INDEX 

Popular Posts/Articles:
Foiling: hydrofoiling.html
GoPro Hero: GoPro-hero.html

BIC Techno Formula: bic-techno-formula.html 
BIC Dufour Wing & Starting Windsurfing: my-bic-dufour-wing-and-how-i-started.html 

Tabou Rocket 125: tabou-rocket.html 
History of Windsurfing: http://history-of-windsurfing.html
Heavyweights: heavyweights-and-windsurfing.html
Physics of Windsurfing: jim-drakes-windsurf-physics.html  
Fanatic Shark: fanatic-shark.html

Formula and Long Boards: formula-boards-and-longboards.html

Light Wind Section: light wind section.html

Early Planing: early-planing.html

Getting Started: 
How YOU can start windsurfing: how-you-can-start-windsurfing.html
How I started Windsurfing: my-bic-dufour-wing-and-how-i-started.html 
How I started Winter Sailboarding: how-i-started-winter-windsurfing.html
How I started Shortboarding:  how-i-started-shortboarding.html

 
Parts of a Sail/Windsurf board discussed:
Sailboards : sailboards.htm                          windsurf-board-categories.html
Fins: fins.html  and how to repair them ...
Sails: sails.html                                         
Sail Materials: sail-materials.html                                 

Masts: masts.html
Mast Bases: mast-bases.html

BOOM: boom.html                                
Accessories: accessories.html

My Boards and Reviews:
AHD FF 160 liter: how-i-started-shortboarding.html  
AHD SL1 140 liter: https://ahd-SL1-140.html
AHD SL2 132 liter: http://ahd-sl2-132.html
BIC Dufour Wing: my-bic-dufour-wing-and-how-i-started.html
BIC Techno Formula: bic-techno-formula.html
Fanatic BEE 124 LTD: fanatic-bee-124-ltd.html
Fanatic Shark 145 HRS: fanaticshark.html

Fanatic Ultra CAT: fanatic-ultra-cat.html
JP SuperLightWind/SLW92: JP SuperLightWind
Mistral Equipe I LCS-XR: mistral-equipe-i-lcs-xr.html
Mistral Competition SST: Mistral COMP SST
Mistral Equipe II / 2: mistral equipe 2 aka MEQ2

HotSailsMaui SpeedFreak 8.5: HSM SPF 8.5.html
MS-2 vs Pursuit: maui-sails-pursuit-vs-ms-2.html 

Health & Safety:

Safety First: safety-first.html

More energy Required: energy-drinks-foods-and-supplements.html

BEE stuff: bees.html
How to lose weight: weight loss.html

Other:
Original Journal Entries: original-journal-entries.html 
2011-2014 journal entries: 2011-journal-entries.html
2014 journal entries: 2014/2015 journal entries.html
2016 journal entries: 2016-windsurf-journal.html
2017 journal entries: 2017-windsurf-journal.html
2018 journal entries: 2018-journal-entries.html
2019 journal entries: 2019-journal-entries.html
2020 journal entries: 2020-windsurf-journale.html

2021 journal entries: 2021-windsurf-journale.html

2022 journal entries: 2022-windsurf-journale.html

2023 journal entries: 2023-windsurf-journale.html

2024 entrées de journale: 2024-windsurf-journal.html

Blogging: blogging.html

How to Become a Better Windsurfer ?

 This video made me smile ...because I was cussing myself out today for NOT getting into the foot-straps AGAIN this summer season and then this fellow and a professional windsurfer come up with these tips !!!

 Basically what they are saying is: Once you have decided what the wind is going to be for your session, bring ONLY one board, one sail, one mast, one boom and one fin ... The pro says use the same setup all season - like a 7.x m² sail, medium board and 36cm fin.

As you may or may not know, we now have only one vehicle in our empty-nest family home and it is a Toyota Prius C hatchback. For this reason, my longboard, a Mistral Equipe II XR, now resides at the in-law/out-law chalet up north.
This is the PERFECT place for it !!

There are NO reasonably priced roof racks for this car and I have managed to bring my JP SLW92 on top of the car ... with NO roof-rack

Now ...back to the subject at hand ... as this is a SMALL car ... I check many wind reports and take the setup that best addresses the conditions - for me. At times I bring 2 sails with the appropriate masts and fins. However, it is ALWAYS one board, typically my Fanatic Shark 145 HRS (which is now in for repair as it has developed a soft spot).
...and I have NEVER changed the sail once I have gone out on the water ...

 So, do I feel like I am becoming a better windsurfer - with my 40 sessions on the water this summer ? I am feeling pretty confident in SW winds where there is no danger of me spending time IN the water = can go parallel to the shore @ OKA. I enjoy light winds (>10knots) and overpowering winds (up to about 50kph - let's say 25 knots). Winds tend to be very gusty and this does NOT lend one to want to try stuff much - and is my excuse for the foot-strap "laziness". I can waterstart, plane in the harness, tack and slow gybe. Bruno (previously of 2-rad and now windspirit) is saying I should be going down in volume. 

My ~2000 Fanatic Bee 124 LTD  should be able to handle sails from 6-8.5m² and may become my prime board next year !! Will that induce me more towards foot-straps or less ?

Time will tell !! 

In 2024 I did NOT spend a lotta money --> booties (annual expense) , gloves (which I never wore)  and parking at OKA = $310 for 40 sessions which ain't that bad ... Many sessions this year were up north as the wife was helping the daughter with her two daughters (yeah, I know, too many women lol)... 

There was NOT a lot of breakage - one fin that was already repaired, but the Fanatic Shark, as mentioned, developed a soft spot = $200-$450 expense :-( That's about the price of the board, but that is my GO TO board !! and I would need to replace it with perhaps the Fanatic Shark 150 LTD from previous co-workers and would cost at least $1000. This 145 HRD is a classique and worth keeping !!!

.....30 septembre = Orange T-shirt Day !!

 the above pic is the window of the old McDo
that was at SW corner across from Alexis Nihon

The above are the tribes of Québec ... ... I found that information outside the RoundHouse Café which is at the corner of Atwater and Ste-Catherine - on the SE corner = behind the Metro entrance.

If you have never seen The RoundHouse Café before (like me), please check it out !!!

https://www.itineraire.ca/roundhouse-cafe-maison-ronde/

Kanesatake/OKA and Kahnawake/MercierBridgeArea are the names of the Mohawk/Kanien'keha:ka villages near Montréal 

Si vous ne le savez pas ... le 30 septembre est "Orange T-shirt Day" pour supporter l'histoire triste.

We cannot change history. We can only fix relationships !! Water and music are the best healers ... (maybe cannabis can help too ?? lol) and today I was told I am "a white dude with an aboriginal name" = Joe Windsurfer. That and my visit to the RoundHouse Café made my day ❤

https://cultmtl.com/2024/09/the-every-child-matters-rally-and-march-is-taking-place-in-montreal-on-sept-30/