Windsurfing (or water windsurfing ) is a surface water sport involving a windsurf board, usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail. The rig is connected to the board by a flexible joint. The sport could be considered a hybrid between sailing and surfing. The sail board might be considered the most minimalistic version of the modern sailboat, with the major exception that steering is accomplished by the rider tilting the mast and sail or, when planing, carving the board, rather than with a rudder.
Windsurfers can travel over flat water as long as there is enough wind; they can also cut into breaking waves and perform spectacular stunts. Windsurfing also includes speed sailing, slalom, course racing and freestyle disciplines.
Though windsurfing is possible in winds from near 0 to 50 kts, the ideal conditions for planing are 15-25 kts, with more common lighter winds resulting in displacement mode sailing. Lessons can be taken with a school. With coaching, The windsurfer will be able to sail, steer, and turn competently within a few hours.
History
Peter Chilvers as a 12 year old English boy on Hayling Island on the south coast of England, was the first person to produce a board with a sail. This board formed the basis for modern windsurfers.
The history of windsurfing, and its ultimate inventor are a source of much conjecture in the windsurfing community. Some courts have recognised Chilvers' testimony as proof of prior art. His testimony led to a successful legal defense in 1980,83,85. See Windsurfing International Inc. v Tabur Marine (GB) Ltd. 1985 RPC 59. This case set a very significant precedent in Patent law in terms of Inventive step and non-obviousness. No photo or plans of a 1960 era Chilvers sailboard were produced for the courts.
The original Windsurfer board had a body made out of polyethylene filled with PVC foam. Later, hollow glass-reinforced epoxy designs were used. Most boards produced today have an expanded polystyrene foam core reinforced with a composite sandwich shell, that can include carbon fiber, kevlar, or fiberglass in a matrix of epoxy and sometimes plywood and thermoplastics. Racing and wave boards are usually very light (5 to 7 kg), and are made out of carbon sandwich. Such boards are very brittle, and veneer is sometimes used to make them more shock-resistant. Boards aimed at the beginners are heavier (8 to 15 kg) and more robust, contain more fiberglass, or even have an indestructible molded plastic shell. For more information on construction, see.
Sails
Sails come in many sizes and shapes. A modern windsurfing sail is made of monofilm (clear polyester film), dacron (woven polyester) and mylar. Sensitive parts are reinforced with kevlar mesh.
Currently, two designs of a sail are predominant: camber induced and rotational. Cambered sails have 1-5 camber inducers, plastic devices at the ends of battens which cup against the mast. They help to hold a rigid aerofoil shape in the sail, better for speed and stability, but at the cost of manoeuvrability and generally how light and easy to use the sail feels. The current trend is that racier sails have camber inducers while wave sails and most recreational sails do not . The rigidity of the sail is also determined by a number of battens.
Beginners' sails often don't have battens, so they are lighter and easier to use in light winds. However, as one improves, a battened sail will provide greater stability in stronger winds.
Rotational sails have battens which protrude beyond the back aspect of the mast. They have to flip to the other side of the mast when tacking or jibing, hence the rotation in the name. Rotational sails have aerofoil shape on the leeward side only when filled with wind. They can be absolutely flat and depowered when sheeted out. This feature is much appreciated in the freestyle and wave riding disciplines.