I read with interest heaps of guys have come from windsurfing backgrounds.
Tell your story how you came across sup, found the transition and has SUPing taken over or do you still do both.
Take it away DJ.

I have been windsurfing for about 25 years, wavesailing at locations all over Australia and doing a fair bit of competition over the years. Still get out every chance I get, but with a family there just isn't the time to hang around waiting for wind, so getting up early and on a SUP before the family wakes works well. I think for most windsurfers and kitesurfers we were exposed to SUP early as it was many of the companies that we were familiar with that were making the gear. Great no wind alternative and a bit different.

Now I would say it's my primary sport, I get out on the SUP a few times a week at least. Windsurfing at the moment I would be very lucky to get out once a month.

aus301 said...

I have been windsurfing for about 25 years, wavesailing at locations all over Australia and doing a fair bit of competition over the years. Still get out every chance I get, but with a family there just isn't the time to hang around waiting for wind, so getting up early and on a SUP before the family wakes works well. I think for most windsurfers and kitesurfers we were exposed to SUP early as it was many of the companies that we were familiar with that were making the gear. Great no wind alternative and a bit different.

Now I would say it's my primary sport, I get out on the SUP a few times a week at least. Windsurfing at the moment I would be very lucky to get out once a month.

Cheers.
The biggest selling point for sup is that anybody can do it. Just stand up and paddle.
I passed on my first sup to my wife and she's hooked. The kids love it also. Suping is the most fun we have as a family for sure. Some days I throw my sup on the roof of my work van and have a paddle in between jobs at varied locations around Sydney. Too easy.

Cheers DW.
Sorry mate can't view from my ipad.
Will check out from lap top later.
Re: my recent post about "ipad and Apple don't get on".
Sometimes I can't view you tube.
Pain in the a___.
Might be due for a new tablet.

Still windsurfing mostly, but got into sup mainly to enjoy the water with the family - which coincidentally was the reason for starting to windsurf a few years back...enjoying a day at the beach with a bit of breeze...unfortunately now, I like to get out when it's 30kts...the wife & kids don't!

Sup is still mainly for fitness for me, as is mtb'ing, although as I'm getting on (soreness), and with the lack of wind, it's moved up the ladder somewhat!

DavidJohn said...

Still windsurfing.. even somtimes on a sup board..

I've been windsurfing for 35 years now.. One day I'll get some new gear.. I still love it.

DJ

Looks like loads of fun DJ.
Good multi use of the GoPro and great choice of music.
Never windsurfed myself but got me pumped.
I reckon there would be a few ex-windsurfers watching that vid that thought "s---, I should'nt have sold me old gear".

Still sail...well, sorta. It wasn't a great summer for wind in Melbourne, which meant plenty of SUP'ing. So it's been a couple of months since my last sail.

Also, now that it's getting cold down in Melbourne, I find SUP'ing to be actually a lot warmer (or should that be, less cold) than windsurfing through winter. I have never been a great fan of sailing in northerlies on the Bay, as they tend to be so gusty and one minute you are dogging along, next you are overpowered. So now I get out on the downwinders on SUP in those conditions.

Downwinder said...

G'day Scotty88
This was my first ever SUP from way back in 2005 there was only four of us SUPing at the time check out Currumbin Alley one foot of pumping perfection for a 12ft log of a SUP with only one fin. I go an old girlfriend sprayed on the SUP board & yes her breast where that big I was loving life going out with Annie.
( Help Me Please Mr Wizard )

Hey DW,
Just checked out vid on laptop.
Nice design. What size is that Sup ? size DD perhaps ?
With Annie on ya Sup you should be prone paddling NOT SUPing.
Safe to say there's a few more then 4 SUPing at the alley these days.
Last count ?

I grew up windsurfing in Perth. My father taught me to windsurf down at Pelican Point when I was still in primary school back when windsurfing was a fairly new past-time (a bit like SUP is now).

I'd enjoy being out in the waves at 'Dutchees' on the weekend, and often a bit of social racing midweek at Nedlands.

About 4 years ago, I moved over to Melbourne, living near St Kilda. Since I moved to Melbourne, I almost never windsurf. This is for a variety of reasons:

1) Less storage now, as I live in a flat. (I had to give away a lot of my windsurfing equipment when I moved over here
2) My windsurfing buddy (who I used to sail with in Perth, but he lives in Melbourne too now) is up to his eyeballs in little kids.
3) Conditions here are not as nice – as least not in Metropolitan Melbourne. Port Phillip Bay just doesn't compare to The Indian Ocean!
4) I have less time than I used to due to my job here (and Windsurfing is a time consuming hobby)
5) I have a wife (who doesn't windsurf)

I've found SUP fits into my current lifestyle a lot more. SUP has way less rigging and un-rigging, and most importantly, it was easy to teach my wife to SUP and she loves it. Teaching her to windsurf – well that's a much harder task!

Sometime it's kind of hard being a newbie rider (I only took up SUP this past summer) when you've been something of a veteran of another board-riding discipline. I still feel like a kook when I SUP-surf, and have this feeling inside that if I had a sail in my hands, I'd be totally shredding. Oh well…

Still love to windsurf on the rare opportunity I get. The last really great windsurf I had was on holiday overseas – 25 to 30 knots in the warm water of the South China Sea off Vietnam.