Your First Windsurfing Experience
By: Aazdak Alisimo | Posted: 14th January 2008
Before you can be an expert at anything, you have to make a fool out of yourself while you learn the basics. This is particularly true with windsurfing.
It is a fact of any sport. Everyone is a beginner at the beginning regardless of how skilled they may become in time. Windsurfing for beginners requires fairly good physical condition. Outside of that, the rest can be easily learned. Like many sports, it is a good idea to start slow until you gain a little bit of expertise. A river or lake is sometimes a better place to learn, but if you are going to start right in the ocean, it is best to do so in a wind that is blowing inshore and less than 12 knots.
The problem with an offshore wind is that if you get into any trouble, the offshore wind will blow you further out to sea. A beginner is well advised to use the buddy system. If you do not have another windsurfer to go out on the water with you, at least have a buddy on shore who is keeping an eye on you at all times. A personal floatation device should be standard equipment for a beginner also. The learning process is a time to be extremely safety orientated. This will not only help during the awkward time at first, but establish safety habits for the future.
A basic understanding of the standard parts of a windsurfing rig is essential for the beginner. Of course, the first item is the board itself. The boards should have a fin in the back for steering. It should also be able to support your weight. It is a good idea to test this in shallow water. The next most important item is the sail. It is what will provide your propulsion through the water. Sails vary in size, but beginners should use smaller sails at first. Women should use even smaller ones. The boom is the harness that you use to control the direction of the sail. The mast is what the said mounts to and the mast base is a swivel joint where the mast attaches to the board allowing it to move freely.
When you have your windsurfing board properly assembled, you should enter the water with the sail lowered. Balance on the board with your feet shoulder width apart for about five minutes gently rocking back and forth. This should establish your ability to maintain your balance on the board. When you are sure of you balance, slowly lift the sail. Make sure that you retain a proper stance while lifting the sail as it will catch the wind as soon as it is up.
Windsurfing can be a sport that requires a great deal of skill at the advanced and competitive level. However, it is also relatively easy for a beginner to master. If it possible to take a class from a qualified instructor, you should be up and sailing within a couple of hours at most. If you are mastering it on your own, do not forget to use a smaller said at first and begin in a period of low wind velocity.
Aazdak Alisimo writes about windsurfing equipment for WindsurfingEquipmentShops.com.
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Tags: boom, little bit, sails, fool, knots, rig, shallow water, propulsion, first women