advice

i!! every one. I was an RYA instructor many years ago. when boards were a mile long and a 18inches wide. sails with booms that never seem to come out off the water. frustrating, no good for the faint harted. or those that give up easely. you had to be nimble, agile, and determind. but O!! what fun. Me? well I was damed if I let a plastic board beat me.
I am 80years old , now live on a beach in the philippines look out onto a lovely white sandy beach, deep blue green sea and as clear as drinking water. And remember my windsurfing days , then a thought came to me , Why not what have I got to lose. Try again?
So my question to you guys and girls is should I? and what board and sails do you suggest for me to start learning over again.
As windsurfing has changed so much now. and I have not a clue.
Dont worry about my age its all in the mind. I use to be a sports coach teaching. Martial Arts. Squash. and Windsurfing. I am still fit, slim and determind.
You all have a nice day
Papa Terry

[PG]

I think you should look at the Starboard Phantom 320. At 320 * 71 is is long enough to have some lightwind glide, and wide enough for stability. It will work well in most wind coditions (and will be pretty fast in a breeze), and be enjoyable as a cruiser.

Sail size is of course harder to tell, it depends on your weight, physique, and wind conditions. Maybe a 6 m2 freeride sail would be a good strating point?

[nakaniko]

Or, if you was a skilled windsurfer and you don't have winds over 10-12 knots, or you don't want to go out with it: Starboard Serenity, 460x61,5, 257 litres. The fastest actual board in lighest winds, round bottom inspired by Div 2 boards. I've got one in my Venice Lagoon and it's my mostly used board (I'm 43 but with c6-c7 ernia). A fantastic gliding gondola that reaaly runs over 5 knots.
But for sure it's more technical to tack and jibe (it's narrow), it doesn't plane, and doesn't have straps, imho not suitable for rough sea conditions, so If you want also to plane then Phantom 320 or the pricy carbon 380 are your choice.
For the sail I'd go for sure for a Hotsailsmaui Superfreak UL (Ultralight), soft response as it's the only modern sail fully made of dacron, and therefore not subject to UV damage like monofilm ones. Size: depends from usual winds of your spot, but the SF UL 8,0 have the same weight of a monofilm 5,0 ! And you can order in all the colors you want. Then for sure 90% carbon mast ad a stiff alloy-ergal boom.
All imho.
Anyway you're my hero.

[Floyd]

Terry
You are an inspiration.Keep it up. Have a mate and he`s 75, sails all time with us He goes out in rough ;smooth windy or light.He`s normally done a round of golf AM and sails PM !!!(I`m 54 and like Nakaniko have displaced disc C5/6 !!! snap !!!)

Anyhow; I reckon a big Go would be ideal.Not sure about wind in Philipines but reckon PG`s advice of starting with a 6 is a good start.

Philipines sounds just like our east coast;apart from we have dirty brown water;muddy beaches; grey skies ; oh and lots of rain. Apart from that identical. (stilllove sailing there tho !!)

Serenity is difficult to sail but great in light winds.

Good sailing.

[Ken]

Terry,

The answer depends on what you want to achieve and in what conditions you will typically sail.

1. Planing in moderate winds
2. Cruising in light winds
3. Both

There are three distinct types of boards that may work for you.

1. Wide, very stable beginner-intermediate board that doesn't have a center board (possibly a small removable center fin), but can still go upwind. Probably the easiest to learn on, but not a ton of fun if you only sail in light winds.

2. Longboard with a centerboard, much like the boards 25 years ago, but wider and more stable (will also plane if there is enough wind). A better choice if you sail in light winds all or most if the time.

3. Hybrid types that can do everything, but also compromise a little on everything. Generally designed for racing and are more fragile, but they are easy to learn on, have centerboards and will plane quicker than the above two boards. Not as efficient in light winds as #2

There is a lot more to it than what I have simplified above, but some feedback from you regarding your expectations would help. Otherwise you will get a lot of different answers.

[Philip]

Hi Terry,

There is a trade off between the bulkier early planning gear and the convenience of relatively smaller lighter gear on and off the water both for boards and rigs. For myself, similar age to Ken, I prefer the smaller lighter gear and accept the fact that I am waiting about for wind 'waves' while others on larger gear are cruising about. Starboard Futura is a nice model that can be grown into and comes in a good range of sizes covering most of the bases. Sail sizing is a deciding factor depending upon your wind range and intended use. Have a look at the sail maker websites (eg Neil Pryde) where sail sizes and models are related to wind speed ranges and intended usage (eg cruising, blasting or racing where the sails are successively more heavily built).

Thanks for your advice
. Yes the proper sails for the right board to suite the conditions you want to sail in are all important. But one has to take into consideration the phys'ical , mental and age of the person sailing , Me at my age have not the balance or co-orordination I used to have or indeed the stamaner. But still have the determination I always had and have to learn to except it , but still enjoy gliding across the clear warm sea, (within my limitations. )
Papa Terry

[nakaniko]

The sport is so fantastic that you're right to debut again even with the only purpouse of gliding; and so for the only simple gliding the Serenity...
About sails I can imagine you haven't near you a lot of sail retailers or repair services, so imho the Superfreak is THE answer, as it is made of cloth, so every good cloth worker can eventually work on it if ripped somewhere; or a sailboat serviìce.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Thanks for your advice
. Yes the proper sails for the right board to suite the conditions you want to sail in are all important. But one has to take into consideration the phys'ical , mental and age of the person sailing , Me at my age have not the balance or co-orordination I used to have or indeed the stamaner. But still have the determination I always had and have to learn to except it , but still enjoy gliding across the clear warm sea, (within my limitations. )
Papa Terry

First, you have to describe wind speeds and condition where you're planning to sail,
second, as Ken asked, what type of sailing you're planning to do.
We know you're 80 years old, but we also need you hight and weight.
All this will determine size and type of the board/ sail you should get.
I would be guessing that modern hybrid/ or wide beg/intermediate like GO would be a good choice,
To make sail/rig lighter and easier to use, purchase lightweight mast 100% carbon and
boom, and no-cam modern sail. It's all about details in windsurfing if you want to make it easy and fun
for yourself, and there are lot's of choices.