Because of the positive response to the surfing post (read: I liked it) I've decided to do a post on surfing's "ginger-haired cousin," windsurfing.
Windsurfing is what you get when you take a yacht club and overrun it with beach bum hippies. After a long night of partying, a surfboard with a sail stuck on it might be the end result. And like all hybrids, windsurfing is something of an outcast. It's got one hand on a sail and one foot on a board and no one to eat with at lunchtime.
But untold wonders await you if you choose to pursue a relationship with this awkward sport.
This video features "loops, aerials, waveriding, spocks, flakas, and jibes." I figure if it's it's this amazing to watch, it must be even better to actually do it.
Now, I have some good news and bad news for you about windsurfing in West Marin. First, the bad news: you can't really do it there as a beginner. The conditions aren't too beginner-friendly (read: you will die) and as a result there aren't really any windsurfing shops in the area doing rentals and lessons.
But here's the good news: there's a really great place to do it that's pretty nearby and it's cheap. The Cal Sailing Club in Berkeley is a non-profit organization that gives windsurfing lessons every Saturday at 10:30am.
$69 buys you a three month membership, which covers all-you-can-eat rentals and lessons. Plus, if you're a student or a senior, it's only $65 and you can take your savings down to The Cheeseboard for one excellent slice of pizza.
Tangential gush: since you're already down in Berkeley, you might as well make a day of it and grab a bite to eat there, and the Cheeseboard is a good a place to do it as any. They only make one type of pizza a day and it's always thoughtfully composed, vegetarian, and really, really good. A past creation: "Fresh Bell Pepper and Onions, Feta and Mozzarella Cheeses, Kalamata Olive Tapenade and Italian Parsley." Do it. You deserve it after learning how to windsurf.
If you still want to get on the water but don't feel like forking over any money, the Cal Sailing Club also has a bunch of free sailing days where CSC volunteers introduce people to the joys of sailing.
September 27th is the next one and here's a full listing of the dates.
I'm not saying you have to make sailing or windsurfing your new life mission (or more realistically, make getting water up your nose your new hobby), but there's something magical about learning to do something that you never thought you were capable of. All of a sudden your life floods with possibilities. You've transformed from the person who reads a real estate blog on the Internet into a person who can do this:
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