Tell me about what windsurfing is like

[KwuZitGigoonkeh]

Hi there windriderz,

My english might be gone kinda rusty, so don't get scared in case it's somehow strange, I didn't get around to use it for about 8 years.

Well, I'm a writer & dreamer from waaaaay over europe, and I'm trying to find out what windsurfing is about and what it means to you surfers.
I have to dig into it quite a bit, cause I'm writing a story about surfing companions, still, I can't just go and try for myself ( something I dream about doing a lot though ) because of health problems / handicap.
So I'm looking for surfers who might like to tell me something about your magic sport, about surfer lifestyle, the deeper meaning or philosophical secrets, the terminology you use or all kinds of important things.
Of course I could just write up anything , but it would be like going fishing in the desert without a skidoo, I fear, so if it's possible, I'd rather write something using a serious backgrounding.

Now I can read lots of things on surfing websites, but again, to me it's kind of hard to figure out about all these special terms 'n stuff.
Just would be kewl if someone had the patience, time or joy to let me have some idea of what surfers think and feel about their holy grale.

Well, for revanche I could try to do a little painting or maybe compose a surfer - song to give something back.

Give Canada some huge hugs, will be home of my heart sort of, forever

Greetz from somewhere around switzerland,

KwuZitGigoonkeh
( barefooted fisher )

Forgot Email, sorry in case it's gonna be a double posting. Found no edit function.

[Guest]

Seems to be sort of a big secret, eh.

Or my english needs to be updated.
In case there is some codex - thing why you can't talk about it or so, I had no idea.
Got me some book material now.


Thanx anyways for taking a look.

[winddoctor]

KwuZitGigoonkeh,

No big secret or code.

Perhaps it's difficult to adequately express what we all "get" from windsurfing and kiteboarding. For some it's a diversion from the stresses of daily living. For others it is a soulful pursuit; a cleansing of the spirit in the wind and the ocean. For those who have moved past the point of the sport simply being fun, there is something substantial there that has us returning to the ocean over and over again. For some the need to return is as powerful as the yearning an addict suffers to feel the hot rush of a drug in the veins.

A day on the water re-connects us with an environment that we are so often detached from in our busy lives. There is a certain vitality and energy that people who enjoy our sports exude. I certainly believe that this is a reflection of the soul being nurtured rather than starved. It is an indescribable freedom that we enjoy to step into the flow of wind and water and regard the land as a place to temporarily leave our past and future concerns. Each moment on the water is given to us to experience in its full essence. In these moments there is no past or future. The experience is delivered unfiltered and raw, bypassing any cognitive thought process and it fills us at the core level. The deeper meaning and philosophical value seems to become more apparent back on land again when there is time for reflection. This being said, sometimes it's also nice to just ripitup and talk story with friends after a session! It's not always completely a Zen experience.

Someone once said "Time spent windsurfing is not subtracted from the rest of our lives." Maybe that's the key to immortality - more time on the water!

All of the jargon and technical stuff, while a large part of the culture, is still just that - "stuff". It's all in the feeling, I believe. I wish you were able to try our beautiful sports. Our small tribe shares a commom understanding that we are deeply fortunate to live here and enjoy something so fulfilling.

All the best luck in your dreaming and writing...

[guest]

The tree's ,start to sway,air freshens,my stomach starts to tighten.Is that a wind line, I see on the horizon.My gear,got to get my gear!what about that dinner.Screw it!That's a wind line for sure.I wonder how hard it going to blow.Yeh Hah! Let it come,those cobwebs gotta go.God dam work! sucks!Wind ,now thats live'n,senses hightened,muscles tightened,the spray up your nose,my board under my feet,so sweet.Waves are peeking,rising in the mist of the ocean spray,huge bumps lifting and standing tall.Must get on one of those suckers,rip it up.Glue myself to it as long as I can.Work it baby.lovely waves,making their own rules,going were they must.Yeh!I can feel the earth move under my feet,the sky is move'n and it's sweet.My lungs are swollen with pure air,smog left behind,my brain is clearing of all that crap,my only responsibility is to stay on that wave,work it,meld.Holy mother,The waves gotten huge,going to break,got to get off,rip up the face just at the last second,blasting skyword with g-force,through the foam,up into the great blue,eye's flushing,like a bird now,going to be a seal soon,loven life,because this is what it is all about.

[windsurf247]

Nicely said. It's sometimes hard to accururately describe such a diverse experience, especially from a philosophical perspective rather than just a play by play. You hit the nail right on the head

[landlocked]

Nicely said. It's sometimes hard to accururately describe such a diverse experience, especially from a philosophical perspective rather than just a play by play. You hit the nail right on the head

which response were you referring to ??
... i liked winddoctor's response myself!

