Archive for February, 2012

Top 5 Things To Do In Bournemouth

1. Learn To Windsurf at UK’s No1 Spot with the Poole Windsurfing School

When looking for things to do in Bournemouth, holiday makers and locals often forget that they can take windsurfing lessons and learn to windsurf at the UK’s No1 spot, Poole Harbour. It is just around the corner from Bournemouth and being the second largest natural harbour in the world, with a designated area for watersports, it really is the UK’s No1 Spot to learn to windsurf.

Check out the Poole Windsurfing Video Guided Tour to see what you could be getting up to during your stay in Bournemouth:

2. Go to the Bournemouth Oceanarium

Through the Lower Gardens and next to the pier is the Oceanarium, this attraction has sea life from all over the world from The Amazon to the Florida Keys. You can walk through the shark tunnel and enjoy seeing the sting rays.

Crystal-clear waters and naturally-themed habitats allow close encounters with a dazzling array of underwater life from elegant seahorses to sinister tropical sharks. Journey below the surface of the worlds greatest rivers; the Amazon, Ganges and the Nile and meet weird and wonderful creatures like the upside-down catfish and the giant pacu.

3. Hire a traditional beach hut

Take to the beach in style by hiring a beach hut and be a part of a great British tradition. You can’t get a more traditional thing to do in Bournemouth! Did you know Bournemouth invented the beach hut back in 1908 and still rents out the oldest in the world?

Alternatively you could hire one of the new funky surf reef ‘beach pods’, based at Boscombe Beach – the ultimate in style.

4. Plan the rest of your trip with a Bournemouth City Sightseeing tour

This extended tour now takes you through Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole in a tour lasting 80 minutes. Bournemouth lies in the heart of Dorset on the South Coast and has seven miles of golden sands and sparkling sea. The vibrant cosmopolitan town has it all – a vast variety of shops, restaurants theatres & shows plus a buzzing night life. It is home to beautiful parks and Bournemouth’s Gardens. Take the tour and plan your visit with City Sightseeing Bournemouth which will highlight all the things to do and see during your stay. You can hop on and off at your leisure at the 22 conveniently located stops which are positioned along the route.

Take your pick from Sandbanks Beach in Poole, the beach at Durley Chine, Solent Beach in Christchurch or explore all three with your 24 hour valid ticket! Relax in Poole Park where old and young visitors alike will enjoy the play park, miniature railway and boating lake. Stroll around the shops and museum at Poole Quay or hop off at Sandbanks Peninsula and see the homes of the rich and famous! Spend the evening enjoying a meal or drink in lively Bournemouth town centre or try one of the bars at West Cliff. Poole Quay also offers a range of restaurants and pubs and the Aruba Bar can be found on Bournemouth Pier. There are many things to do and see in and around Bournemouth, so let City Sightseeing highlight all the best attractions and help you to make the most of your stay.

5. Take to the sky with the Bournemouth Balloon

Located in the Lower Gardens, another of Bournemouth’s top attractions is the Bournemouth Eye (or now called Bournemouth Balloon). The Bournemouth Balloon is the town’s answer to the London Eye. It transports it’s passengers up in a balloon where they can see the whole area from the New Forest to the Isle of Wight. This gentle trip is the premier way to see the stunning scenery of Bournemouth and the surrounding areas.

As one of the very unique things to do in Bournemouth this helium-filled balloon is fixed to the ground by a steel cable and a winch system takes the balloon 500 feet up, giving its riders 360 degree panoramic views over the town, its beaches and the surrounding Dorset countryside.

The balloon operates seasonally, from 9 am until late 7 days a week, from Easter until the end of September. However it is weather-dependent and on stormy days doesn’t fly.

As an addition or backup to the above we have also compiled a list from our insider local knowledge of the top 5 free things to do in Bournemouth! Incorporate some or all of the following free Bournemouth tourist activities and you can justify one or two of the great paid for experiences, such as windsurfing lessons at the Poole Windsurfing School.

Top 5 Free Things To Do In Bournemouth

1. Do the Pier to Pier Walk

Start at either Bournemouth or Boscombe Pier and finish at the other. Enjoy the scenic stroll along the promenade and treat yourself to coffee and cake at one of the many cafes, restaurants or hotels at either end.

