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Windsurfing
I was first interested in windsurfing when I was about sixteen years old (about ten years ago). Watching the experienced windsurfers on Cape Cod facinated me. So, I decided to take a lesson. I started out with the beached instructor's board. This is simply a surfboard that has the ends chopped off so it is only about three feet in length. This chopped off board is then mounted to a tripod on the beach. This is what the instructors used to teach me how to lift the mast. After gaining confidence with this board, I went out for the real thing.
I did O.K. for the first time out. Of course they gave me a beginners board which is as big as the Titanic so balancing on it was not as hard as it could have been. I had no problem lifting the mast and gaining control of the rig. The problem I encountered was trying to turn around, or tack. The wind was blowing me into the pier. Then I panicked and jumped off. I guess they should have showed me how to tack before I actually tried it in the water.
I have not tried to windsurf again until this past summer. I always thought about it and loved to watch other people do it, but never tried to tackle it again. In the Spring of 1998, I bought a beginners board from a friend at work. I was ready to takle it again. It took some time to learn it all over again. This time I had no teacher, I was on my own. The first problem I had was trying to get the mast up. I forgot I had to stand in the middle of the board. After about three times out, I had the mast up with hardly any problem and was sailing with some confidence.
This was where the addiction began. After I had gained some confidence and lost some frustration, I really began feel the thrill. When the wind started to pick up and the board began to skim across the water, I couldn't get enough of it. If the wind and tide was up, I would come home after work, put the board on top of the car and head off for the beach (5 minutes). There is a real thrill I get from windsurfing I cannot explain; It can only be experienced!
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