Gday all.
Ive just started windsurfing at the tender age of 33 haha
My good mate took me out yesterday to Safety Bay after giving me a brief but informative run down on rigging up a windsurfer and then getting in and (trying) getting on the board. Although i fell off most times i managed to get on and cruise for 2m to 10m despite the lack of wind (so i was told).
My good mate also lent me an old rig of his to use for a few months which was very generous of him.
The board is 102L with a 5m sail.
Im 189cm tall and 90kg.

I know that i need a bigger board but would this be sufficient?
What beaches are suitable for windsurfing around Perth (im from Hamilton Hill) and is the best time to go out when the wind is 20knots and over?
That 10m cruise was a tease and i loved it. Cant wait for the next time!!!
Cheers

Krank77 said...
I know that i need a bigger board but would this be sufficient?
What beaches are suitable for windsurfing around Perth (im from Hamilton Hill) and is the best time to go out when the wind is 20knots and over?

If you learn on a 102 you'll be a superstar before you know it. Go and get a bigger board, at least 140-180. You'll learn so much quicker and you increase your enjoyment ten fold. In 12 months you'll be blasting on a 102, but take the time to learn everything about this great sport and try and make it as easy as possible. Unitill you first plane your not really hooked.

A 5m sail is good to learn with, light and easy to handle...but you'll soon be looking for something bigger, Something about 6.2-6.7 seems perfect for WA IN about 15-20 knots...The 5m will be for the 25-30 knot days.

To start with try days when it's 10-15 just to get the basics down, on a 102 you might need a bit more wind as it would only just be floating. once you've got a good feel for it try 15-20, work your way up and get use to it.

With the 102 you'll spend so much time just trying to keep your balance it'll just make everything else seem that much harder to learn, try and borrow or hire a beginers board for a while, you'll only need it for a season and then you'll be on something much smaller. If your not short on coin buy a beginers board and the sell it after you're done, they are pretty easy to sell and have good resale value if their only a season old.

Can't help with the beaches...I'm only visiting but WA is the best place you could pick to take up this sport.

Have fun.

G'day Krank

I started 14 months ago - I'm about your height and weight (95kg) and quite a bit older. I've only sailed on the river and SB - but aiming at the beaches (probably Pinnaroo) soon.

I can highly recommend lessons - Justin at Peli Pt looked after me. Hiring makes economic sense too when you're trying to decide the best time to buy equipment.
You get to use gear that's most appropriate for your changing levels of proficiency and the prevailing conditions.

I ended up buying a 144 litre board and only now (planing, waterstarting and a few high wind gybes) am I getting ready to move down - to maybe around 120 litres.

I would have thought you're going to find a 102L much too small for some time, because until you can deep water start, uphauling will be quite a handful on that board, particularly if its a bit choppy. The other question is; "how old is the 102L ?" My understanding is some of the older boards are a real handful for beginners and that more modern boards are generally wider and more stable. This allows you to minimise the frustration, progress more quickly and get the buzz of mastering skills and moving on to new ones.

The main thing is keep at it - the rewards (and thrills) are great.

For what its worth, I reckon winter's a good time to sail when you're fairly new. Melville's great when the wind swings more westerley, there's plenty of water shallow enough to stand, there's not as much traffic on the water. You'll need a wetsuit, and you're away.

See you on the water