YouTube - Learn To Windsurf

I found this nice video from Starboard which features the Starboard Start beginner board. They made the center fin retractable, so it is now actually a centerboard and I think is a vast improvement over the centerfin because you can retract it on the water.

Day #24 on the lake

Max Temperature 86 °F / 30 °C
Forecast: NE 10-15
Wind Speed 5 mph / 8 km/h (NNE)
Max Wind Speed 17 mph / 27 km/h
Max Gust Speed 23 mph / 37 km/h

Karla had her third lesson today and I had hoped to get her more powered up. Hamilton Creek Cove certainly did not see all the wind the lake saw, but we had our fair share of gusts and Karla got overpowered several times. She often points too high and is barely moving, but occasionally bares off and goes. I just cannot get her to step back and hang, but we’re getting there.

{ Part I }

{ Part II }

I took the AHD and a paddle so I could do rescues and at one point, Karla ended up in the end of the cove and I went and got her. My tow line was too short, so she had to paddle out while I sailed the Superlight back upwind. I had rigged the 5.3 for her and when I got back to shore, I rigged the 4.6 and it worked much better.

We were on the water by 11:30 AM and quit at 7 PM, so it was a long day of sailing for her. It looked like a great 9.5 day out on the lake, but Tim is sunburned from last Thursday, Bob was tied up with a church function, and it was the weekend, so I would not have wanted to sail anyway. Temps and humidity were low for July and it was a fabulous day to be outside. Karla and I were chilly when we got wet. This is great camping weather!

Day #22 on the lake

I went to Hamilton Creek for Karla’s second lesson. I considered rigging the 9.5 and going out on the Superlight, but the wind was so light that I didn’t bother. I rigged the 5.3 for Karla and went out in the cove.

I thought Karla got home from work at 5, but she actually leaves Green Hills at 5. She arrived at HC around 6:30 and did really well again.

At one point, she was going to weather, but made a big downwind turn, sailed 50 feet, tried to tack, got backwinded and fell. She asked about this later and I explained what happened.

She has a bad habit of looking at the sail and not watching her direction, but at the end of the session I got her to steer the board back and forth, so I believe she will really make progress next time.

Also, she tends to drop the sail anytime she gets overpowered, so I told her to drop her butt next time. I hope this works so we can get her out in more wind and get her speed up!

Day #21 on the lake (barely)

Today was to be Karla’s second lesson. She was coming out after work, so I went and rigged the 5.3 and put the Superlight uphaul on it. She ran home first and I was all rigged, so I went out to make sure the uphaul was going to stay tied. After 30 minutes of messing around I dropped the sail, grabbed the uphaul and it broke in half. I was sure glad this happened to me rather than Karla.

I unplugged the mastfoot, dropped the sail, grabbed the boom and tried to stick the foot in the base, but did not want to scratch up the board, so I just held it for a few minutes and reached the far shore.

Day #20 on the lake

Wind: 3-10, gusts 12

Tim met me at Hamilton Creek at 10:30 to sell me his 5.3 ProgressLine, which I will use for teaching. Karla, who found me on the Internet a week ago, arrived an hour later for her first lesson. Tim took off, but came back several hours later and took some photos which you will see below. THANKS, TIM!

Since this was my first beginner lesson this year, I thought I better make some notes last night and was glad I did. I printed and followed them for the land-based instruction.

Karla did really, really well and stayed upwind for the first part of the day, but began heading downwind later. Once when she sailed way downwind, I got her to meet me at the shore, I took over, and she first knealed and then stood up as I took us upwind.

She did so well that I taught her to bypass the uphaul on tacks, instead grabbing the mast as she steps around.

It was a true pleasure to have her as a student and I think she will be around for a long time!


Nice uphaul form!






Look how light the wind is. Look at that little 5.3.
Look at the trail behind Karla. That is good sailing!