Hi all 
Picked up a barely-used tyronsea 370 with a 5.2 and a 7.0 saii and rig for $80 at a garage sale 3 weeks back, took a lesson 2 weeks ago, found out my new UJ was as old as I am, snapped it like a twig checking for cracks last weekend and hope my new joint arrives before this weekend.
Anyhow, I seem to have caught the same bug as when I first started snowboarding. Realising this got me thinking about one of the things I always wished I'd had known on day one up in Victorias great 2 week snow season - few of those 'ahaa!' tips. Things like looking to where you want to go, bending those knees more etc. Etc.
What are some of those golden little tips you wish you'd known when you first started out windsurfing?
Tip 1:Throw your tyronsea in the bin and buy something made in the last 5 years.
Tip 2:Only kidding about tip 1, But a newer board would be better.
Tip 3:When you next catapult, sheet in.
Cheers.
My little tip would be not to buy the cheap boards from garage sale i did a similar thing trading post & what u find when u go to replace sails as urs will fall apart is that the older style boards have a different set up now with the sail design & mast track position .But on the bright side it gets u on the water & u can start to upgrade
The more time on the water you can get the better it is for fitness and learning. Get some lessons so you don't get bad habits and spend the next 2 years trying to undo them ( like I have [}:)]). Have fun!
Tell your missus you won't be back home 'til about 7pm and pick up a few brownie points when you arrive home at 6pm .... (don't tell her you are only home early 'cos the wind died though).
Get lessons.
Bend ze kneez !!
Use good, modern gear. Chuck the junk. It's already let you down once, and it's not even wet yet.
tip 1. Get some decent lessons.
tip 2: Dont spend a cent on gear unless you have someone experienced advise you if you are doing the right thing. ask for advice!
tip3: do your research and then lay out money.
tip4: there is no such thing as a bargain. you get what you pay for. (there are few exeptions to this)
Things like looking to where you want to go, bending those knees more etc. Etc.
this applies to sailboarding too.
Learn how to sail clew-first on the beach, with just the rig in the sand. Then learn how to flip the rig, again on the sand.
This will make your progression way, way quicker when you suddenly realise that you have to turn around at some stage 
Wish I'd had someone show me how it was done when I was starting.
On a related note, get yourself a copy of either "Beginner to Winner", or "Turn for the Better" as a DVD. Watch it from start to finish and you'll have a very good idea of what to do when you're on the water.
The one tip that has made all the difference to me in a range of board sports.
Falling in is not compulsory.
Just because you stuff up a gybe or do some other silly thing does not mean you have to fall in. You can centre your weight over the board and stay more or less upright for ages. Many people as soon as they mess up just give up and plonk in the water.
A more technical tip, when gybing, bend the knees, lean forward. 99.9% of everybody in board sports stand on the tail and lean back and stall the board. Lean forward. Engage the rail. Carve that thing.
Carry a chamois in your car. It is ideal for drying off boards and sails and for knocking off stray bits of sand.
Good call on the "falling in is not compulsory"
I've saved some really bad situations a times by hanging in there and not quitting.
"Centre your weight over the board" can also be read as "hang like a monkey". Getting low and under the boom can often save the day.
Perseverence pays.
Also, sound travels a long way on water 
When learning as a kid, I got very frustrated out in the middle of a lake and let out a few expletive tirades at my gear, the wind and the world in general.
Came back to shore to mortified parents and a very amused crowd 
1. Try not to buy sh1t.
2. You are bound to buy sh1t.
3. Sh1t happens.
4. Learning on sh1t isn't always bad, work harder.
5. Always try and focus on the one little win amoungst all the bad sh1t that happens in your session.
6. Barbara Streisand.
7. I only make purchases for good stuff when my ability justifies it (exception of my latest board, which was a score - but I tell myself I have to go even harder and better now .
8. Windsurfing people are a cool easy to get on with crowd - so you are in good company!
9. Good if you can learn around other dudes at the same level on a regular basis. That is how I started and it helps motivate you to get out more, push each other on to try stuff, go to interesting spots, keep an eye out for each other, help each other with rigging etc....
10. Refer to 6.
11. Learning in flat water and good winds helps you focus on technique, but don't let bad conditions stop you from giving it a go, you learn a little bit each time. Me and a mate went out in 30 knots winds on tiny sails at Sandringham a year ago, and it was a good lesson about planning and catapults! But I only went to where I could stand up and not too deep - so be safe, but not too safe!
12. Like 11 - good beginner spots, that are neck deep, so you feel comfortable about the conditions and can focus on the actually sailing.
Wish I'd had someone show me how it was done when I was starting.
Also learn how to sail upwind or at least not sail only downwind. Otherwise you will have to deal with many walks of shame. As mentioned above, have fun anyway. If you are down in Melbourne probably it is wise to invest in a good wetsuit.
Old gear can be okay but new gear is generally better. However I think narrow long boards are far better in sub planing conditions. I once rode an old Tiga raceboard in light wind and it really cut through the water compared to a modern board that pushes through the water in non planing conditions.
1) Your old gear has a lot of advantages as well as some disadvantages. It's tippier and slower in strong winds, but in light winds, an older longboard will be faster and better upwind than a modern wideboard, and can also go much faster with a small sail.
2) The biggest mistake I see beginners making is not leaning back (towards the wind, not the tail of the board) enough. Never lean forward and only have the mast tilted to leeward in very light winds.
3) Learn what the Centre of Lateral Resistance (on the board) is and what the Centre of Effort (in the rig) is. Learning how the board and rig react as the relationship of those two points change is the basis of windsurfing IMHO.
4) I see you're in Melbourne. They seem like a good bunch down there, but if anyone tells you that wideboards are always quicker and better, ask them if they did the North Sails Half Hour!
5) Lean back towards the wind!
6) Swap between your big and small sail in light winds - you can learn how to handle the power with one, and learn other techniques with the other. Don't be afraid to use the small sail for the early attempts.
7) Many people pull their back hand in too far, which stalls the sail out.
8) Don't pull the outhaul on too hard on those sails - at a guess, adjust it so the belly of the sail is 5cm from the boom unless it's windy. In strong stuff, use lots of downhaul and never have wrinkles running horizontally across from the luff - that's a sign that the downhaul is too loose. If it's windy and the board is always rounding up into the wind, move your hands back along the boom, lean back further towards the wind, and consider kicking the centreboard up 20 degrees.
9) With a longboard like the Tyronsea, you stand around the middle of the board unless it's really windy and you are planing downwind. Don't copy the shortboarders who stand well behind the mast - that's because they don't have centreboards.
I can tell there's a whole lot of gold in here! Thanks for the pointers!
I'm thinking that starting out, the lessons are worth it (found that out on the snow way too late) every time, plus the gear there is made for learning and has only seen mere months of this century
Between the lessons, I'll clock some practice on the old 370 after each one until the basics are nailed. Then it's on to a tiny bank balance and better gear, I'm hearing it's better slightly sooner than later?
What's the biggest mistake you've ever made regarding windsurfing?
Still trying to get back to how I was..or is that just rose coloured glasses..
The worst.....
Freaking out when getting trapped under the sail for the first time, my lines got fully twisted and I could not get out.
The thing was all I needed to do was stand up as I was in shallow water, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
and wait around an hour for dinner!
Match the sail and mast.
Sometimes that means buying the manufacturer's recommended mast.
At least match the stiffness, length and whether it is constant curve, flexi-top or stiff-top.
Makes a big difference for gust handling especially and just general sweetness of the sail.
1. keep your nails short, and
2. if nobody has said it yet, boardshorts don't belong outside your wettie.
