Dear Small Rooster,

A couple of lessons first is your best bet.

Re equipment, I saw a guy up north learning to sail on Starboard Go 170, and 5 to 5.5 mt sail and within a week he was sailing in footstraps and a harness, hooting his head off, and he was a bout 80kg. So that would definitely be a good bet. The characteristics to look for are width in a board, 80 to 100cm, and volume in litres at least 150 I would say for your weight, (The GO 170 is 170 litres and looked perfect), the rest is up to your finances??

Hey big hen how you doing
Im with Hardie, buy or hire a *board go or start or something similiar (a board the size of a door) and have a go with that. Might be an idea to have an instructer or competant sailor give you some pointers as you go. A mates wife had a go in Lancelin last year and was going one way, tacking and heading back the other in less than hour
Keep persisting