Inland Surfer Fix

By the way, I had nothing to do with this video, other than posting it from Youtube onto this blog. I just think it's cool.

I have been an east coast wave surfer for the past 21 years and I love it. There is nothing like jumping up on your board, making the drop and then going down the line on some insane hurricane swell, and I’ll continue to catch those days on my Becker longboard whenever I can.

But lately, I’ve been catching some sweet wind on a variety of windsurf rigs, on the York River. The biggest advantage of this new hobby is geographic. I used to live close to the oceanfront and at the time, I was a frequent rider of whatever Croatan, Sandbridge, Rodanthe, Avon, Hatteras, or Frisco had to offer.

But from where I currently reside, I’d have to combat 65 miles of congestion just to get to the nearest break, and with a family and a career, that doesn't happen often.

With windsurfing, I only have to go about a mile to the Gloucester Point Beach at the base of the Coleman Bridge; that I can do after work. I don’t get ocean swells on the York but I do get some strong winds and some good “ramps” (waves).

Thanks to one of my coworkers, James (http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/), who is a highly proficient windsurfing warrior and president of our sail and paddle club, taking up this new hobby has been a breeze. I’ve invested next to nothing, which is great since I’m not a plastic surgeon.

So far the boards that I’ve used are:

Kona: 220 liters, 70 x 350 cm.

2001 Ezzy Wave Sail: 6.9 meters squared

Bic Melody (old longboard from late 80s / early 90s): 220 liters, 350 x 68 cm

Sail: Old 7.5 meters squared no-cam sail

Mistral Prodigy: 255 liters, 87 x 298 cm

I really like the Bic. If you ask me, I think it’s actually smaller than the Kona, but according to the above specs, it’s not really. The narrower boards are more squirrelly, but easier to turn and faster, and speed is what I need. The Mistral is really wide and stable; great for beginners. It also planes easily.

I’ve probably windsurfed close to 20 times and I’ve been tacking since I started, and I'm still not a perfect tacker but at least I don’t usually fall anymore. On my last outing, I tried some jibes for the first time and immediately I loved it, more than tacking. I think because the sail has a minimal time without power. Also, I think a jibe is actually easier because you don’t have to step around the mast; you just flip the mast out in front.

Anyhow, windsurfing is totally under-rated. More people should get into it. It’s more challenging and much less noisy then the prolific jet skis. Also, as with surfing, it is close to nature, literally. As a surfer, I've been so close to porpoises, pelicans, turtles, manta rays and yes, sharks. What a thrill!

So, if you’re ever in Gloucester and want to go windsurfing drop James or me a note. When we go there’s usually an extra rig available.