(c) Copyright 2011 David Dilworth
Windsurfing at Carmel Lagoon
Back in the 80s when I was winning lots of windsurfing races, I’d never owned a world class windsurfing board. I just sailed a fairly well tuned standard Windsurfer.
(Though I did sail that standard board over 35 mph when the world sailing speed record was only a couple miles per hour faster. So maybe I was sailing a world class board all along.) *
Back then (the 1980’s) I’d tested quite a few leading edge boards and sails. One I always remember sailing with a smile, was a Mistral Malibu during a SF Bay crossing race. That Mistral was magnificent. Cleanly fast upwind and downwind, and easy to control.
But what made it great was – it didn’t do anything badly. Except it was very expensive; as in $3,000 – which was way beyond my budget.
Well, recently, thanks to Craigslist, I realized I could get a world class racing board for a mere few hundred dollars. Because suddenly, there under sports equipment, was the $3,000 Mistral competition board I remembered and for less than $350. I jumped. After a bit of arranging and a road trip to San Luis Obisbo, it was mine.
Couple of days later, I was out at Lover’s Point in a mild breeze, maybe 10-12 mph wind, and it was gliding – fast. The board just slid across the water, slicing upwind through the chop and the fully-battened sail worked powerfully and cleanly.
Passing swells – effortlessly
Coming downwind it was so fast, I could surf down the front of a swell, catch up with the one ahead, slide up the back, over the top and go catch up with the next one. That fast in only a mild breeze (barely any whitecaps). Amazing !!
What a delight. . . I deserve this. 🙂
Notes:
- Going that fast inspired me to build a very quick 16″ wide fiberglass water speed record board that was hilariously unstable in roll. It definitely was low drag, but when going quick it was totally out of the water – except for its tiny tail. Made me feel like one of those hilarious lizards that get up above a pond and slap their way across the water with their back feet (flippers).
- A related project was converting a hang glider sail donated by Marty Alameda of Flight Designs Hang Gliders which I converted into the world’s first fully battened windsurfer sail. Hearing about this Bill Bennett (Delta Wing Kites and Gliders) badgered me for years to come to LA and design windsurfer sails for him. But that’s another story.