Wind-n-Water

&gt;<i>"...good news... awesome windsurfing"</i>
I haven't had that feeling in a long while, be nice to get it back.... that <b>stoked</b> feeling! )

&gt;<i>"buy a good wetsuit first"</i>
I had... tho I think they design them to shrink every 2 yrs! It's a conspiracy I say! P

&gt;<i>"...2-3 hr drive... best tracks in the West"</i>
Awesome...! [added]<b>Otherwise</b>[/added] it would be a disappointment coming off of VIR.

&gt;<i>"...track season... 12 month timeframe..."</i>
Heh, that's both good &amp; bad. I can see my CC bills already!

&gt;<i>"... very expensive to live here (but worth it..."</i>
I'm hoping to gather data that will help me arrive at the answer that's right for me. This life/work balance is a challenging act. I suspect if it work out and I make the decision to reloc, then I'll rent for a yr to get used to the area before looking to buy (if I can afford it).

thanks!

Wind-n-Water

I won't have thought to consider repo as an option, as I know nothing on how to shop for them.

good credit - CHECK
good income - hopefully
cash - some

Tho I have 2 assets/liabilities:
- a waterfront townhouse in Hampton VA bought in 2002. Def will be in the black. Tho 4 "For Sale" signs sitting in the community (of 100) for 3+ months isn't good. Undecided to sell or rent. Will need the capital when come time to buy in CA... so rent it out for a yr maybe.

- a single fam house in SoMD that I bought during the crazy high times of 2005. I'll prob be lucky to break-even on that.

Wind-n-Water

thanks for the offer Steve! Will def consider if this reloc becomes reality... heck, I'm already 1 of your many customers! :P

Wind-n-Water

&lt;windsurfing jargon&gt;
Started ws'ing 11 yrs ago on the choppy Chesapeake Bay (SoMD), but never got enough time on water to be good. Got into the straps, planning, deep waterstarts (back when boom can rest on back of board) and able to deal w/ the chops.

Then I reloc to Hampton Roads area of VA... and got spoiled by huge <a href="http://www.sailwet.com/">club</a> of tight-knit friendly local sailors &amp; <a href="http://www.windvisions.com/launches.html">launches</a>, including The Pamlico Sound of NC Outer Banks (OBX). With miles of knee to chest deep flat water and steady windy, my chop and deep water start skills quickly eroded.

Took a few clinics in OBX w/ Jason Voss, Dasher, and Andy Brandt. Got to a point of able do 1 out of 5 carve gybes. Then work got crazy and now I haven't sailed much for the last 4~5 yrs. Heck, last time I planned w/ over 12 months ago! :-(

So I would rate myself as Novice at this point.

Current quiver:
(circa '98 to '03) 9.0, 7.7, 6.6, 5.0, 4.7(never used)

boards:
- Original Starboard GO wood race version (circa '98)
- Starboard Carve 140 (circa 2000)
- AHD Speed 110L (circa '98)

masts: 510, 490, 460, 430 (in rooftop a PVC tube like yours)
&lt;/windsurf jargon&gt;

So I take it an Allroad has better gear capacity than an A4 Avant? I like your idea here of an Quattro Avant!

DD (CA)

There are no good sailing spots around here anymore (link).

All taken over by those silly parachute thingies...

lol...

No one so many windsurfers on here. Matt hasn't chimed yet either.

Be prepared to visit iwindsurf too often to get any real work done.

DD
3rd Ave when I can break away from the family. Which hasn't been often over the last 3.5yrs...<ul><li><a href="http://www.iwindsurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=163&amp;regionProductID= 1&amp;timeoffset=0">http://www.iwindsurf.com/windandwhere.iws?regionID=163&amp;regionProductID= 1&amp;timeoffset=0</a</li></ul>

DD (CA)

Yes, it is that consistent here...usually.

Since we're listing gear.

200+
JP Freestyle Wave 86
ex-JP Wave 74 (gave back to buddy)
Ezzy 4.2, 4.7, 5.2, 5.8 (5.2 used most often)

Little kids keeping me off water for now, another couple years and hopefully they'll keep me ON it...

dan farmer

the summer thermal winds are sooo steady it makes sailing easy. A normal day might be 18-24 avg 20. The bay chop is 2-3 foot rollers on an ebb tide, and sometimes smaller speed bump nasty stuff at the top of the flood. If you can reliably waterstart, you're good.

The allroad will fit longer sails, but not more of them. the cargo area is longer and a bit wider. Also, the rear seat is comfy for adults on a long trip (obviously without windsurf gear). I flop down the larger right-hand portion of the rear seat and leave the part behind the driver upright. 5 sails go in diagonally. Fin stash to the left of the sails, with bases, harness, booties, helmet, etc to the right. Wetsuit, towel, and booms on top. The Audi plastic cargo mat has kept the carpet looking good.

-df

Wind-n-Water

Not following the details of what you wrote above... BUT,

I suspect those are details that I need not be worrying about quite yet. At this stage, I'm just trying to get a rough idea on the Bay Area living, so I am better prepared for the interview/salary process.

If things move along and I do end up relocating here, it will be wise for me to rent for at least a year to get to know the area, lifestyle, and my priorities... before jumping into a purchase decision. Especially in the costliest region of the country! :-P

Wind-n-Water

Sounds like there are many WSers on here? Good! Maybe that'll drive me to get back on a board more often!

Wind-n-Water

I listed the gear to get an idea on what my vehicle hauling requirement would be over here.

Tho I suspect it be a good idea to sell my gears on the East coast and get new gears that fits the conditions here on the West coast. Plus I think the newer gears might allow me to down size the qty of gears that's required.