2. Take a stroll through Bournemouth gardens

Bournemouth is famous for its gardens (Grade II listed gardens) which are split into three areas of Victorian beauty – starting with the Lower Gardens, adjacent to the sea and leading to the Central Gardens in the town centre and then the Upper Gardens. The award winning gardens have colourful flower displays and include a stream, ice-cream kiosks and mini golf. In the summer what better way to relax than to listen to the music from the Pine Walk bandstand or visit the aviary or art exhibition? The Bournemouth gardens are like no other as they have a whole wealth of things to keep its visitors interested.

3. Cycle from Bournemouth to Hengistbury Head

If you want to see the famous 7 miles of beaches then taking to 2 wheels is a smart way to get around. Cruise along the promenade towards the famous Sandbanks beaches and if you are feeling adventurous, over the chain ferry and into the Purbecks. Going in the other direction you can cycling out to Hengistbury Head where you can even take a land train to Christchurch Harbour.

4. Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

Visit one of the most important and fascinating museum-houses in England. It holds collections of international status and reflects the Victorian fascination with world cultures. One of the more cultural things to do in Bournemouth, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum is just up the road from the beach at Bournemouth pier.

5. Swim in the Sea

Maybe the most ‘done’ of all Bournemouth tourist attractions is to take a swim in the sea at one of Bournemouth’s golden sand beaches. It’s free to swim in the ocean and enjoy Bournemouth’s beaches.

Enjoy your stay – you certainly won’t run out of things to do in Bournemouth!

All the latest 2012 windsurfing equipment will be unwrapped this spring at the Poole Windsurfing School. Each year we take delivery of brand new windsurfing equipment from Goya Windsurfing, RRD, Amex, Billabong and Pat Love. This year is no exception, with the latest 2012 windsurfing boards and sails from Goya Windsurfing & RRD being prepared for you.

Learning to windsurf is a lot about having the right equipment and here at the Poole Windsurfing School we pride ourselves on having the latest windsurfing boards & windsurfing sails for our students.

Its early days at the moment, so we don’t have pictures of the rigged kit but thought everyone would be keen to get a sneak preview of some of the brand new windsurf boards & sails that we will have this summer season:

Goya WIndsurfing
2012 Goya Surf 202lt Beginners Windsurf Board:

The Goya Surf is such a great beginners windsurfing board that can take every rider through the early stages of windsurfing and into learning the intermediate skills. A balanced board for beginners that can also be turned into one of the most used boards in the quiver of advanced riders. Not to forget the Stand Up Paddle qualities of this wonderful platform.

A wide & short fin helps first time water starts in shallow sections while still maintaining enough fin area once you are planing. Additionally, the all new fully retractable Allgaier® dagger board brings the best of both worlds. You can choose to either have it hidden away, tucked inside the board while riding around, or have it down for first time riders or for trimming upwind on the lighter wind days. Having the daggerboard down maximizes stability while learning to uphaul.


The board features a full EVA deck. Added foam thickness in the nose area keeps the board safe from potential boom front and mast hits. A harder and denser EVA around the whole perimeter of the board helps keeping the rails looking like new after a full season.

2012 Goya Surf Beginners Windsurf Sails:

The 2012 Goya Surf is a perfect windsurf sail for all those taking beginners windsurfing lessons. With full dacron panels, reinforced perimeter, integrated mast pad, and indestructible Ever Clear window, it is a sail that will last for years. Lightweight and durable make for easy windsurfing for those learning to windsurf.

A full head batten and a short leech batten provide stability in both light and strong winds. Adjustable head webbing allows compatibility with any RDM mast, which are used exclusively throughout the Poole Windsurfing School. A large viewing window provides clear and durable sight through the sail. Bright colors make it safe and easy to spot on the water, and fun to look at.

The Goya Surf is the perfect choice for learning to up haul and for learning the basic principals of sailing.


Jason Diffin: “The 2012 SURF is the classic Dacron trainer sail for beginning windsurfers. The SURF is the perfect choice for learning to up haul and for learning the basic principals of sailing.”

