by Mike Murphy – September 2005

Unable to remember many details and curious to know what represents an average year of windsurfing? Sounds familiar here but now that the picture has more basis it also raises more questions. Is a typical year based on the number of days sailed, 12 consecutive months or calendar year? Does any of it really matter? In October and December, 2005 the results for 12 consecutive months and a calendar year respectively will be completed. Of course it doesn’t matter but for this exercise the number of days sailed is the basis for a typical windsurfing year.

A windsurfing journal has been maintained for a total of 480 days logged from March, 2001 through July, 2005. The overall average of 106 days sailed a year ranges from 102 to 135 days a calendar year. All logged data is based on a 95L or less board with a 4.2-6.0 sail range with sail usage as shown below.

Beginning in May, 2004 a GPS has been used while windsurfing to determine more about an average year. Since May, 2004 a total of 121 days, 80% of the total 132 days sailed, were logged with a GPS. In 10 months from October, 2004 through July, 2005, 106 days, 94% of the days sailed were logged with a GPS. Either of these periods could represent an average year based on the number of days sailed and the average miles sailed a day is the same using either. To provide an idea of a typical year the 106 day average, although it excludes the months of August and September, is the basis for the other observations summarized below.

Over 840 miles were sailed each calendar quarter with the exception of the third quarter (April-June) which was double the mileage at 1640 miles. There were 4 months which logged less than 300 miles each and 2 months which averaged 600 miles each. A total of 3683 miles logged equates to an average of 34.7 miles/day. Maximum peak speeds were also logged and show that 11% of the time the peak speed is less than 26 mph and 41% is over 30 mph. Only the months of October, July and August had more than 50% of the days sailed with peak speeds over 30 mph.

So an average windsurfing year is sailing about 30% of the year using smaller than a 6.0 sail 57% of the time, sailing 34.7 miles with a peak speed of 29.2 mph a day. Within these parameter the best peak speed was 35.7 mph (10/04) and the longest mileage day 132.3 miles (6/05) in 7 hours 23 minutes with a 17.9 mph moving average speed.