The techno is good for it's purpose, but in general OD racing only seems viable for areas with a huge windsurfing population or for classes such as youths. It would be good to see a little bit more talent spotting going on outside of those that already windsurf though i'm not privy to their agenda.
For the rest of it- racing is as healthy now as it has been since the early 90's. In SEQ it is limited by location with only the lake and brisbane running regular events, whereas in the past shops everywhere would look to promote racing at their venue.
Slalom racing here is not gear intensive, a 7.8m sail and 120L board is all that is required to be competitive in Slalom 88 class which was designed around the gear that the majority of sailors have. At the point where there is too much for a 7.8 you can step to whatever you want as it is mostly about staying upright around the marks, no point screaming past everyone at 30+knots if you are going to spend 5 minutes emptying the water from your sail at the next gybe.
With seabreeze and other live feed weather stations gone are the days of going to a race and sitting around waiting for the wind all day. Gone also are the days of screaming, abuse and arrogant bulls*** that used to plague the racing scene.
If downwind racing isn't your thing then I'm sure tony would be happy to see you on the start line at the lake where they run regular formula/raceboard races & have been for years. Gestie what do you have to lose
until I became heavier than 60 kg...
O D is fun it's the most equal playing field i think
)
