Water sports: Windsurfing

windsurfing, also called boardsailing or sailboarding

Windsurfing, water sport that employs a board-and-sail device and combines elements of sailing and surfing. The sport was developed in the United States during the 1960s by the Californians Jim Drake, a sailor, and Hoyle Schweitzer, a surfer, and became popular in the 1970s. Essentially, a sailboard is much like a surfboard to which a sail has been attached by a universal joint, thus allowing full manual movement of the sail. By standing on the rudderless board and maneuvering the sail the windsurfer harnesses wind and wave to glide along the water's surface. The sport spread rapidly from California, throughout the United States and North America, Europe, and Australia. There is variation in modern sailboards; they now generally range from 8 to 12 ft (2 to 4 m) and weigh between 15 and 40 lbs (7 to 18 kg); some have attained speeds of over 40 knots. Types of modern windsurfing include racing, freestyle, slalom, and wave sailing, with competitions held throughout the world. The sport has been an Olympic event since 1984, and has had separate contests for men and women since 1992. Kitesurfing is a variation on windsurfing that emerged in Hawaii in the 1990s; in it, a large kite and board are used and aerial maneuvers are performed.

Slalom at the 2005 national championship at the Columbia River GorgeIn windsurfing competitions, there are the following disciplines:

• Olympic Windsurfing Class
• Formula Windsurfing Class
• Slalom
• Super X
• Speed Racing
• Freestyle
• Wave

Freestyle and Wave are judged competitions, the sailor with best technique and diversity wins. Olympic Boardsailing, Formula windsurfing, Slalom and SuperX are races where many sailors compete on a course, and Speed Racing is a race where sailors compete on a straight 500 m course in turns.

More windsurfing internet resources

Windsurfing OnlineEvent calendar, board and sail reviews, instruction, beginner's corner, news, articles, destinations, travel, weather, and windsurfing links.
www.windsurfingmag.com

World Windsurfing and Kitesurfing Directorywww.worldwindsurf.com: directory of World Windsurfing and Kitesurfing Directory web sites world wide.
www.worldwindsurf.com

Canoe, kayak, kite board, kite surf, kiteboarding, kitesurf ...Board reviews, travel reviews, consumer destination reports, online windsurfing shop and catalog, wind calculator, weather reports and windsurfing links.
www.windsurfer.com

AUSTRALIAN WINDSURFINGWelcome to the official Australian Windsurfing Association web site.
www.windsurfing.org

The Windsurfing Classifieds - Used Windsurfing GearThe Windsurfing Classifieds is your one stop shop for new and used windsurfing gear, for sale, by owner.
www.windsurfingclassifieds.com

International Windsurfing Association - HomeGoverning body of internation windsurfing competition for the Aloha, Formula, Funboard, and Raceboard classes. Includes class site links, calendar of events ...
www.internationalwindsurfing.com

::: Official F2 international website :::Manufacturer of windsurfing and snowboarding gear and accessories.
www.f2.com

UK Windsurfing AssociationOrganises all national windsurfing competitions in the UK. From freestyle and wave sailing to world class Formula racing. Information on events, results ...
ukwindsurfing.com