Hi all

Picked up a barely-used tyronsea 370 with a 5.2 and a 7.0 saii and rig for $80 at a garage sale 3 weeks back, took a lesson 2 weeks ago, found out my new UJ was as old as I am, snapped it like a twig checking for cracks last weekend and hope my new joint arrives before this weekend.

Anyhow, I seem to have caught the same bug as when I first started snowboarding. Realising this got me thinking about one of the things I always wished I'd had known on day one up in Victorias great 2 week snow season - few of those 'ahaa!' tips. Things like looking to where you want to go, bending those knees more etc. Etc.

What are some of those golden little tips you wish you'd known when you first started out windsurfing?

My little tip would be not to buy the cheap boards from garage sale i did a similar thing trading post & what u find when u go to replace sails as urs will fall apart is that the older style boards have a different set up now with the sail design & mast track position .But on the bright side it gets u on the water & u can start to upgrade

Be positive and have fun, its all a learning experience!!!!

Sail with a buddy or a group....it makes it so much more fun.

Get lessons.
Bend ze kneez !!

Use good, modern gear. Chuck the junk. It's already let you down once, and it's not even wet yet.

Things like looking to where you want to go, bending those knees more etc. Etc.

this applies to sailboarding too.

The one tip that has made all the difference to me in a range of board sports.

Falling in is not compulsory.

Just because you stuff up a gybe or do some other silly thing does not mean you have to fall in. You can centre your weight over the board and stay more or less upright for ages. Many people as soon as they mess up just give up and plonk in the water.

A more technical tip, when gybing, bend the knees, lean forward. 99.9% of everybody in board sports stand on the tail and lean back and stall the board. Lean forward. Engage the rail. Carve that thing.


Carry a chamois in your car. It is ideal for drying off boards and sails and for knocking off stray bits of sand.

Perseverence pays.

Also, sound travels a long way on water

When learning as a kid, I got very frustrated out in the middle of a lake and let out a few expletive tirades at my gear, the wind and the world in general.

Came back to shore to mortified parents and a very amused crowd

Markh787 said...

Hi all
<snip>

What are some of those golden little tips you wish you'd known when you first started out windsurfing?

Wider boards are great to learn on and make balancing easier.

Modern equipment (from 2000/2002 on) is much easier to use than the old equipment most people (including me) buy when trying to get into the sport. Unfortunately at that time, you don't know enough about it to know the difference.

Old sails made of Dacron are heavy and far less controllable than modern mono-film sails.

Lighter masts (higher carbon) can make a sail lighter and much more manageable.

Different size sails can help even in the beginning so that you can match the sail size with the wind on the day.

Changing fin size can make a board get going earlier while keeping the same size sail.

Going somewhere like WA with regular wind for a holiday, can improve your windsurfing out of sight by letting you practice regularly instead of just when it happens to be windy.

When trapped in the harness lines under a sail, know how to release them easily.

Take everyone's advice with a grain of salt, as everyone has different experiences and it is easy to forget what it was like as a beginner.

Also learn how to sail upwind or at least not sail only downwind. Otherwise you will have to deal with many walks of shame. As mentioned above, have fun anyway. If you are down in Melbourne probably it is wise to invest in a good wetsuit.

Old gear can be okay but new gear is generally better. However I think narrow long boards are far better in sub planing conditions. I once rode an old Tiga raceboard in light wind and it really cut through the water compared to a modern board that pushes through the water in non planing conditions.

1) Your old gear has a lot of advantages as well as some disadvantages. It's tippier and slower in strong winds, but in light winds, an older longboard will be faster and better upwind than a modern wideboard, and can also go much faster with a small sail.

2) The biggest mistake I see beginners making is not leaning back (towards the wind, not the tail of the board) enough. Never lean forward and only have the mast tilted to leeward in very light winds.

3) Learn what the Centre of Lateral Resistance (on the board) is and what the Centre of Effort (in the rig) is. Learning how the board and rig react as the relationship of those two points change is the basis of windsurfing IMHO.

4) I see you're in Melbourne. They seem like a good bunch down there, but if anyone tells you that wideboards are always quicker and better, ask them if they did the North Sails Half Hour!

5) Lean back towards the wind!

6) Swap between your big and small sail in light winds - you can learn how to handle the power with one, and learn other techniques with the other. Don't be afraid to use the small sail for the early attempts.

7) Many people pull their back hand in too far, which stalls the sail out.

8) Don't pull the outhaul on too hard on those sails - at a guess, adjust it so the belly of the sail is 5cm from the boom unless it's windy. In strong stuff, use lots of downhaul and never have wrinkles running horizontally across from the luff - that's a sign that the downhaul is too loose. If it's windy and the board is always rounding up into the wind, move your hands back along the boom, lean back further towards the wind, and consider kicking the centreboard up 20 degrees.

9) With a longboard like the Tyronsea, you stand around the middle of the board unless it's really windy and you are planing downwind. Don't copy the shortboarders who stand well behind the mast - that's because they don't have centreboards.

Markh787 said...

I can tell there's a whole lot of gold in here! Thanks for the pointers!

I'm thinking that starting out, the lessons are worth it (found that out on the snow way too late) every time, plus the gear there is made for learning and has only seen mere months of this century

Between the lessons, I'll clock some practice on the old 370 after each one until the basics are nailed. Then it's on to a tiny bank balance and better gear, I'm hearing it's better slightly sooner than later?

What's the biggest mistake you've ever made regarding windsurfing?

Buying the wrong gear or buying crap. Either way, it is the wasting money on stuff you don't need but you think you need.

All you really need is more time on water.

Markh787 said...


What's the biggest mistake you've ever made regarding windsurfing?

- Not getting out last Saturday when the wind was up.
- Thinking that women were more important (what was I thinking?)
- Holding onto crap gear that didn't work for me.

patsken said...

Tell your missus you won't be back home 'til about 7pm and pick up a few brownie points when you arrive home at 6pm .... (don't tell her you are only home early 'cos the wind died though).

What? and wait around an hour for dinner!

1. keep your nails short, and
2. if nobody has said it yet, boardshorts don't belong outside your wettie.

Markh787 said...



What's the biggest mistake you've ever made regarding windsurfing?

Buying old gear for $150 at a clearing sale when I was 18 (seriously - 3 boards, 5-6 sails, 2 masts, 5 booms & a bag of bits'n'pieces) and not being able to get it going...so stashed in in the shed rafters...15yrs on I jumped on some new gear & I was hooked straight away! Can't get those 15 years back though.

And...choosing to live in a coastal city/town where the wind is constantly blowing whilst I'm at work, but drops mid-afternoon and disappears on weekends.