Thanks all! I did end up getting my own starter set from a place called Isthmus Sailbords. Took it out on the water the other day, but had some trouble. I guess that’s to be expected after seven years of not doing it. I’m still trying to find people in this local area (Crab Orchard, Rend Lake, Little Grassy) to go out on the water with.

How far are you from lake Shelbyville? I go there on weekends. Will give pointers and stuff and sail with as well. My ankle is getting better but I need some mellow fun longboarding. The two days I’ve gone back to sail 20 to 30’s, way too choppy)

Congrats Breann! I see you went straight for the “hardcore” stuff-Bic Beach 160D and a 5.0 rig if I’m not mistaken. This is a slightly more advanced kit, for an early intermediate at least so it may be a bit difficult at first, but better in the long run. I’m curious, did you choose it yourself or Isthmus picked it up for you?
The problem with finding pals for sailing is that the advanced windsurfers will go out only if the wind is above 15 mph, which is the threshold of planing more or less. This kind of wind speed might be a bit intimidating for a beginner, but I strongly recommend you not to waste your time with anything below 10 mph base wind speed because it will be a struggle and you won’t learn anything. You need some power in that sail to stabilise the relatively small board and make it track where you want it to.
A good basic app for your phone is the Weather Channel app, where you should look for days that are forecasted to be 10-20 mph for good conditions to practice. Above that may be too challenging and below will be useless. Also choose the lakes and launching spots according to the wind direction as to avoid anything offshore or onshore. For example I’m willing to drive 2 1/2 hrs x2 to Clinton Lake on a regular basis just to get the right conditions. You don’t have a harness and harness lines on your boom /in the picture/ but I recommend you getting them and practice using them ASAP.

Chris, I’m about 2.5 hours away from Shelbyville. I’ve never been there before

Ady, Ithsmus hooked me up with the Bic 185. I learned on a Starboard seven years ago, and it was wider than mine now. I did have some trouble adjusting to the 185, and I totally forgot how intense of a workout it is. I did manage to get a little ways out on the water, but had to come back in because I felt like my muscles were just giving out. I’m trying to find anyone around here who I could just go out on the water with a few times so I’m comfortable going alone in time.

Oh, so it’s the 185L. That’s much better then the 160L one that I presumed. You’ll be fine, just have to practice as much as possible. Windsurfing can be a lonely sport unfortunately, especially until you get good enough to go out with the advanced.