My first Windfest and Longboard

Windfest 08 was cool, despite the grumbling about the lack of wind. I especially enjoyed meeting the smart, friendly folks of the windsurfing community. It’s an interesting crowd from a variety of backgrounds; I met internet gurus, NASA guys, a navy pilot, an atomic clock guy, a criminal justice specialist, entrepreneurs, college kids, and so on.

But, what really impressed me about Windfest were all of the resources for beginners. There were free lessons in the water and on a gimbled board thingy. Vendors also had new boards for demo. I think the windsurfing community will grow because of this active recruiting.

The real watershed moment for me though, was when Marcy, who I’d just met didn’t think twice at letting me borrow her F-2 longboard rigged with her 9 m sail. I sailed that baby in the light 10kt breeze until I could barely make out the campground. It was total bliss.

Then, on the way home we (James, Sam, John and others) kept running into each other in a torturous shopping spree up the coast. I say torturous because of the tight purse strings in my family’s budget. However, this trek was not without fruit. I met this guy, another John, who had an extra Fanatic Ultra Cat for sale with dimensions similar to Marcy’s board. I told him that I was definitely interested, and when I got home I squeezed out the funds to make it happen. I met him at Buckroe Tuesday and did the deal. Now I’m the proud owner of a most awesome board that I hope to get wet today. Yes!


12'5" long, 250L, with a sliding mast track, this baby says, "Made in West Germany" - Does this mean that this thing was made before the fall of the Berlin Wall?

For more detailed accounts of Windfest, check out these posts by Catapulting Aaron and James.

My only regret, aside from my skirmish with the free beer, was that I didn’t have my family. There were lots of windsurfer dads, which, at my current age and status, I think is ultra-cool. I plan to bring them next year.