I believe the two sports can't really be compared.
Yes, they both use water.
Yes, they both use wind.
But that's about it.
The equipment is completely different.
The learning process is completely different.
The physical movements are completely different.
Just enjoy whichever of the two sports you are into, unless, of course, you do both!
Cheers
finally
And another thing....
Windsurfing went through the "cool" phase years ago, in the '80s. Robby Naish was one of the biggest sporting stars in the huge German market. 250,000 spectators watched live during the ten day Dutch World Cup. Security guards were needed when there were autograph sessions. Here in Oz, we had something like 5 choppers circling over the Cannon Run with cameras.
And it all turned to crap. The two years in which the above events occurred saw the boom start to turn to bust. Windsurfing went from being the fastest-growing watersport to one that was notable for the speed of its collapse.
Going for the cool extreme spectator-oriented look didn't work last time, it doesn't work for most other sports, so why bother?
One of the boom sports of today is sea kayaking - ironically, much of the growth in that sport was built on the simple, cheap low-performance polyethylene manufacturing that windsurfing turned its back on. Windsurfing dumped such "low tech" stuff and collapsed - kayaking picked up the techniques and in some cases the very operators and very same machinery and boomed.
And finally, even on spectator appeal - go to the IOC site and download the TV ratings for various sports at the Olympics. Supposedly "extreme" disciplines are almost always outrated by less-extreme versions of the same sport. Road cycling far outrates "extreme" BMX and MTB. Flat water kayak racing outrates "extreme" white water kayak slalom. People rowing boats on a still lake far outrates the 49ers and Tornado cats, and the slowest water sport (swimming) is the highest-rated. Supposedly-sexy beach volleyball is outrated by "boring" normal volleyball.
People watch the sport that they do, but they don't often seem to get into a sport by watching it unless it looks easily accessible.
I'm doing a PhD on the impacts of technology on sports participation, and neither I or my supervisors can find any proof of the idea that making a sport extreme o increasing viewership will get people to participate. There is a LOT of evidence to point the other way.
Popularity doesn't matter, as long as there are enough participants to buy enough boards to create enough cash to support some professionals to push the sport forward.
Koster shows the best windsurf attitude here at 15 years old after winning Pozo 2009. Its all about performance and lack of attitude.
You cant be cool if you try to be cool.
In competition, its all about performance.
I like that its a performance driven sport. That doesn't mean that you restrict the applications. If you want to cruise around on a Serenity, you can and it does what it was designed for very well, and Starboard also led the way into developing good kit for learners and kids.
It doesn't have to be high performance - just very fit for purpose. Windsurfers dont wear boardshorts over their wetsuits because its unnecessary. If things work, they get kept, and there's very little style discussed compared to function.
The only problem with that that I see, is that the high performance gear costs more, development each year is now marginal and in the current economic situation, sales will drop more than they would with cheaper, heavier gear.
It seems to all come down to money it is easier to make money on expensive gear even selling less than selling reasonably priced gear.
Cheaper gear would be great if it was available but besides myself and a few others, who would buy brand new not quite top of the range cheap sh!t. Probably not too many people. Also what other material is available to build cheap mass produced boards. Polyethelene board require very expensive moulds that for a few exception make a very second rate board. ASA is a bit better but still has limitations. Sails could be made from dacron which would be good for a year before they bag out.
Any way did that rant get to page 6
You could be well set up with a decent kit for less than $3000. Most people with a job could afford this if they saved up for a few months.
Of course the cost of living is going up all the time and appears it will continue to skyrocket. Australia was once known as a cheap place to live but now its becoming a much more expensive place to live.
Perhaps the time will come when we can all sell up in Australia and retire to Maui. Then we will complain about too many windsurfers with nowhere to park and rig up.
Been windsurfing for nearly 30 years and gone are the days of one board-one-sail thankfully! However, what must the newbies to windsurfing think when they rock up at their local spot with one board and two sails when Joe average has so much shiny modern gear to choose from? Maybe that's the beginning of their equipment race, to aspire to get more and better gear to improve their sailing (usually based on what others say!). Does this really help the windsurfing industry when someone new to windsurfing slowly but gradually becomes an equipment freak, spending all his or her hard earned dollars on better gear rather than persevering with the basic one board and two sails for a while to improve and master what he or she has? OK, maybe that concept is very simplistic and naive, but I consider 'the old days' of windsurfing were very appealing as what the beginners were riding was pretty much the same as what the advanced riders were riding. Much the same as Kitesurfing I guess, can see the appeal, simplicity and benefits in having one or two boards with not many kites to cover a huge wind range (and that will all fit in the back of a station wagon or car boot!). Maybe windsurfing has become too technical for many with too much gear on the market that needs careful tuning to get the best from it, driven by huge marketing strategies and the desire for more and better gear? (no doubt that Kitesurfing would suffer from this too).
Gotta add that I'm a 'minimalist', I get away with the least amount of gear that I possibly can and feels like I'm in part reliving the old days by 'keeping it simple' which I think may be a reason for a decline in windsurfing popularity, not that I have really noticed!
On another note, had some of my best sails ever last season (Sept 10 to April 11) due mainly to the fact that I had health problems that stopped me from windsurfing for nearly all of the previous windy season. Sometimes you can really appreciate what you've got (or had) when it's taken away from you!
Cost and amount of gear has little to do with the popularity.
It's been said before, and a browse through the buy and sell pages shows that perfectly good gear can be picked up cheap, also beginners gear is cheap compared to pro/ limited edition stuff. All sports are the same, look at anyone that's serious about cycling.... How mang bikes do they have and how much do they cost $1500, $2000 - more like $5000 each. My mate likes to fish. All his gear excluding boat cost several thousand. My father in law plays golf ... Two sets of clubs each cost between $2000. -$4000.
The one and only thing that turns people away from windsurfing is that it's feckin difficult. People that see the sport and think they would like to try it all want to be planing in the straps soon as they start ..... How many people do you k ow or have seen try it a few times then quit. I even know of a few that have spent a couple of grand on kit, seen them use it half a dozen times in one season then never seen them again.
And since no-one can make it as jet skiing, swimming, cycling or skiing .... It always going to be a niche .... Reserved only for those with patience and resilience. It's that simple.
