Quick Learner

It’s a popular public misconception that learning to windsurf takes a while. Reader Elise Gire shares her own rather faster track approach of learning from up-hauling all the way through to short board sailing, water start, harness, footstraps and jibing in 50 days on the water! Granted this was in Maui, but it still shows with some dogged determination what can be achieved! The story doesn’t end there; Elise is now sailing in the waves and planning to enter her first wave competition. Read on for excerpts from the diary she kept during the first fifty days of her windsurf journey and an inspiring tale!

- Elise Gire

After moving to Maui in January 2016, I decided to learn the awesome sport of windsurfing. My mum Paula and stepdad Jon are both wind surfers on the island and after years and years of watching from the beach on my trips here I was finally ready for a change and a challenge. This is a glimpse into what I experienced in the first 50 days of windsurfing, from my first lesson to where I am now.

DEAR DIARY

Day 1: Lesson one of three was with Spencer from Pritchard Windsurfing. We headed to Upper Kanaha Beach Park to start with a brief land lesson on up-hauling. Soon enough I was hopping on the 150 litre board, amped and ready to go. I quickly learned that this was much easier said than done. After what felt like a million attempts, I remember thinking how was it so hard to get on a board and start going? The two hour lesson came to an end, I was sore, feeling a bit discouraged and had a lot to review before the days ahead. I remember feeling very motivated to just get to a point where I could just sail out and back.

Day 3: I finally started getting the hang of up-hauling and had my first real ride going out! Keeping my weight low and centred on the board was a key tip for me with up-hauling. I also learned that when my hands got to the top of the up-haul rope, I needed to keep my arms extended and away from me and not in close or I would fall backwards when I went to grab the boom. Getting the first ride felt like all my hard work so far was worth it.