Archive for January, 2010

Following up on my last post giving a buyers guide to choosing windsurfing equipment I came across a very useful tool for figuring out what windsurfing board, windsurfing sail & fin size you should have.

Whether you are just moving on from the learn to windsurf stages and trying to decide what your first windsurfing board should be or you are a seasoned pro trying to fill a gap in your windsurfing sails quiver, this interactive spreadsheet guide to choosing the right windsurfing boards, fins & windsurfing sails is really useful.

Windsurfing Boards
Fire up the spreadsheet in Excel, choose the ‘Board Size’ tab & enter your weight in KG or lbs.
The program tells you:

Know what size windsurfing boards you should have

Windsurfing Sails
Move across to the Windsurfing Sail Size tab, enter your wegith in KG or lbs.
The program displays:

Finding exactly the right size sail for a given wind strength

Windsurfing Fins
Move to the last ‘Fin Size’ tab, enter your weight in KG or lbs & sail size in sq metres.
The program calculates the recommended fin size for you:

Know the right size windsurfing fin for any sail size

Having checked through a few examples myself the calculations are pretty accurate to the real world. All credit to James Douglass who developed this number crunching monster. If you want your own copy of this great guide click the following link Ultimate Windsurfing Equipment Size Calculator

With all that data at your finger tips you should never be stuck trying to figure out what windsurfing kit you should be buying or sailing on!

• Once a pure ‘jumping on the way out & riding the wave back in’
  discipline, wave riding has now incorporated… http://bit.ly/62uTFV #
• Showcasing just how far windsurfing has progressed should inspire & motivate
  everyone. With the latest windsurfing… http://bit.ly/7iEIKb #
• The Moreno twins transfer to Team Severne for 2010: http://bit.ly/7duWEn #
• The latest windsurfing images from the PWA Tour: http://bit.ly/6m4nV9 #

I thought a little video blog post to showcase just how far windsurfing has progressed should inspire & motivate everyone. With the latest windsurfing equipment developments, moves that were thought impossible are now being tweaked & fine tuned by the pro riders. Even at a more normal skill level of riding a whole new world of windsurfing freestyle has opened up. More recently this breakthrough in windsurfing freestyle moves has filtered its way through to wave riding. Once a pure ‘jumping on the way out & riding the wave back in’ discipline, wave riding has now incorporated elements from the world of freestyle, with moves such as air takas being thrown whilst riding the wave itself.

Air Taka:

Light Wind Big Moves from Maui Makani on Vimeo.

The leap in windsurfing standards has been matched by an equally impressive progression in filming. Just have a look at these clips from 2 of the latest windsurfing movies produced by Andre Paskowski, Stacked & the much talked about The Four Dimensions.

Stacked – This Windsurfing Movie shows you crazy Freestyle and Wave Action from the World Cup Spots Fuerteventura and Pozo.

The most recent addition to anyone’s windsurfing movie collection should surely be ‘The Four Dimensions’ film by Andre Paskowski, an amazing progression in how to film a windsurf movie. This movie takes both the filming & riding abilities to another level. Rich Page, Manager of the PWA sums things up very well…

“Four Dimensions is a dynamic and exciting departure from previous windsurfing movies. Not only showcasing the explosive nature and intense technical capabilities of modern windsurfing, but also bringing new and progressive production techniques to create an inspirational film. Compared to many of the great “legends” movies previously released, Four Dimensions also leads us into the future of windsurfing, turning the spotlight on some of the most talented young sailors in the sport. Already accomplished competition sailors, these riders are the new champions of windsurfing who will lead our sport into its next evolution. Whether familiar with windsurfing or not, I challenge anyone to watch this film and not want to just go out and do it!“

The Four Dimensions – windsurfing movie, official trailer

Nowadays, with good tuition from a windsurf school that has the latest windsurfing equipment people can learn the basics in a matter of hours, become competent improver windsurfers in a few months & with regular practice time, really get to grips with the more advanced learning elements within a summer season.

There really are no other watersports that have as much variety to offer. With windsurfing you can choose to go slalom blasting, bump & jump, wave riding, freestyle or light wind freestyle. Its a sport you will never get bored of because there is always something new you can learn!

