Windsurfing for Beginners: Gear Recommendations for New Enthusiasts

Question
Hi, I am a new comer in wind surfing! never done it before,,,here is who I am: I am now at 52 years old, wight of 245lbs and moving down to 210 lbs. and 5'11" ht.
I have been swiming since 7 years old and have been with US swim master team for more than 8 years now and doing meets, open water, races, etc....., I do great ocean swim for miles and have done the cheasepeak Bay swim ( 5.4 miles ) more than 5 times....enough is enough

now, I want to wind surf and I need to know what to buy ( size..) to fit my garage? size of board, etc.....
where to get lessons? where to start
OH., I am on tight budget!
I live in Northern Virginia ( clifton, VA 20124 )
please somebody help me.

Answer
Hey Sam,

You will want to start on a longer, wider board. Some of the beginner boards out there right now are Starboard Go & Rio, Bic Nova, & Mistal Prodigy. There are older boards out there that are long but narrower and more difficult to learn on. I highly recommend taking some lessons as it can be very frustrating to try learning on your own. Not sure how close you may be to any of the shops below but all offer lessons and gear. Contact the one closest to you to get more specific information about sailing near you. As for gear fitting in your garage, it will all fit on top of a car so it really doesn't take up much garage space.

Beach Sports
203 Buckroe Avenue
Hampton, VA 23664
Tel: (757) 851-3224
Email: shop@beachsports.com
Web: http://www.beachsports.net/

Hatteras Wind N Surf
Highway 12 (across from Pier)
Avon, NC 27915
Tel: (888) WND-SURF
Email: hatteras@pinn.net
Web: http://www.windnsurf.com/

Kitty Hawk Sports
3933 South Croaton Highway
P.O. BOX 939
Nags Head, NC 27959
Tel: (252) 441-2756
Email: info@hksports.com
Web: http://www.khsports.com

SouthEast Expeditions
32218 Lankford Highway
Sunset Beach Resort
Cape Charles, VA 23310
Tel: 877-GET-LIT
Email: gonesailin@yahoo.com
Web: http://www.gogetlit.com

Windsurfing Hatteras
Highway 12
Avon, NC 27915
Tel: (252) 995-5000
Email: sail@windsurfinghatteras.com
Web: http://www.windsurfinghatteras.com/

Hope this helps,
Windlover