BEACH START

Based on the results of the poll that has just closed, I've decided to bring beach and water start a bit closer to the beginners.

Standing on the longboard during a lightwind surfing session and getting the sail out of the water is a good way to start, but as soon as you begin sailing on stronger winds, you will notice that that is also one of the most exhausting manouvers if you try to perform it in a stronger wind (not to mention that it is a very difficult one if you are using a sinking board). Like most of the things about windsurfing, it's all about utilising the wind and letting it work for you, not against you. So to put it in a few words, why raise the sail and spend energy, while you can let the sail lift you out of the water, put you on the board and save your strenght? I'm gonna start with BEACH START first, so this if how it works:

- first of all you need a wind that is strong enough to lift you out of the water. The minimal amount of wind depends on your weight and sail size.

- beach start is performed as the name states - at the beach, or better said in shallow water. The shallower the water is, the easier it is to pull the start through, but think about your board fin! Consider the fact that the fin is very easily damaged, so make sure that the water is deep enough.

-Start practicing by positioning the board and the sail as shown on figure 1. The Board should be facing downwind, and the sail should be floating at the surface.

!!! TIP !!! Start lifting the sail from the top of the mast

Figure 1.

As you lift the top of the sail, and if you have everything positioned as it should be, you will notice that the wind is "filling" the sail and you shoul be able to lift it with almost no effort. Keep both of your arms on the mast, as you progress towards the boom. Make sure that the board keeps facing downwind.

Figure 2.

At this point you should be able to hold the mast with one (left) hand and the boom with the other (right). By moving your right hand closer or further from your body, you will notice that the sail gains less or more pull. That is called SHEETING IN or OUT. When you sheet in, the sail starts to pull, and when you sheet out, it loses the pull.

Figure 3.

This is the final step in the process.

- keep the board facing downwind

- get as closer to the board as possible

- sheet in as much as possible as you put your back (right) foot on the board first (1.)

Figure 4.

-If all is good, and all the conditions are satisfied, the sail should lift you out of the water. Put your front foot on the board (2.).

- As soon as you climb the board, make sure to sheet out, so you don't get catapulted.

- When you put your back foot on the board (1.), make sure you don't place it too close to the tail.

WINDSURFING BOARDS GUIDE

Everything is clear about this post, as stated in the title - it's dedicated to boards. So to get starded, here is a general overview of board parts:

There is a large variety of boards on the market, but don't get scared, most of them are used by more skilled windsurfers. Different board designs offer different characteristics, so there are many factors to consider when choosing a perfect board.

Let's browse through the board parts:

1. NOSE (bow) - if the board is going to be used in wave conditions, a higher nose is recommended, a lower one for flat water usage

2. UNIVERSAL (joint) - a point where the rig is joined with the board. It can be adjusted(more to the front or to the rear of the board, depending on the wind, sail/fin combination...)

3. CENTERBOARD - is a sort of an "adjustable" fin that can be pulled in the board or drawn out (as shown on the picture), during the windsurf session. It allows greater stability of the board, and it makes surfing directly into the wind direction possible. (note: it's very hard to plane with the centerboard drawn out). Only beginner boards come with centerboard, later as you progress, you won't need one.

4. FOOTSTRAPS - are used for greater control of the board, allow advanced manouvres, and protect the surfer from being "catapulted" from the board. To use them, one must achieve greater speed (planing) with the board

5. FIN (skeg) - comes in various sizes and designs. It's lenght is defined mostly by sail size, so please note that the same surfer using the same board but with two different sail sizes, is probably going to need two fin sizes too. If the fin setup is not correct, SPINOUT will probably occur. The style of windsurfing u use will also determine the design of the fin.

6. TAIL (stern) - various designs, depends of the wsurf style, also determinates fin selection and board stability.

These are the most general board characteristics:

- lenght - (cm/ft)modern boards tend to be shorter than the older designs

- width -(cm/ft)modern board designs are lot wider then they werw couple of years ago.

Both lenght and width, or better said ther ratio, directly derives the board stability.

