Warnings & Disclaimer
Finally, windsurfing is dangerous. You can die. Seriously. While we strive to be as accurate, we are just imperfect volunteers. Use at your own risk.
Windsurfing in Washington can be especially dangerous since the water can be COLD. In many of the popular sites the wind can cut off completely or go from on-shore (ie: pushes you home) to off-shore (ie: pushes you away from home). That is obviously bad.
There can also be a lot of disagreement amongst experts about what constitutes a "safe" launch. And launch might be safe at noon, and be very dangerous when the wind shifts 1 hour later.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't windsurf. It just means you need to take it cautiously, learn a lot, be conservative, and always think, "what is the worst that could happen here?" Then be prepared for that.
So going out in a bathing suit on a cool spring day when no one is around and you are a rank beginner is probably a really bad idea. But having a buddy show you the ropes while wearing a warm wetsuit, sailing at a "safe" launch, sticking close to shore, and coming back if the wind shifts is a better idea.
There are plenty of places to learn to windsurf and there is an amazing community of local board heads who love nothing more than sharing their wisdom with others, so reach out, be friendly, learn, and play it safe. There's plenty of time to do stupid things once you've gotten a hundred hours of struggling under your suit.
The bottom line and disclaimer - You are responsible for yourself. We take no responsibility for your safety or the accuracy or wisdom of the information presented here.