Windsurf alert!

Real sailors never took windsurfing seriously. I am not sure why. Perhaps it is because we feel a board isn't a real boat. Which is true by the way. Maybe it is just because it's annoying to see their stupid smile, when they sail past at twice the speed or more on their toy.

Windsurfer spotted. Battlestations !

Maybe it is because many windsurfers haven't learned to sail in classic sailing schools, so they dunno J. S. about how to behave at sea. For instance, Scandinavian sailors usually wave, when they meet at sea. It is an ancient thing, dating back from viking times. Whenever you meet someone at sea, you wave; This is to indicate that everything is ok, to ask the others if everything is ok, and to "say" bon voyage.

Hey, - it looks like fun ! ??

Surfers are clueless. I guess they just think: "Hey that's nice of her to wave. Maybe she has beers on board. Or weed". Hehe. Whatever the reason, it's always been huge fun to wave at a newbie surfer and see them crash, when they try to wave back. If you're in a keeler - with a big sail, you can also have fun with windshadows. Wait till just the right moment when he passes to leeward. Fast sheet out and splash.

Hmm... maybe I should say hi - and not wave...

Ok, I'll be good now. I was really amazed by this windsurfer. It actually looked like fun. That's not to say windsurfing isn't fun. I've done a fair share of windsurfing in RL. After I graduaded in dinghies, hihi. However, I tried windsurfing in SL once, and that was once too many. It was like driving car, and not a fancy one. No control what so ever. Just arrows to move around. Pure arcade. Dull.

Jeroentje roarring by

So, I decided to say hi, and I had a nice talk talk with Jeroentje about surfing. Turns out virtual windsurfing has taken a quantum leap forward. From arcade towards simulation. On this thing, he could control sheeting, and speed was depending on the sail trim. Sailing the thing didn't involve balance, so beginners can start here...

Watch your style...

Duh! No girl would wanna sail in that butt revealing position. Straighten up, dude! Apart from that, it looks good, and the accelleration... oh the accelleration. It's gotta be close to the accelleration of a Moth taking off. Speed was high too. I had trouble catching Jeroentje with my camera. Almost got him here... crossing the line...

Takeoff

To be honest, I think windsurfers are being more accepted by the sailing community these days. Kinda like snowboards. They're moving to the serious side too. In any case, when the next version of this virtual board comes out it might even sport WWC support - including windshadows, hehe. Then I am gonna go out there in a huge keeler. Nah, I think I will go get me one of those boards and fly away. More on that. Eventually.

PS: I've met a few sweet surfers in SL, so I filed this post under sailboats. After all.