Windsurfing in Lieu of Small Boat Experience

[Zonker]

More OT ... :-) ... I have to agree, the old long boards with dagger and fin were closer to sailing (especially if we talk about sail trimming ... and steering a boat with sail trim alone !)

But there is just nothing more exciting then to rush at Bft 6..8 over waves - it's a different world ... universe ... :-) ... you are drugged without drugs !

[Jim Cate]

Well, guys, I have only limited board sailing experience, but it seems to me that what most beginning sailors have difficulty grasping involves understanding the interaction between the sail and the wind, and between the hull and the water. The actual mechanisms of adjusting the sail trim or boat direction can be picked up pretty quickly IME.

I think the OP will do just fine...

Cheers,

Jim

[s/v Jedi]

What I remember from the original Windsurfer was standing with the whole mast in my hands whenever the base popped out the board again. After that came the Mistral Competition, which was my favorite board. After that, I got a Mistral Tarifa which was like the extreme form of a long board while the small "jumpers" were taking over.

I sailed many years before starting windsurfing... it took me much more effort than expected, i.e. it is very different from sailing.

ciao!
Nick.

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

To return to the original topic, yes, small boat (dinghy) sailing does develop your ability to feel the effect of wind, waves, and sail trim better than sailing bigger boats. However, people CAN learn how to sail on big boats without first learning on dinghies.

I sailed boats for nearly 20 years before trying to master a sailboard and have to say that the skills required to sail a board are not the same as those required to sail a small boat. Never the less, board sailing should teach you how to read the wind and help you understand the basics of sail trim. As Jim said two posts up, "I think the OP will do just fine..."

My recommendation to Air Head is to sail as much as you can in small boats but don't hold up your keel boat training for it. You might be surprised how long the sailing season really is in PNW.

[AirHead]

Thanks for all the feedback. Really enjoyed the conversations on windsurfing . Very encouraging to hear that sailing season in the PNW is longer than I thought. I feel more confident about starting with basic keelboat training right away and will squeeze dinghy sailing in-between. I know I will like small boat sailing if I'm not going to get as much windsurfing time with the cold weather.

If you have the choice, would prefer to train and practice in the Puget Sound vs Lake Washington or vice versa? It sounds like Lake Washington would be better for beginners but Puget Sound may have more variety and more reliable wind conditions?