I am thinking of expanding my kit to cover really light winds..Does any one have any opions on this..
maybe something like a hypersonic with 8+ sails what does it take to make these perfrom in light winds 10 t0 15

Does anyone rent this gear ???

Has any resorted to this in light wind desparation

G'Day Paddy,
Windsurfing WA have got a strong crew of Formula sailors and are looking to hold a heap of regular Formula events next season - in conjunction with Nedlands Yacht Club. It's pretty social, with BBQ's and drinks after racing and it's a brilliant location (views and deep water). If you'd like to know more - drop us an email
Regards
Dan Engdahl
On behalf of WWA

I have a 9.8m RS4 and a formula 136 and I have to admitt that after playing with everything so it feels comfortable and your body adapts to the greater load , it is quite good fun.
It feels small after a while (until you drop it)
Next year I look forwards to joining Nedlands yacht club and racing regularly.



Chad Silver

hey simon,

i was talking to belinda stowell the other day about the rsx's and she said that there would be no chance of donated or sponsored kits from the WAYF for at least another 3 years or something.

Who would provide the RSX's??

michael oliver

I rode a 9m raf sail on a bic formula board for 3 years and have had so much fun. I found it such a buzz to go out in 9 knots, the water is always smooth, I could point upwind and go places I never thought of going before.

For ages after I got the gear I would sail in the morning befor the breeze really got up, still love it but have got into kiting and I am kiting in light breeze although wind is more prone to dropping when light and it's no fun trying to come into shore with kite in no wind. I am a glutten for punnishment I'll go out in anything.

See ya
Nigel

everytime i think about buying freeride/formula gear for those light wind days on the river, i just cant do it id rather spend my money on gear that will get me riding waves buying the latest wave sail or wave board and even those spare bits and pieces are a priority thats where my heart, passion and addiction is if i was given formula gear i wouldnt say no plus i do work full time, have a wife, two year old daughter and a boy due to be born in july which is all very exciting being able to sail 3/5 days a week during the season as is must mean i have the best wife in the world changing that to 7 days a week just for formula gear is not worth disturbing a good thing

Hey Paddy,
at the moment i'm planing to have a kinda winter race/open day to get membership signups sometime in July, with the hope of monthly winter club racing(possibly starting b4 that). we will advertise this closer to the time.

If any shops want to come to party and bring a kit down for demo etc. they are more than welcome to do so.

Cheers Bertie

Hi all. I bought a second hand formula kit about 6 months ago, just to be able to spend more time on the water (in Sydney).

A couple of observations (no science behind this, just my opinion).
1. If you just want a formula kit for crusing (rather than racing), it can be quite cost-competitive. I think the pro-racers only use brand new gear, so as soon as next season gear comes out, their previous year's gear comes on the market quite cheap. As there aren't many serious racers buying second hand gear, there appears to be a lot of 1-season-old gear in good nick, and ideal for recreational windsurfing.
2. It's great for fitness - Holding up (or down) an 11.5m sail is hard work, and will get you grunting, sweating (and perhaps swearing)!!. Think of it as a good weights session, with some fun thrown in for good measure. Certainly increases your strength and fitness, increasing time on the water when you get back onto slalom gear in higher winds.
3. It teaches you a lot about rig tuning. With such huge gear, you don't have the strength to 'muscle' the sail if the tuning/balance is not quite right. Any slight tuning errors manifest themselves as a considerable pull/imbalance in the rig (because of the huge sail size). Thus, you can correct them on the formula gear, but even better, it helps me to pick up on the much more imperceptible tunning errors on my smaller sails, where the indicators are alot more subtle, and can be masked by simply muscling the sail excessively.

Overall, I'm very happy to have a formula kit to get out in the 8-12 knot range. I'll even rig it with a 9.5 for the 12-15 knot range, if I don't feel like pumping my slalom board onto the plane every time. (100kg sailor) The only downer is that the kit is HUGE. It's a real effort to get it all to fit in the car.

Cheers...

Eckas