Forums > Windsurfing General

The decline of traditional windsurfing

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Created by Francone > 9 months ago, 8 Sep 2020
t36
98 posts
16 Sep 2020 1:56AM
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Hmm - yes, Windsurfing is dwindling for more than a decade now.

And like living in the last century of the declining roman empire - you can live very good in such a declining empire or in that case sport.

Very good material, less people surfing on the same location et cet.. I had no problem with this shrinking of windsurfing.


But in the last years - something changed to the better side. By introducing SUP many new folk came to watersport.

And with adding foiling to windsurfing - everything changed. Using a PD AI 190 & 160, a 8.0qm Phantom RF, a Phantom foil set, almost every foiling day on our lake is now adventure, fun and competing with the foil-kiters (while most windsurfers are standing) and this showed to the beach and our surf-community, that there is still life in windsurfing. Next may we will make a windfoil trainingsday in our surfclub.

For me personally - I would will not have any emotional problem to accept, that the conventional windsurfing is shrinking into oblivion.

I'm happy to life in these wunderfull days for watersport enthusiasts. My last lowwind windfoiling session was yesterday, planning for SUP next saturday and maybe windfoiling with more wind next sunday.

Dcharlton
307 posts
18 Sep 2020 10:58PM
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I've sensed an 'awakening in the force' for windsurfing. This last year I've had a half dozen people say they were getting back into the sport or wanted to get into the sport. It's up to us to make life easier on them, coach them, give them our old gear to get them into this and give up an occasional windy day to teach. I'm really enjoying teaching my 12 year old son, teach someone, pass it on, start your own Cobra Kai of windsurfing!!!!

DC

MatStirl
TAS, 136 posts
19 Sep 2020 8:59PM
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cammd said..
Mat at racing yesterday afternoon, first race in the season point score we had is IQ foils, formula foils, race boards, rsx and a LT, something for everyone, if it was only one class I expect the numbers in the board fleet would have been halved. No techno unfortunately even though we all started under a techno flag. That's ok it just means we have some work to do to bring in more youth.

Today is slalom racing day, most of the course racers from yesterday will jump onto slalom/freerace gear and join everyone else in some slalom races.



I'm trying to get some foils to join the LT's around the bouys.
The LT's have previously shared courses with Paper Tiger cats which didn't really work as they are faster and the courses were too big for us. They do at least go straight downwind like an LT though.
I was wondering if shared courses with foils particularly wouldn't work too well as they would need a bigger course and sail different angles?
We also share some bouys with F18 cats. It's scary when they are tacking downwind at 20+ knots and cutting across us.

THE DONG
VIC, 518 posts
20 Sep 2020 9:10AM
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I'd say windsurfing is stronger in SA than kiting if not on par. I think kitesurfing has well and truly peaked a couple years ago. Always more windsurfers out when I'm kiting. Still not seeing a great number of youth though as can be expected.

Sideshore
273 posts
1 Dec 2020 3:42AM
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THE DONG said..
I'd say windsurfing is stronger in SA than kiting if not on par. I think kitesurfing has well and truly peaked a couple years ago. Always more windsurfers out when I'm kiting. Still not seeing a great number of youth though as can be expected.


Hello
IMO one important fault of the decline of windsurfing is due to the manufacturers. Many of the top sailors of the peak moment in the 90's founded later different brands: Naish, JP, Goya, etc, and they did narrow wave boards that could be used in the places they sailed and with the skill they had. If you see all the extreme windsurfing videos and you have at your beach 50 cm waves and on-shore 15 knots you'll leave the sport sooner or later. Besides, if you have two windy days per month you need an equipment to be easily carried, easily rigged, easily sailed and not too expensive. Exactly the oposite the brands did.

Fortunately, from 2010 we have seen many new multifin short and wide wave boards with more than 100 litres and sails like the naish chopper. Excuse me if I speak only about wave sailing, I'm glad to see any kind of windsurfing, and there many ways to enjoy windsurfing.

The other day I saw some promotion seminars from Francisco Goya on youtube. Goya wave boards are the ones I liked more. However, when you hear him, you realize he is so technical about the importance of moving one centimeter the mast base or the fin or the footstraps that you see that, after 25 years of wavesailing I'm in a complete different windsurfing universe from him. The problem is that they make boards for 99% people like me, who need to have fun not be be a windsurfing scientist. This is not good for the sport.

