All about Windsurfing

Introduction

Windsurfing is commonly a type of sailing. It entails a windsurfing board that is propelled on water by use of the wind. Polynesians have used boards with sails a number of years now. However the windsurf board transformed in the 1960s to become the modern windsurfing board we see nowadays.

Surfing is different from windsurfing as people sometimes tend to confuse between the two. Surfing makes use of the wave’s forces while windsurfing relies on the wind to move the windsurfing board on water.

This basically implies that you can practice windsurfing on any huge water body where there is wind like for example calm rivers, lakes, estuaries and on the ocean.

Windsurfing was once known as surfing’s ginger cousin that is haired by the famous Robby Naish who is a sports legend. The sport grew its popularity immensely in the 1980s. It was deduced that at least one in three households possessed a windsurf board in Europe.

In as much as the sport resembles surfing, it is kind of affiliated more to sailing. In fact, windsurfers refer to themselves as sailors. Their rules also resemble those for sailing competitions. There are many distinct disciplines; it all boils down to which sport actually fascinates you. The disciplines maybe big-waves, freestyle, course racing or slalom.

The learning curve for windsurfing is slightly longer than for other sports like skateboarding or snowboarding. While learning you will start with quite a big windsurfing board and a relatively small sail as you learn the basics. Then you now move to smaller boards as you progress. The sail size entirely depends on the current conditions.

An advantage of this sport over the others is that it can be practiced even by much older people, unlike sports that are practiced on hard grounds such as concrete and snow. They are basically very few recorded injuries that are fatal from windsurfing. It is still practiced by people even at their retirement age.

Windsurfing Gear You Require

Selecting the correct windsurfing board is very potent when you are practicing to windsurf. It is recommended that you start out with a big stable board that has lots of buoyancy. This will assist you to learn how to balance on water since you are just a newbie. The buoyancy will ensure you do not fall off every five seconds.

Accompanied with the board you will be required to have a mast, a sail, and a boom. Smaller sails are ideal the moment you are starting out. This is because for it to move you have to pull the small sail out of water. The bigger sails are hard to control and really heavy, they will give you a hard time being a beginner. When you master most of the basics of windsurfing then now you can start going for the bigger sails gradually.

It is recommended that before making a purchase of the equipment for windsurfing, first start out some lessons and progress a bit. This is because you may be in a hurry to purchase them and once you get to an advanced stage you find out the windsurfing board is not really living up to your expectations.

Again if you are a regular sailor it is good to have your own wetsuit. Rental ones are awesome but you could save a lot if you are a regular sailor by having your own. Actually, they are not that pricey. If you also participate in watersports you will be having your own wetsuit in the competition.

You could also consider wetsuit boots as they are very helpful. They make sure your feet do not get in and out of the water and give you a firm grip on the windsurfing board. A life vest is also potent to ensure your safety is well maintained. Especially for the beginners, it is a necessity because they will be falling a number of times.

Windsurfing Holidays

Great Britain is known to be among the windiest places in Europe meaning the UK is a great destination for windsurfing. Wales is a beautiful country where you can windsurf easily and enjoy the experience.

The southern coast of UK is however more favorable as there it is windy and there are slightly warmer waters compared to the northern coast. Examples could be places like Weymouth and Hayling Island.

However, if you want to head to destinations with a warmer climate and bring out your windsurfing board, you could consider Egypt, South Africa or Hawaii. Those are just a few amazing windsurf holidays among the many others with warm climates.