FIRST TIME WAVE HEADS
Windsurf|Issue 437 - September 2024
Of all the steps in wave sailing journey, the first one is the hardest. With the help of folk who have recently made that journey, Harty answers the key questions and tilts you in the right direction.
Peter Hart
FIRST TIME WAVE HEADS

The mood on the Tiree ferry was a tad funereal. The forecast couldn’t have been any worse. Relentless vertical rain deflected by not one knot of wind drizzling down over a mirror sea? No. A 7m swell was due to roll in from the west accompanied by F7-9 winds for the entire week.

And the problem was…? Well had this been a ‘Red Bull Storm Chase’ training course, people would indeed have been dancing a jig on Caledonian MacBrayne’s fine canteen tables. But no, this was an ‘introduction to wave sailing’ clinic. We were about to take ‘learning to swim in the deep end’ to an obscene level. How did they do? Do read on…

WHY NOT?

Autumn is upon us and with it the prospect of some unsettled weather and the opportunity to tick off that thing which has been at the top of your ‘to do’ list for years… try sailing in waves… or even wave sailing (aren’t they the same thing? No not really.)

There are SO many reasons to delay the plunge.

• Not got suitable kit.

• Conditions never quite right.

• Afraid of… mostly humiliation and… actually… just a bit… of drowning.

All of them are real excuses – but let’s begin by confronting the central question.

ARE YOU GOOD ENOUGH?

There is no blue kitemark standard of necessary competence. So much depends on the individual and the general scenario. But as a guide for people wanting to join a wave course I suggest:

• able to plane in the straps and harness on the open sea; on a sub 110L board with ‘wave’ somewhere in the title.

• 100% waterstarting.

• Physically fit, a strong swimmer happy bobbing around, in and under breaking surf.

However, the last point is the arguably the most important.

Esta historia es de la edición Issue 437 - September 2024 de Windsurf.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición Issue 437 - September 2024 de Windsurf.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE WINDSURFVer todo
New School
Windsurf

New School

Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.

time-read
3 minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
Changes
Windsurf

Changes

Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.

time-read
4 minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
THE LAST WAVE
Windsurf

THE LAST WAVE

Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
Windsurf

STILL IN THE GAME

After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!

time-read
8 minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT
Windsurf

MOVE ON UP - GET ON THE FRONT FOOT

This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.

time-read
5 minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
Windsurf

SOUTH' KIPA

Nik tweaking it over home waters.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
A NEW NORMAL
Windsurf

A NEW NORMAL

On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Windsurf

TACKING – THE SEQUEL

Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *
Windsurf

‘NO VAPOUR TRAILS TO SCAR THE SKY' *

Realising we may be about to enter an extraordinary period in our lives, Harty decided to keep a windsurf-centric lockdown diary. Here are some of his choice excerpts.

time-read
4 minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020
Windsurf

REDEMPTION DAY!

Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!

time-read
6 minutos  |
Issue 396 - August 2020