that has created our friendships.
This sport has given me so much with out keeping score. However, though we have developed a few young guns, I would have the estimate the average age of the windsurfers I sail with to be 50.
That troubles me. A 16 year old has no way of getting his windsurfing gear to the beach; unless he has the equivalent of a “soccer Mom”. When I was that age one of the boatyards on the bay kept a shipping container on the beach. We would pay modest rent to keep our boards there. Those type of properties no longer exist on my bay. It’s McMansions or high end Yacht Clubs. And forget the ocean; it’s a half hour drive. Easy if you are my age, but not if you are 12… |
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bkiggins
Joined: 01 Aug 1999 Posts: 101 Location: Castle Rock, CO
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:05 am Post subject: |
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I'm sure I'll get flamed hard, but take a moment to think about this before replying:
Take a look at most threads on this forum, it's a complete nerd fest, filled with arguments about the best technique or the size and dimension of everything... I suspect for a lot of people, that's a turnoff. 99% of the population doesn't care how something works, they just want it to work. (Think dial tone in the telecom industry).
People are busy today, and their recreational time is valuable to them, so they gravitate to things that don't take a degree in rocket science to understand... so, how to fix it?
I think people need an entry point where they can just go out and have fun 80% of the time without having to over think everything. Couple that with a reasonable price point (sub $1k for an entire setup), and you might (might because there are tons of recreational activities to choose from) bring growth back tot he sport.
Just food for thought, donning flame retardant suit now. |
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dllee
Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:32 am Post subject: |
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Do you work for Bic? |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20936
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:26 am Post subject: |
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bkiggins wrote: | it's a complete nerd fest, filled with arguments about the best technique or the size and dimension of everything... I suspect for a lot of people, that's a turnoff. 99% of the population doesn't care how something works, they just want it to work. |
Yup; that's me and every computer I've used the past 51 years. But that other 20% worry themselves silly over unplugged empty fin slots, the offset in most one-bolt mast feet, a couple of ounces of water in a foot strap, WFF, their favorite board's date of manufacture and chemical composition and color, etc. There's room for all of it in a magazine and especially a forum, and anyone turned off by either side of the coin could just concentrate on what he wants and ignore the rest. In addition, each individual's reading tastes change with his ever-changing knowledge, skill, and preferences. I've heard, for example, that some people actually look at ads, photos, interviews with celebrities, articles on sailing destinations, and what-I-did-last-week in magazines. Some, maybe many, people don't even glance at those, just as some ignore the How-To stuff. |
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ronm41
Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 180
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:55 am Post subject: |
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bkiggins wrote: | I'm sure I'll get flamed hard, but take a moment to think about this before replying:
Take a look at most threads on this forum, it's a complete nerd fest, filled with arguments about the best technique or the size and dimension of everything... I suspect for a lot of people, that's a turnoff. 99% of the population doesn't care how something works, they just want it to work. (Think dial tone in the telecom industry).
People are busy today, and their recreational time is valuable to them, so they gravitate to things that don't take a degree in rocket science to understand... so, how to fix it?
I think people need an entry point where they can just go out and have fun 80% of the time without having to over think everything. Couple that with a reasonable price point (sub $1k for an entire setup), and you might (might because there are tons of recreational activities to choose from) bring growth back tot he sport.
Just food for thought, donning flame retardant suit now. |
No flame here as your points are valid, but I disagree a little. Don't think it is a nerd fest as nerdy types talk the talk but not physical to walk the talk. So, I would call it a "techo fest" and for the most part that is why I like windsurfing and backcountry skiing, both are techy and specialized and both are physical. AS far as your point to cheap and easy, christ that has been tried and reinvented over and over and the bottomline seems to be that they can't make the sport any easier than what it is. As far as cheap 1-2 thousand is a pretty low entry level for a watersport and if potential windsurfers are carping about that price of admission they most certainly won't be one of the few who make the committment. |
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WutUpWitU
Joined: 21 May 2000 Posts: 52
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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maybe it is simpler than all this?
windsurfing is one of those sports where you
really gotta wanna
and you can't teach or really push that
you have to see it one day and say to yourself
that's unreal and no matter what, i'm gonna do that |
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thombiz
Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 799 Location: Corpus Christi
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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Amen! |
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dllee
Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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Windsurfing is supercheap, compared to motocross, roadracing, waterskiing, and even ski/snowboarding.
And all those sports have the same techno talk and knowledge as windsurfing.
If you want simple jungle sports, try soccer, basketball, and solo running. |
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thombiz
Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 799 Location: Corpus Christi
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:02 pm Post subject: |
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I do agree that windsurfing is super cheap, but windsurfers are some of the most frugal, tight wallet'd people on the planet. You would be surprised how many 12, 13, 14, even 15 year old sails I repair in a season. I just sold some almost new sails for $295 each. I tried selling them before at $325 and got absolutely no interest in them. From where I sit, most windsurfers still are caught up in the pricing of the 90's. |
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