cthom249 - Information

WINDSURFER FLEETS AND FANS

SYDNEY

Dobroyd Aquatic Club - Wednesdays in summer, once a month on Sundays in winter; Junior racing occasionally on Saturdays in summer.

Narrabeen Sailing Club - Switches between Saturdays and Sundays in summer.

Illawarra Yacht Club (Windsurfer Junior) - Each Saturday in summer.

Macquarie Uni - With Dobroyd, and social sailing.

Sydney Uni SC - Occasional sailing at Woollahra.

UNSW SC - Occasional sailing at La Perouse.

MELBOURNE

Parkdale YC - Each weekend during summer.

TASMANIA

Racing is planned for the 06/07 season. Contact Andy Sharman on 0428500041, sharz@tasmail.com.

OTHER WALLY SAILORS CAN BE FOUND IN....

Esperance, WA

Bathurst, NSW

Hamilton Island, Qld

Sunshine Coast, Qld

Canberra, ACT

Whyalla, SA

Adelaide, SA

Texas, USA

The current One Design has a large centreboard that retracts almost all the way into the board.

WINDSURFER ONE DESIGN

Length - 3.66m

Width - 66cm

Volume - approx. 175 litres

Weight - approx. 20kg

Construction - Polyethelene

Design - Schweitzer and Drake 1969?

Modified 1983?

The Windsurfer One Design is a long, skinny, and heavy low-volume board with a small "soft" sail.

Most windsurfers are only designed for planing, so they either need strong winds or big sails so they can generate enough power to get onto the plane. The Wally is different. While it's got a flat planing hull, it's so long and skinny that in light air if can carve efficiently through the water, and build up planing speed without the power of a massive rig.

That allows the One Design to perform with a small and very light "soft" sail. It's made of tough Mylar/dacron, and it can last for 14 years or more in regular use.

Where most boards rely on their big fins for upwind performance, the Wally uses a big centreboard and a small fin. That allows it to tack and gybe almost instantly and makes the One Design the ideal board for fluky conditions.

The One Design doesn't have the same top speed as a modern board, but in light winds (up to about 6-8 knots) it can often beat today's most modern boards. In a real blow it can even scare Raceboards, because the small sail allows it to sail when many big rigs have been blasted off the water.

The One Design isn't for everyone. If you're into high-end speed running, carving high-speed gybes or blasting back and forth in a breeze, you'd be better off with another type of board. Just remember to pack a Wally for those light-wind days.

ARE THE ALL THE SAME?

The original version of the Windsurfer One Design had a bendier mast, a stretchier lower-aspect dacron sail, and a daggerboard that dropped through a hole in the deck.

You'll find Jim Drake's tale of the development of the WIndsurfer here.

The original version is still great for light-air fun, and you'll find many you can get for free. But in strong winds the old rig can get hard to control, and to go downwind in a big breeze you have to pull the daggerboard out of the slot and sling it under an arm.

In the '80s, the One Design was modified, with a stiffer mast, a higher-aspect sail in more stable Mylar, and a centreboard that rotated up inside the board (right). It's much more convenient to beach, and much easier and more fun to sail.