[windsurf247]

I was referring to Wind Doctor's description, although, I must admit the second one has a nice poetic ring to it. I guess it's surf rap

[PhatBuddhA]

waiting for the wind when you can be doing other productive activites such as skipping rocks, day dreaming, drinking large amounts of mineral water and laying naked in the warm sun thinking of Billy Idol!

[tempy]

feeling as if you are literally flying across the water; looking back and seeing that the roostertail looks as amazing as it sounds; gybing without thinking - trying to deconstruct it in your mind to do it again, and then giving up trying to remember in your mind and letting your body remember; waking up with aching arms and hands, and still getting a rush when the windline moves down the lake.

fun, fun, fun

[Sandy Beach]

I thought this ZEN of windsports thread should be resurrected. Winddoctor's description is 'poultry in motion'

[MartyD]

I watch the webcam all day. It is slowly building. The day is over and I speed my way home, grab my gear, and head to the beach.
I get to the parking lot and see the trees swaying. I run to the water to observe. When I get to the beach and see the waves capping I am like a small child in my giddyness . I ask only one thing before pumping my kite, "what size?". From then on you can say all you want to me, but until my kite is in the air it is going in one ear and out the other . I run upwind with my bar and start laying out lines like its going out of style. Once that last pigtail is tightened I am already peeling off my shirt. I will strip down and throw the suit on in front of a crowd, I dont even notice them. Too busy watching others on the water in anticipation. I am barley in my harness and Im already asking for a launch. The second the kite is on the sky there is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders(I am even lifted sometimes ) . I am going kiting! Grab the board and drag out a little ways. Park the kite overhead, strap on the board, tune the kite, and its on! As soon as the first powerstroke is made and I am on top of the water, Zen takes over . It is a fenominal feeling harnessing that wind. I watch paragliders flying and birds hovering, I know how they feel catching that free ride. I smile and hoot at all the others out enjoying the same thing I am. I rip up and over the steep waves, smiling all the way. Then turn back the other direction and catch another free ride. I do a few reaches, make sure no-one is downwind, load the board and look for that big spray, then... I send the kite! For a few seconds I look over and smile at the birds and look down at the others on the water. I can jump in other sports, but I cannot fly! I come back down to earth,(hopefully without too big of a splash ) turn out for another reach, and do it all over again. This keeps going until the wind dies, im too cold, or until im too sore. After I am all packed up I stand on shore and stare out to sea. I wonder when she will offer up another serving, and I hope it will be soon.
A meal and a beer often follow such events. At this time we chat about how great a time we all had. Though not everyday is perfect, nobody ever complains about getting out on the water .
I get home and have a shower and come back to the real world. I lay in bed wondering how I can jump higher, go faster, or stick that landing. I slowly drift off hoping that tomorrow will be even better!
My name is Marty and I am addicted to Kiting!

[Sandy Beach]

That's an awesome description, MartyD....I would even hazard to say instructional in some aspects. One of the best addictions you can have

[KUS]

tho this is a windsurfing thread, I suppose this applies to kiting too although for me kiting is very different from WS

Me? I am closer to the womb floating in air or water, god, those that have left us, part of mother ocean. I feel at home and at rest despite the calories just hurtling into the raging furnace of my muscles......

Yes, it's not always Zen but it is always spiritual....however short-lived at times. Always watching the weather at the detriment of just about every other relationship.....WS IS a relationship and sometimes, actually often at my sailing rate, it feels like I am cheating others Guilt? Yes, most certainly. But testing yourself to validate your ego, your confidence, being good at least at this if not much else maybe, giving it that extra ten minutes, getting your money's worth for gear or gas and all, earning that brown pop, making that very last reach over and over....(maybe that's also why I keep hurting myself at this wonderful sport )....it's not something I can or could easily stop, pretend I don't care.

I have often thought about having to quit, maybe move away from the ocean, perhaps the body not wanting any longer to be abused and refusing to cooperate......I think then football season is really over

[duckbill]

I haven't yet defined what "it" is in words, that a non-windsurfer can simply say "oh yeah, i get it". All I know is that for the amount of effort and expense, its something powerful like an addiction. When there is prediction of wind on any given day I will rearrange my life to be on the water when its blowing. I carefully craft and manipulate my personal obligations and work schedule around the wind. Sometimes to my detriment, but, its worth it.

[thankgodiatepastafobreaky]

The wind is our God (Goddess if you like).
The water is our church.
To fulfill our purpose is to be on the water in the wind.
On a great day it is no less than a spiritual experience.
On a bad day, it is on the opposite end of the heaven/hell spectrum.
We work so we can play, and the enlightened ones who have figured it out and just seem to play all the time, packing some basic functional gear, not much money and often live in a vehicle chasing the wind on land so they can be in the wind on the water.