• Hydrofoil Windsurfing – almost doesn’t look real…
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oyWMusaDTI&feature=related http://bit.ly/6JN4Kv #
• Live weather stats for Poole Harbour, multi webcams, everything you need to plan your windsurfing. http://www.pooleharbourweather.com/ #fb #
• May not be windsurfing but this is off the scale – BMX Freestyle ‘Special Greg’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KEt6ot2dcY #
• I favorited a YouTube video — The Windsurfing Movie – Levi Siver part http://youtu.be/W2-uOtOEtMI?a #

You may have heard of Sandbanks, in Poole, Dorset before? Probably not because of its great windsurfing but more likely because of the hype & fame surrounding its multi-million pound properties that line Poole Harbour & the Sandbanks peninsular. Maybe you have even heard of the world class fine sandy beaches that stretch for 7 miles from Sandbanks all the way past Bournemouth, Boscombe & on to Hengistbury Head.

More importantly than any of the above is that it is an amazingly good windsurfing location! The actual main place for Sandbanks windsurfing is in Poole Harbour. Literally, a stones throw across the Sandbanks peninsular, Poole Harbour offers an exceptional location to learn to windsurf. For more detail on what exactly makes the Sandbanks area such a great UK windsurfing location have a read of another post called Our local windsurfing spot – Poole Harbour. Basically, for those looking to take beginners windsurfing lessons there really isn’t a better place to learn to windsurf than in Poole Harbour. At Poole Windsurfing we teach in the safe, shallow waters of Poole Harbour & combined with the latest windsurfing equipment, learning is a smooth & enjoyable process! Even for students that have learnt the basics elsewhere have been amazed at how much better it is to windsurf with us in Poole Harbour. Intermediate windsurfing skills such as beach starts & harness are quickly learn when you can choose the depth of water you windsurf in, knowing that when you fall in or need a break you can just stand up & recover! With a gradual shelving seabed there is nowhere quite like Poole Harbour for progressing your beachstarts into the advanced windsurfing skill of waterstarts. When trying your 1st few waterstarts just out of your depth, if you don’t make it the wind will quickly drift you back into shallower water where you can do a chest deep beach start.

The sandbanks windsurfing location is unique because of the close proximity of both windsurfing in a protected coastal location, Poole Harbour & that of the open sea, Sandbanks and the 7 mile stretch of beach. This means you can learn to windsurf on beginners windsurfing lessons & progress through the intermediate windsurfing stages in the safety of Poole Harbour. When your skills have be well practiced you can then start to venture out on the sea front to make the most of the wind & waves at one of the many great windsurfing locations along this stretch of the UK’s coastline.

Even for the advanced windsurfer, coming back into Poole Harbour can be a really good way to master those carve gybes or freestyle tricks such as Volcans, Spocks, Grubby’s, etc. You just choose the depth of water to windsurf in so, whenever you crash you can stand there & figure out what went wrong, catch your breath and just hop straight back on your board. The fact that you are within your own depth makes learning new windsurfing moves so much faster!

Sandbanks windsurfing is some of the best the UK has to offer – hope to see you here!

• I favorited a YouTube video — Triple Forward Loop http://youtu.be/q60n68fADxo?a #
• Stepping it up in the skills department…
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q60n68fADxo http://bit.ly/6ItBBO #
• If thats too easy – why not do a double forward indoors! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K188j9UOcYM&feature=related #
• Double forward's – no worries…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8bzaoIfKZ0 #

A few weeks ago I wrote here on Top Windsurfing Tips & News an article about The Secrets to Choosing Beginners Windsurfing Equipment and promised to give you all my insider tips for hunting down those bargain buys & what exactly you should be looking to check when making a purchase.

Where to buy your Windsurfing Equipment from?
Basically there are 3 different routes to explore when it comes to scoping out those windsurfing equipment bargains:

Shiny New Windsurfing Equipment

1. Brand New Windsurfing Equipment, Retail Shop discount ‘package deals’ – as with any kind of purchase, buying in bulk from one supplier gives you the customer one great advantage, Buying Power. Windsurfing retail shops are always open to giving discounts to those who are buying a complete windsurf package, 10% off the total price, harness lines or even a boom thrown in for free, there is always something that can be negotiated when bulk buying.


Pro’s: Knowledgeable staff (hopefully!), may have a try before you buy option, possibility of returning faulty kit, buying brand new – everything fits together & just works!

