When it starts to take up all your time and mind, windsurfing can feel like a religion. Graham Ezzy uses an Indian religious symbol to describe his springtime windsurfing on Maui - “Mandala”, a Sanskrit word that refers to intricate geometric designs that represent the universe. Mandalas serve many purposes in Hinduism and Buddhism—from being a visual aid for meditation to providing architectural layouts for temples. Graham references sand mandalas, a Tibetan Buddhist practice that involves monks carefully using small funnels to position millions upon millions of coloured grains of sand into a beautiful and incredibly intricate mandala. This process normally takes weeks. Upon completion, the sand mandala is ritualistically destroyed to represent the cyclic, empty, and impermanent nature of life. Often the sand is deposited in a river to be carried to the sea. What, then, is a Sea Mandala? - Graham Ezzy muses.
ADDICTED?
Windsurfing media is full of “stoke” and “addicted” as if windsurfing were some sort of sun-dried nirvana smoked through an epoxy pipe. This language reduces our sport to a “high” or a “quick fix”. I hate to admit that after close inspection, windsurfing and drugs do actually have much in common.
Like drugs, a lot of the lifestyle around windsurfing sucks. In fact, most of everything to do with windsurfing except windsurfing sucks. Think: misleading forecasts or traveling with boards and sails and masts and extensions and universal joints and booms. If you forget one piece say a harness line or a wetsuit then you are forced to sit on the beach (maybe in the rain?) watching your friends bliss out in the whitecaps.
With windsurfing, your spare cash gets spent, you only stay in touch with friends who also windsurf, British Airways won’t let you travel, your nose is runny from that long day on the water last Saturday, and you are willing to skip anything (dinner date, funeral, wedding) if it might be windy.
Maybe “addicted” is a pretty bang on description for windsurfing. We addicted windsurfers spend our free time searching for whitecaps. The callouses on our hands reveal our addiction to the outside world.
But doesn’t it feel so wonderful to fly across a smooth patch of water or to make an off the lip in the curl of a wave. Do you remember landing your first gybe? Your first forward loop? Back loop? Ah, the ecstasy!
FRUSTRATION
Yet, bad windsurfing sessions do exist. Windsurfing can be frustrating rather than fun.
Frustrated is how I felt when I returned to Maui for the spring after a winter of training port tack in South Africa and Gran Canaria. My Ho’okipa sessions were not fun but frustrating.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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.
Changes
Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
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.
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!
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.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
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.
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.
‘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.
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!