More recently, the wind supping and the windfoiling are helping windsurf to reduce the size of the sails in light winds, which is a key factor for weight and rigging simplicity.

But for me the biggest threat for windsurfing is not kitesurfing/wingsurfing attraction, is the massive surfing spread all over the world. If you like wavesailing yo have to go to spots with lots of surfing schools, this is a powerful industry which takes away from the beaches any other sea sport presuring the councils. That's why I can't windsupping on the waves and I've bought a foil to catch soft swells far from the sea shore and from the surfers in summer.

Please tell me where you go wavesailing in light winds with no surfers surrounding you and I will leave my home.

leto
263 posts
1 Dec 2020 5:22AM
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I feel admins should just go search for all these windsurfing/kitesurfing in decline type threads and delete them from all the forums.

oldmic
NSW, 343 posts
1 Dec 2020 9:56AM
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Dcharlton said..
I've sensed an 'awakening in the force' for windsurfing. This last year I've had a half dozen people say they were getting back into the sport or wanted to get into the sport. It's up to us to make life easier on them, coach them, give them our old gear to get them into this and give up an occasional windy day to teach. I'm really enjoying teaching my 12 year old son, teach someone, pass it on, start your own Cobra Kai of windsurfing!!!!

DC


Agree I'm teaching my son (he's older than 12) we've surfed together for years.
We found an old stock windsurf and he's at the stage of sailing in light wind and loving it (as I remember at the start).
I started windsurfing with a wooden boom, switched to kites when Ben Wilson showed what was possible on a surfboard.
Enjoying both but when windy nothing beats surfing a wave with a sail.

LeeD
3939 posts
1 Dec 2020 7:01AM
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Guys.
Windsurfing has been declining ing since 1994.
It's still around.
So buy more new gear.

airsail
QLD, 1241 posts
1 Dec 2020 9:20AM
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The Seabreeze windsurf forums are more active than any other of the forums, just saying.

airsail
QLD, 1241 posts
1 Dec 2020 9:20AM
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The Seabreeze windsurf forums are more active than any other of the forums, just saying.

KookieMonster
QLD, 70 posts
1 Dec 2020 10:56PM
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Reckon the idea that manufacturers ruined windsurfing by focusing on high performance gear is a tired trope from the 90's. Yeh, there was a time when we were all getting around on 80 litre needle nose boards and Bjorn Dunkerbeck was dragging 20 boards around the world to every WC slalom comp. Since then the industry has taken huge strides to make gear that is much much easier to use but still rips.

People are always going on about windsurfing's decline... but it never seems to happen.

Subsonic
WA, 2964 posts
1 Dec 2020 10:04PM
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KookieMonster said..
Reckon the idea that manufacturers ruined windsurfing by focusing on high performance gear is a tired trope from the 90's. Yeh, there was a time when we were all getting around on 80 litre needle nose boards and Bjorn Dunkerbeck was dragging 20 boards around the world to every WC slalom comp. Since then the industry has taken huge strides to make gear that is much much easier to use but still rips.

People are always going on about windsurfing's decline... but it never seems to happen.




This^^^

i can halfway see the point that things have got complicated with so much gear floating around, and maybe that might drive some people away. But its absurd to say the windsurfing industry has caused the decline, when what they've actually done is made windsurfing gear more accessible, and easier to use.

If someone were to ban all the modern gear and remove it from use tomorrow, theres no doubt in my mind that at least 2/3rds of people who windsurf now would cease windsurfing tomorrow. Windsurfing is a niche sport that enjoyed a boom period (like so many others). Remove the "exciting" part now, and it will become even more niche, to the point where it might actually disappear.

segler
WA, 1597 posts
2 Dec 2020 12:10AM
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In the Pacific Northwest of the USA, specifically Seattle, the sport is not only NOT declining, it is actually exploding. There is a huge (~700%) increase in windsurfers and windfoilers there over the past six years. I attribute this to excellent leadership and generous mentoring by certain individuals and groups there. There are a couple of race series, open to all comers with all manner of equipment, who get all manner of help and support, that are the longest running in the history of the sport.

