Surfing, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing and Bodyboarding News Center. Breaking News, Surfing Games, Surf Movies, Board Size Charts, Surf Videos, Wind and Wave Forecasts, Surf Shop, Surf Spots, Surf Cams, Surf Travel.
How to windsurf in two hours
Saturday, 16 July 2011 14:50

Windsurfing: in two hours you may be sailing fast

Windsurfing is easy. The best way to learn how to sail properly is in a windsurfing school. If you're far away, try it by yourself, but never alone and in stormy waters.

Here are a few steps to start windsurfing in a couple of hours. First of all, prepare your gear: windsurf board, rig, mast, sail and boom should be carefully assembled, rigged, tuned and mounted. There's a quick guide here and a windsurf board size chart, here.

Beginners should start windsurfing with a +190 litres board. Find a flat water lake of calm sea. Start off by finding your equilibrium in the windsurf board. Keep it steady for 10 minutes. Now, it's time to set sail.

In order to progress through the flat waters, you must quickly learn the points of sail or, in other words, the board's course in relation to the wind direction.

Points of Sail: it's easy to windsurf

The main points of sail are:

Close Hauled: sailing as close to the wind as possible (an angle of around 45 degrees). You "zig zag" to make progress upwind. The turn between this "zig zags" is called "tacking".

Beam Reach: sailing across the wind. Point at where you want to sail fast. The sail works providing huge amounts of lift, driving you faster.

Broad Reach: almost like going downwind, except for the fact that the sail is still working as an aerofoil. In stronger winds, it is the fastest point of sail.

Running: sailing with the wind from behind.

If you're "In Irons", you won't probably move forward. So try to push or pull the sail and get the first feel of windsurfing. Now that you're sailing your first nautical miles, you'll need to learn to turn around on the water.

There are two ways of changing your course: tacking (the rig passes over the back of the board) and jibing (the rig passes over the front of the board).

Tacking is a basic 180º turn. It's vital to learn how to do it in order to get back to your original starting point. To do this, sail the board into the wind, place the front hand on the mast and start to lean the sail back towards the tail. Step around the mast into the opposite side of the board.

The board will pass through the eye of the wind and you will resume your sailing speed. Try to turn 180º several times to better your skills and never get far away from safe land. Enjoy windsurfing. In the intermediate level, you'll learn to jibe and to sail with a harness.


 

Join our surfing community in Facebook!   Get the top news stories in your Twitter account!   SurferToday.com on Google +   Follow us on Pinterest   SurferToday on Youtube

Check the Wind Forecast for your surfing region
The best anemometers in the world
The Beaufort Wind Force Scale
Wave Height Forecast
The best windsurfing spots in the world
How to make your own windsurfing sail
The best official windsurfing classes
Board & Sail Size Chart
The best freestyle windsurfing moves
The best surf watches in the world

SURFING

Tavarua barrels set for the Volcom Fiji Pro 2013
24/05/2013
article thumbnail

The endless spitting barrels of Tavarua are back in the ASP World Tour track with the Volcom Fiji Pro 2013, to be surfed between 2nd-14th June.
With 13-day waiting period which falls directly in the middle of Fiji's prime surf season, the best surfers in town are ready to repeat the epic 2012 event. "I'm so excited to be heading to Fiji for the first time in my career to compete. I've watched every event out there and have always wanted to be a part of it", says Dusty Payne, who returns afte [ ... ]


Things you didn't know about surfing
23/05/2013
article thumbnail

The history of surfing is very rich. There are multiple facts and figures surrounding the evolution of wave riding, through time. Some are strange, others are deeply bizarre.
From the innovative surf gear to maritime science, surfing has been collecting stories, records and achievements. Did you know that... 1. The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated archipelago on planet earth.
2. The windiest surf city in the world is Wellington, capital of New Zealand.
3. The tallest tsunami ever record [ ... ]


+ Surfing News

KITEBOARDING

"Kite Surfer" is the new wind riding game for iOS
22/05/2013
article thumbnail

"Kite Surfer" is the latest kitesurfing game for iPhone and iPad.
Lemondo Entertainment has announced the release of its newest game, "Kite Surfer", an arcade kitesurfing game designed for both iPhone and iPad. "Kite Surfer" is an endless running game, in which players take control of a character by swiping on the display or tilting a mobile device.


Pudla Narapichit hailed Kiteboard Tour Asia 2012/2013 champion
21/05/2013
article thumbnail

Pudla Narapichit and Doque Delos Santos have been crowned the Kiteboard Tour Asia 2012/2013 champions.
With 120 riders from 30 countries, the final and decisive Chinese stage once again broke all records, at Pingtan Island, also known as Haitan Island. The spot is regarded as China's windiest location - regular wind speeds of over 30 knots are recorded over the winter monsoon season and all of the island's old traditional style stone houses need to have rocks placed on top of their tiled roo [ ... ]


+ Kitesurfing News

WINDSURFING

Dieter van der Eyken dominates the 2013 Belgian Wave Windsurfing season
23/05/2013
article thumbnail

Dieter van der Eyken is one step closer of being crowned the 2013 Belgian Wave Windsurfing champion.
Bredene, in the Belgian province of West Flanders, held an intense weekend of wave windsurfing action. On Friday, all sailors completed the single elimination of the competition, despite the medium size waves and light winds.


Delphine Cousin stands out in the 2013 French Windsurfing Championship
23/05/2013
article thumbnail

Delphine Cousin is shining a light in the 2013 French Windsurfing Championship, with a victory in the second stage, held in Brest.
Despite the difficult conditions - three days of disoriented and gusty winds - sailors were able to complete two races. The organization worked hard to try to get more races, but even if the windsurfing fleet had spent many hours on the water every day, nothing could be done.


+ Windsurfing News

BODYBOARDING

The story and legends of bodyboarding in "Born to Boogie"
23/05/2013
article thumbnail

"Born to Boogie: Legends of Bodyboarding" tells the story of the incredible sport of bodyboarding from 1971 to the modern days.
The pioneers, the champions and the underground chargers are all profiled, among them Tom Morey, Pat Caldwell, Ben Severson, Jay Reale, Mike Stewart, Michael 'Eppo' Eppelstun, Guilherme Tamega, Andre Botha, Ryan Hardy, Damian King, Ben Player, Jeff Hubbard, Mitch Rawlins and Pierre Louis Costes. "Born to Boogie: Legends of Bodyboarding" was written by the bodyboard  [ ... ]


Nuno Azevedo sweeps fourth Luso Galaico Championship title
22/05/2013
article thumbnail

Nuno Azevedo has conquered the bodyboarding division of the XV Luso Galaico Championship, a competition between Portuguese and Galician riders.
Up to 64 bodyboarders and surfers from the North of Portugal and the Spanish region of Galicia have competed at Cabedelo Beach and Arda Beach, in Viana do Castelo. With a mobile structure and a new live scoring system, the level of competition was high in the 2-4 foot waves on offer. Portuguese riders claimed four out of five titles at the XV Luso Ga [ ... ]


+ Bodyboarding News