- volume -(ltr) determines if the board is going to float or sink under the surfer. Sinking boards are smaller than cca. 100 ltr (depending on the users weight). Recommended only for skilled surfers.

- weight - the lighter, the better

Before buying a board, make sure to consult with your local trader or with a more experienced windsurfers. When starting out, consider also buying a used board, just untill you decide if that is the windsurfstyle you are going to persue further.

The rocker is the curvature of the board from the nose to the tail. A board with less of a rocker tends to ride faster, while one with more turns more easily.

MY FIRST BOARD

Couple of days ago I decided to make myself useful (for a change) and throw away some old junk that was piling up in the garage for some years now. I knew that there will be some really useless and worthless stuff, but I was very surprised when i stumbled upom my very first windsurf board! That's when the trip down the memory lane started.

I was around 12-13 years old when I stood the first time on that board. My older brother and cousin were just starting to learn the basics of windsurfing, and I can't even describe how cool it was for me when I found out about it. Don't get me wrong, the windsurfing today, and the wsurfing 15 years ago, are two completely different things. It was only lightwind wsurfing for me then, but it was so much fun! At the beginning I could barely get the sail out of the water, but that did't discourage me. After around 10000 falls, wrong steps on the board and things like that I finally managed to wsurf! I used that board for years later, and with some small repairs, I bet someone with enough desire to learn, could still use it. Here are some facts about the board: I could not carry it alone 15 years ago, and I can barely do it now. It's around 400 cm long, 60 cm wide, and cca. 15-18 cm thick, which calculates to arround 350 ltr volume. It had a wooden centerboard, no footstraps, and it was really slippery (belive me, I know). But at least I learned how to repair a board and how to paint it. Here are some pictures with the last paintjob :) (sorry about the dust, it has not seen the light of day for more than 10 years...)

GONE SURFING

This saturday was a great day!

A friend woke me up at 9 AM, saying "Are you crazy, why are U still at home?!?" The wind is up, get your things and move your ass here ASAP!" There's no need to explain that it was not necessary for him to call me twice :) It took around 45 minutes for me to pack my equipment in the car, grab something to eat, drive to my nearest surfspot (around 5 km) away, rig the sail and get in the water... that's when the magic began. I used my 105 l bord combined with the 6.1 m2 sail, and I have to admit, at the start, I was a bit overpowered, but it felt good! If I must describe it with one word, I definitely choose FREEDOM! Sadly, it only lasted till 1 PM...the only thing that comforted me is that as the wind stopped, I was not part of the evidently dissapointed windsurfers that came too late...

SECOND SKIN

To keep a promise I made in a previous comment to one of my posts, this one is going to be about "practical fashion" in windsurfing, or to be more exact about wetsuits.
As you start do discover wsurfing and incerase your skill level, your desire to conquer greater winds will be greater also. The problem is that during summer, you don't get as much strong winds as during the spring / autumn, or the strongest in winter. In summertime, a long or short sleeved lycra T-Shirt will do just fine, but when the things start to get more serious, a wetsuit should definitely come as a priority.
Wetsuits are made of foam NEOPRENE, a synthetic rubber material that provides the wearer with warmth, protects from wind and sun, and also "softens" the potential fall (don't get scared now :). Over the time, the designes of wetsuits have evolved, adding other layers (better wind protection), better seams etc.
Generally, there are two basic types of wetsuits - WET (warm water )and DRY (cold water).
The DRY type is used only for really cold conditions, and prevents the direct contact between water and the surfer. The WET type allows small amounts of water to come inside the suit, but the water very soon gets warmed up to the body temperature, and continues to warm the body afterwards.
Most people use the wet type, and when needed, wear the lycra t-shirt for extra warmth, but in the end, it all comes down to the conditions you surf in.
Wetsuits come in various thicknes (2/3 mm or more) and in various models (vest, jacket, shory, long john, full suit (steamer)).
A couple of tips for the end
- don't confuse windsurfing and diving (no wind protection) wetsuits
- be sure to get the exact size
- be sure to get the optimal thicknes