Con’s: Brand new windsurfing equipment loosing its initial retail value quickly, outgrowing your brand new kit, over-priced compared to buying ‘nearly new’ equipment, being given the wrong advice/sold what needs to be sold (hopefully not, if you have gone with a reputable shop)

2. Nearly New Windsurfing Kit – this is where you can really strike gold when it comes to getting yourself a bargain in the world of windsurfing. The great thing about this way of buying is that you can read up on all the windsurfing reviews, find exactly what brand, model, size, year of board you want, then use the following techniques to hunt down a bargain.

There are lots of online & offline places to look for your chosen windsurfing equipment wish list, the best of which are probably, using your local ‘free ad’ type newspaper (such as the Ad Trader paper for the Bournemouth, Poole, Dorset area) where you can track down some really great genuine bargains that people just want to get rid of to make space in their garage! More recently, the best success I have had when searching for ‘nearly new’ windsurfing equipment has been On-Line, via the Boards Magazine Classifieds section. This is a great addition to their site that even lets you make a ‘wish list’ of all the kit you are after & will even send you an email notification just as soon as someone lists that exact piece of kit for sale so you are first in line for a bargain!

Pro’s: Newly new windsurfing equipment at way below retail prices, can spread your search & get instant updates as & when your desired kit is listed for sale.

Con’s: Need to make your own research as to what type of kit is suitable for you, travel time to go pickup your bargain purchases, must know what to look for when viewing potential kit, may have long waiting time until your desired windsurf board, sail, etc becomes available for sale.

3. Second Hand Windsurfing Equipment – this method of buying kit really is hit or miss! You could land the windsurfing bargain of the century or end up with a pile of useless retro windsurfing junk, see my previous post about The Secrets to Choosing Beginners Windsurfing Equipment for a background into what exactly you should be looking for & what you should avoid like the plague. There is a never ending source for second hand windsurfing equipment. Retail shops always have a few racks of second hand windsurf boards, windsurfing sails, mast & booms. Your local ‘Free Ads’ paper, Ebay & the more specialist online specialist classifieds sites such as the one on the Boards website mentioned earlier in this post and finally personal contacts – everyone knows someone, who knows someone, who is trying to sell windsurfing equipment!

Pro’s: Potential for windsurfing bargain of the century!

Con’s: A lot of background research to find your bargains, more than ever you must know what to look for when viewing potential kit, may have long waiting time until your desired windsurf board, sail, etc becomes available for sale.

Choosing the Right Windsurf Board

What to look for when viewing windsurfing equipment?
If buying new equipment, things should be pretty straight forward because you will be getting helped out by your local windsurf retail shop. Just check that everything is going to fit together, as ‘plug & play’ as possible. I mean, check the boom will fit the sails you have/hope to have, all rope pulley systems are easy to operate, the board to sail connection is the right fit, the boom extension uses an easily adjustable system, the mast will fit the sail properly & you have the correct mast extension if necessary.

For second hand windsurfing equipment you really need to know a few little secrets to help check you end up with some quality kit & not a water logged plank! For the boards, check there are no soft spots on the deck, by pressing all over with your thumbs. If you find the outer skin of the board can be easily pressed inwards this is a good indication that water has seeped into the foam core at some point, making it contract & leaving a gap between it and the outer skin. This means 2 things, the board has had a knock at some point & it will now be irreversibly water logged & heavy.

Second hand windsurf sails should not have any major rips or repairs in the luff tube (where the mast is inserted), same goes for the mono-film panels which should also not be too opaque/milky in colour – a sign that they have seen too much sun & will be brittle/easily damaged.

Booms should still be easy to adjust & have good grip left. Check the UJ (Universal Joint) does not have any splits in the rubber and that the pulley system on mast extensions are still running smoothly.

Ok, so you now know the options available for buying your windsurfing equipment, where to look to sniff out the real bargain buys & what to check for before you hand over your cash! All the info in this post is great but what happens if the unthinkable happens…you damage your lovely new windsurfing kit!

In a future post I will run through how to fix holes in your board, rips in your sail and anything else that you can damage, so check back to the Top Windsurfing Tips & News blog to learn the essential DIY windsurfing repairs that you will undoubtedly need at some point.