Relic
TAS, 837 posts
2 Dec 2020 6:29AM
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Francone is an inspiration. To think it might be possible me to still be Windsurfing for over another two decades is heartening.
The points made on this thread are all interesting analyses.
I think I might have a little perspective to offer. Having been introduced to dinghy sailing in the late 70's at our local yacht club; To think sailing clubs were ever anything but predominantly the domain of the affluent is deluded.
The same is the case now.
It was at that sailing club I first experienced the exhilaration of being propelled by the wind. I have my hard working parents to thank who scrimped and saved to buy me an International Cadet Dinghy. Sadly dinghy sailing wasn't for me. My little "Butterbox" spent more time upside down than upright. The boat was sold and that was the end of dinghy sailing for me. Besides I never really felt like I belonged at the club anyway. I went to a state school and most of the other kids at the club were at the local elite private schools.
At about the same time a bizzare watercraft with muti coloured sails began to appear in increasing numbers. from a 12 YO perspective those Sailboarders were so cool. I had to do it. A learnt when a try out Sailboarding day was held by the local water sports dealer and that was it HOOKED.
I mowed lawns, washed cars , builders' laboured until I could afford a second hand Windsufer Sailboard.
For the next 10 years I sailed every spare minute and followed the trend to shorter, faster and sinkier boards.
It got to the point where we could only sail in minimum 25Knots. The sinker nearly killed sailboarding. In fact I quit due to the fact my new career no longer allowed me to shoot through anytime when the wind was in.
Fast forward to 2010. On a whim I pulled some old gear out on a windy day and the flame was reignighted. I quickly realised the new equipment was a must. Getting kitted up wasn't too expensinve with a careful mix of used and new. It made the whole experience so much easier and the performance was better than anything from the past. Wider wide angle, early planing....blah, blah.
Enter the Windurfer LT. Everything about it has been said.
Last weekend at the very same sailing club where it all began for me; what would have been the unthinkable in the 70's happened. Windsurfers raced on the same course as other classes! A great experience. Nothing too serious and some good company.
The whole sport has come full circle. Draw what conclusions you like. Personally whatever gets me on the water the most often is good. For me that means three wave boards three sails and an LT. Mostly used gear sourced from this site and repaired throw aways at fraction of new prices. There is a solution for every budget.
Without all the development and technology drawn from the cutting edge of yachting none of all the diverse disciplines of Windsurfing, Kiting, Foiling or LT would exist for us to chose from. Let's not deride each other for our choices. We're all on the same side.
.......Prespective......

stonny
NSW, 99 posts
2 Dec 2020 9:50PM
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For me, windsurfing has definitely not declined. It's never been better......and I've been at it since 1984.

CH3MTR4IL5
WA, 747 posts
2 Dec 2020 8:30PM
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airsail said..
The Seabreeze windsurf forums are more active than any other of the forums, just saying.


That's cos you're sitting around on forums waiting for a 30kt day and not out on the water like the kiters, sups, windwings, surfers

Obelix
WA, 1086 posts
2 Dec 2020 8:51PM
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At the place I sail at, there has been some minor defection to kiting, but more concerning, a good number have recently moved to foiling and wing surfing. Mostly the most experienced sailors.

I guess they mastered the skill and need new challenges.

But may be that's still called "windsurfing"

boardsurfr
WA, 2202 posts
3 Dec 2020 12:12AM
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Obelix said..
At the place I sail at, there has been some minor defection to kiting, but more concerning, a good number have recently moved to foiling and wing surfing. Mostly the most experienced sailors.

I guess they mastered the skill and need new challenges.

But may be that's still called "windsurfing"


At our local spot on Cape Cod, there definitely seemed to be more windsurfers this year than in previous years. I'll blame the "working from home" trend .

Two of the best windsurfers have switched to winging almost exclusively, after windfoiling mostly for a year or so. But for one of them, it's a matter of prevailing conditions. Most of the time, we get chop/swell that's no good for wave sailing, and not much fun on slalom gear. When we are at a spot where the waves are great, she loves wave sailing; at spots with shallow and flat water, she loves windsurfing on slalom and speed gear.

On the other hand, we have a couple of guys who were not afraid to go out on larger sails (around 8 m) who started windfoiling. You'll see them on the water more often now that they started foiling, on smaller sails and with bigger grins. They both still windsurf when the wind is stronger. But if it's a light weekend day, they (and one of the wingers) may be the only ones on the water having fun, perhaps joined by a couple of very light windsurfers, while most windsurfers stand on shore waiting for wind.



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"The decline of traditional windsurfing" started by Francone