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lukeHi everybody! Some of you may know me from “James’ Blog“, where I write my thoughts and opinions about windsurfing, science, and life in general. Well, now WINDSURFING has offered to host some of my windsurfing-related posts here on windsurfingmag.com so that I can reach a broader audience of windsurfers. Cool! I will still maintain my old blog, but after a period of overlap and reposting this will become the primary host of my new windsurfing material. To start with, I want to talk about my recent experience at Florida Windfest 2010, a windsurfing regatta and demo event held April 17 at Kelly Park, the site of Calema Windsurfing.
I had attended previously in 2009 (see my reports: 1, 2), so I knew it would be a good time. This year I was particularly excited because I was riding up from Fort Pierce with my new windsurfing buddy Brandon and his eager-to-learn-windsurfing spouse Lisa. Brandon had only ridden junker gear from the 1980s, so I was curious to see what he would think about the new demo gear from Aerotech, Exocet, Maui Sails, and Fanatic, plus the assorted board-test gear that WINDSURFING editor Josh Sampiero brought in a huge Penske truck.
There wasn’t a heck of a lot of wind, maybe 10 knots and some change, but it was enough to plane a bit on the big free-ride and slalom boards, like the Exocet Sting here with board demo guy John Ingebritsen.
The moderate wind was also good for beginner lessons and the formula and Kona One-Design racing fleets. The formula boards really ruled the day. It’s amazing how much earlier they plane and how much better they go upwind than anything else.
While Brandon was getting acquainted with the planing technique for modern wide-style shortboards (front foot in the strap first!), I gave Lisa a windsurfing lesson with a Kona longboard and a kiddie sail. She picked it up real quick, and soon graduated to a bigger 5.7 sail. I barely had to teach anything! I also gave a windsurfing lesson to Sampiero’s super-hot friend Lauren from Orlando. She also picked it up quick, with many others volunteering their instructorly services when I was done.
One of the volunteer instructors, Jon, showed off some awesome light-wind freestyle tricks on Calema Windsurfing’s AHD beginner boards. Sampeiro also pulled off a bunch of cool freestyle moves on a Kona. I should try learning some of those.
It was tough to leave, especially for Brandon, who had finally gotten the hang of planing with a 9.0 Aerotech Freespeed on an Exocet Sting, but at least we didn’t return empty handed. Chris Gardiner and Sampiero each donated a not-too-shabby windsurf board to Brandon, who also got some decent 10-year-old sails to incrementally modernize his quiver while he saves for new gear.
Woo hoo! 
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James, let us know when Brandon gets a chance to use that new gear!
Hey Josh! Brandon has now had a couple good sessions on your old Seatrend with Chris' 6.0 Ezzy. Last time out he said he was starting to get the feel of "riding the fin" when powered up in flatwater. In my latest post he appears a bit on that gear combo in the helmet camera video.
Hey Josh! Brandon has now had a couple good sessions on your old Seatrend with Chris' 6.0 Ezzy. Last time out he said he was starting to get the feel of "riding the fin" when powered up in flatwater. In my latest post he appears a bit on that gear combo in the helmet camera video.
Hi James I ride a old Pro-Tech Z27 and have found it to be as fast as some of the new stuff. I had problems jibing it but found that with a smaller fin it jibes pretty good. Old equipment seems alot farrower when you first ride it but in chop they are smooth.
Narrow long fin boards have great ride qualities in chop. They just don't point high on the plane like wider boards. And people just give them away! Was it the boards that became obsolete or did the flatwater conditions everyone used to sail in become pase?