Windsurfing
I was wondering how many fellow RV’rs and rv.net enthusiasts also have the windsurfing bug? I would be interested in hearing about, and seeing (pics) of, places you have been and how you outfit your ...
Forum Discussion
Well, it looks like Key West was the call over South Padre Island for the first two weeks of January. During that time, I sailed one day in ~18 mph south wind and Carey sailed one day in a honking norther, and then we both sailed our last day, in marginal wind at best.
A real contrast to the three weeks we had in December.
I still think the water/wind conditions there are the best I've ever encountered, but I'm going to have to think twice about going back. There are rules to keep the kiters and windsurfers separated, but the kiters don't respect them and nobody does anything about it. The "club" sent out a yearly newsletter saying they were going to clamp down on the kiters, but I haven't seen any evidence of it. Just the fact that they need to clamp down on them says a lot. Sadly, for me, the kiting menace outweighs the prime conditions.
Also, it's a side-shore wind, which I'm not all that used to, and everybody launches from a relatively small area. It seems harder to carve out your own little turf than in an onshore or offshore wind, for some reason. They say that in the Spring, after the ski areas close, the place is mobbed, with people parked three deep. I can't imagine what the traffic on the water is like then.
I like the looks of your solo sessions in Key West.
But the good news is that after all that practice in shallow water, I don't blow a jibe any more unless I'm trying something kind of fancy. That will come in very handy when I'm relegated back to deep water, which I'll take over kiters any day.
A real contrast to the three weeks we had in December.
I still think the water/wind conditions there are the best I've ever encountered, but I'm going to have to think twice about going back. There are rules to keep the kiters and windsurfers separated, but the kiters don't respect them and nobody does anything about it. The "club" sent out a yearly newsletter saying they were going to clamp down on the kiters, but I haven't seen any evidence of it. Just the fact that they need to clamp down on them says a lot. Sadly, for me, the kiting menace outweighs the prime conditions.
Also, it's a side-shore wind, which I'm not all that used to, and everybody launches from a relatively small area. It seems harder to carve out your own little turf than in an onshore or offshore wind, for some reason. They say that in the Spring, after the ski areas close, the place is mobbed, with people parked three deep. I can't imagine what the traffic on the water is like then.
I like the looks of your solo sessions in Key West.
But the good news is that after all that practice in shallow water, I don't blow a jibe any more unless I'm trying something kind of fancy. That will come in very handy when I'm relegated back to deep water, which I'll take over kiters any day.
