I first started in 1981 at the tender age of 9, with a kiddies rig on a Dufour Wing board that weighed a ton. The daggerboard wasn't retractable and was made of wood, so when you started planing, you had to reach down, pull out the daggerboard and put your arm through the rope handle. The boom was also wooden and used to flop around when wet. And I think the universal was rope.

1986, also on a Dufour Wing. Swinging centreboard was made of plastic though. Two mastfoot inserts for "tuning". Tiny little fin, quite indestructible.

JB

Approximately 1992, I was about 13 years old. I used a kiddy rig on a Mistral Competition. Can't believe I'm so bad after 15 years of sailing

1982 on a 13 foot race board with no straps had a swinging dagger board (hi-tech) and lash on boom floppy sail etc. on Lake Cootharabah Qld
Tied some rope to the boom and used a sailing harness.
Sailed that for 3 years and gave up for 10 years .
I picked up a heap of gear at an auction one day for 50 bucks and my real addiction started there

1984 Greek islands just a play

1985 first lesson melbourne, middlepark, windsurfer one design

just under a year ago on luckey bay, with a 2.7 wich looked like a giant block of cheese, and a starboard go, than i mooved onto a 4.0

Early 1980's (1982?)at Middle Park, Melbourne on a friend's board- something like a Wally, but probably one of those brands that has disappeared like the board into landfill. The brand has decomposed but not the polyethylene.

(I know it's bad form to edit, but I remember now. It was an Alpha)

2000

Old F/glass Crystals wave board 8'0"
Old NP RAF sails Those big Pink thingies.

Downloaded instructions of the internet and preceeded to beat the crap out of myself.

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Originally posted by Arlo

quote:

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Originally posted by divaldo

1992 at Seacliff, John Hall 295 and a 4.5 mtr combat, three hours of swearing. I still have the board

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How the bloody hell did you learn on a 295??? ...or did you try a bigger board after the 3hrs of swearing?

I first tried it in 1985 on a UFO(?), solid washing up bowl type plastic (I think it was a twin berth), and really couldn't see the point of floating around and maybe moving slowly in the direction you intended; it certainly didn't look like an extreme sport to me.

Took it up seriously about 10yrs.

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I am hardcore!

I then bought myself a 360 Tyronsea boat, it came with its own loo it was so big!

august 1979 on a one design, seems like yesterday.

first try out
1987 on a Tencate Runner
what a complete pig

progressed very slowly with crap equipment for many years after that until buying some good gear.

1986 on windsurfer one design at my school for sport on wednesdays

1997, 11yrs old Found a windsurfer one design in trading post for $75 used it for a season at windsurfings greatest location Rodd Point. Havent looked back since

I first tried windsurfing in 1975 at Association Island in the USA. The 470 world championships were held there at the same time as the US Windsurfer championships won by a young grommet called Schweizer??? A few of the other Aussies (Greg Johns) brought the idea back to Australia. I gave the 470 Olympic campaign away for Laser sailing but kept a Windsurfer one design for many years (teak boom and all) untill I lost all my toys and just about everything else in a factory fire in 2001. Took up speed sailing about 2 years ago and now reckon windsurfing is the purest form of sailing.

1982, one design wally, Bridport (Nth Tas)

2004-2005 (can't remember) on a old bic calipso and modern learner sail. Been addicted ever sinse. Had I known the effect it would have had on my concentration in school I wouldn't have tried it. But what can you do!!!!

Now 5 boards later I am starting to look for a career in the sport. HAHAHAHA