sure mkelly came across as an arrogant prick, but he had a few valid points worthy of discussion. Bit amusing I thought.
The Windsurfing Jedi are a curious tribe...
The Windsurfing Jedi will get on his 70 litre board with a 4.0 sail, sink up to his knees, and in a 10 knot breeze will float out the back, furiously pumping while staring over his shoulder wide eyed at the wind line. After 30 minutes of failure to windsurf he will float back into the shore and stand on the beach staring in the direction of the breeze for another 10 minutes with a look of desperation in his eyes before finally giving up.
He is in a state of confusion, he has a new board that was great on Maui apparently, it’s the weekend and therefore there should be wind. He remembers there was lots of wind here in 1987 or at least that is what the Windsurfing Jedi elders have told him. But of course, ever since 1987 there has been the Global Wind Drought (GWD) that has lasted for 30 years, and has tried to destroy windsurfing, all Windsurfing Jedi have been taught of this phenomenon (the global recession and downturn in the economy at that time obviously had nothing to do with the demise of windsurfing's Glory Days). Although he has got nothing but frustration to show for his effort, he will come back tomorrow and do it again. Such is the Dogma of the Windsurfing Jedi.
The Windsurfing Jedi's life is one of contradiction, for example, he is a champion of the natural environment, yet while he is waiting for the GWD to end, he will fill his truck with more disposable windsurfing gear that is made of toxic and environmentally hazardous material that will be poisoning the earth until the end of time.
He won't buy a narrow long board that started the Glory Days because that is uncool, but he will make much merriment and mirth at Kitesurfers that only want to look cool.
Strangely, he will use a board that is very fragile and can easily be destroyed by water and sunlight. But technical things are not his freind, after all, after 40 years they can barley get a fin to fit in a fin box without some modification. Buying gear is a bit of minefield, rdm, sdm, downhaul pulleys fore-aft or across, tuttle, power, deep tuttle, booms that have barely changed since 1987; nothing seems to fit together right, buying one thing can sometimes mean changing everything if the Jedi is not careful. But thats ok because as we know, it gives him something to do while waiting for the GWD to end.
The Windsurfing Jedi does his best work 2km from shore when it is so windy nobody can stand on the beach without getting sandblasted. The general public will get to see windsurfing at the Olympics (ha ha), or watching learners falling off continuously in light winds and yet the Windsurfing Jedi is surprised more people aren't windsurfing. Let alone the time consuming learning process in a plug & play world, and let’s not forget the GWD phenomenon.
It is not all the Windsurfing Jedi's fault, the marketing departments are not helping him either. In a more and more desperate attempt to windsurf in the GWD Starboard bought out the GO. The board survived ridicule and was copied by everyone, wide boards everywhere, windsurfing was saved, phew! Then Formula came along, a return to the Glory Days was just around the corner, but the boards became really wide, expensive, and technical and the Glory Days did not return. Then Freestyle came and went with the same result, followed by SuperCross, and now that Slalom/Speedsailing is back; no doubt a return to the Glory Days is just around the corner.
And also Red5, it's very rude of you to talk about me like that,... in such a disparaging manner.
I'm shocked and offendend! 
Laurie,... strike him off this instant!
)
there was actually a point during that commentry where i smiled and thought to myself.
yeah...that's why i love windsurfing
it's about the point where red outlines all of the different types of windsurfing that can be done.
freestyle, formula, wave sailing, slalom, super-X, speed, longboarding. now that's cool. what other sport has so many appeals. 
what did happen to super x? was it too hard? it was one of the best events to watch from a spectators perspective 
Red5 that was great. Dont know which team you bat for but it was thought provoking anyway. One point though, who is worried about whether a sport is popular or not? If I was the only person on earth who still windsurfed I would be as happy as a pig. I would have the whole estuary to myself (apart from the 100 mtr strip along the shore where the kiteboarders huddle) and I could blast away till my hearts content.
faaark that was poetry
enter the era of the windsurfing Jedi
my status and my peers status has been elevated
i can hear my carbon mast humming
shame it doesn't retract into the extension at the push of a button
now that would be cool.
Always thought it amusing that there is such a large lost and found section in Kiting (even its own category) yet none in windsurfing forums. And WS has so much more bits of kit - reasons anyone?
Why would anyone want windsurfing to attract people to it, to have generic bits and pieces that fit together properly, easily and to make entry into the sport simpler? Why that could help give the sport the Holy Grail of marketing, the much touted 'Mass Market Appeal'! Who the Hell would want that? Not the baby boomers thats for sure. After all, they are enjoying the sport, they are cashed up, they are the ones supporting the industry and they don't need competition. After all they have spent 20 years learning to windsurf, soon they will have the hang of it, and with the help of modern medical science and the remnants of the kids inheritance they should be able to enjoy it for another 5 years. When their bodies do finally fall apart and they can't windsurf it could be a catastrophe for the windsurfing industry of course. But are the owners of windsurfing companies cr#$pping themselves about this? Nope, nothing running down their legs, because they are baby boomers too and by the time their baby boomers buddies bodies breakdown they will be ready to retire as well, presumably to roll around naked in piles of money and not worry about the collapse of windsurfing.
What the hell are you on about? I missed the baby boomer generation by about 30 years and I am not exactly young anymore.
The boom years of windsurfing was the early to mid eighties. i was a teenager back then and I took it up. A good friend of mine took it up at the same time at the same place. Its sad because he died in 1985 from electrocution. I still remember him.
So you reckon windsurfing is gonna die. Its not going to die. Windsurfing are not like the clippers that were made obsolete by fast coal or oil based transport ships.
If anything kite boarding will die out because of the amount of room it takes up on crowded beaches, plus the stupid behaviour many kiters display, plus the fact it seems to be a ritual form of suicide.
I couldn't give a stuff about mass market appeal. When the mass market depends on idiotic behaviour then they can go and give themselves a big tug as far as I am concerned.
Anyway if you knew anything about the baby boomers you would know they are the first and last generation who will live forever. Long after generation X, Y, Z or whatever are dust, the baby boomers will be strutting around, acting as if they own the place (which they do).
windsurfing is not really that expensive when compared to other sailing sports. skiffs ,dingys, cats,etc. Theres plenty of used gear around. The guys on the $500 rigs are out there next to the $3000 rigs, nobody gives a rats.