2012 Goya Guru Improver to Advanced Windsurf Sails:

The 2012 Goya Guru offers unbeatable high wind comfort and control, flexible feeling and smooth, forward driving power delivery. Finger tip handling and and easily neutralized in transitions. We will be using these sails when teaching improver to advanced windsurfing lessons and will be available in our fleet of advanced windsurf hire equipment.

It comes with an Ever Clear window and all scrim and x-ply construction, resulting in incredible strength and light weight, great power and unbeatable high wind control. New for 2012 are a much lighter construction weight, due to a scrim panel coverage of about 70%, resulting in a stronger and lighter feeling on the water.

Jason Diffin: “The GURU is the ultimate wave and high wind performance sail. Major advancements in materials and component technology create a new GURU model that has better low end, is lighter, and is more tunable than ever. The sail is easy incredibly easy to handle and depower even in the most radical conditions, and the GURU still offers the trademark flexible and comfortable feeling it has become famous for.”

2012 Goya Nexus Improver to Advanced Windsurf Sails:

The 2012 Goya Nexus is a No-Cam Freeride & Freerace sail that supplies the maximum of power, speed and control in the Goya Sail range. The Goya Nexus is pure performance and will be ready for your use on windsurfing courses and advanced windsurf equipment rental at the Poole Windsurfing School.

While cut for power, speed and control in all sizes, the focus is on maneuverability in sizes 4.3 to 6.9 and lift and control in sizes 7.5 to 9.0. Forward and focused drive and crisp, easy handling make Goya Nexus the “go to” sail for maximum performance in bump and jump and flat water conditions.

Sizes 4.3 to 6.9 come as a six batten design, while sizes 7.5 to 9.0 come with seven battens, offering maximum drive while sharing the same built and features.

Jason Diffin: “The 2012 NEXUS is pure freeride and freerace performance. While cut for power, speed and control in all sizes, the focus is on maneuverability in 4.3-6.9 and lift and control in sizes 7.5, 8.2 and 9.0. Forward and focused drive and crisp, easy handling make NEXUS the “go to” sail for maximum performance in bump and jump and flat water conditions.”

RRD Windsurfing
2012 RRD Easyride 180lt Beginners Windsurf Board:

The RRD Easyride windsurf boards give you the right feeling of security through stability and soft touch under your feet. The short length and the wide outline allow to use a small sail to steer the board wherever you want even after 10 minutes of riding. They are a result of a long research and development process in making windsurfing easy for everyone!

Technology includes EPS/HD Glass/Wood sandwich skin on stepping area with a combination of Glass fibers laminated in Single Shot moulding process. Deck covered with Softskin™.

2012 RRD Evolution 148lt & 158lt Improver to Advanced Windsurf Boards:

The balanced mix between floatation and performance makes the RRD Evolution M 148lt and L 158lt 360 Duratech line the perfect boards to progress in your gybes and even allows you basic freestyle manoeuvres potential! These are THE windsurf board to learn how to carve gybe on, being super easy to initiate and hold a carve on. We will be using the brand new 2012 RRD Evolution windsurf boards at Poole Windsurfing to teach students everything from faster tacks & gybes, beach starts, harness, planing, footstraps & the ultimate carve gybes. The boards will also be a part of our improver to advanced windsurf hire fleet.

Book on our Full Beginners Windsurfing Course, learn all the essentials of windsurfing so that you are safe enough to get out on the water practicing after the course & get a nice discount on the price!

If you are thinking of giving windsurfing a go why not save £11 by booking both halves of the course together? Quote FULLB when booking over the phone or by using the ‘Name(s) for Gift Voucher/Discount Code’ box during online checkout (Valid for normal & Gift Voucher purchases)

Not only will you be saving money by taking the full beginners windsurfing course but you will also be getting ALL the skills and knowledge so that you are confident whilst out on windsurf hire, practicing what you have been taught. It really makes sense to take the full beginners windsurfing course if you want get a full understanding of the sport.

Check out everything about our windsurfing school and read what past students have said about their time with us, on our Testimonials page.

Our teaching venue of Poole Harbour really is the No 1 location in the UK for learning & progressing with your windsurfing. The safe, shallow, protected waters make for a rapid learning curve to get you off to the best possible start with your windsurfing.

If you start learning to windsurf early on then you will have the whole summer to really get into the sport & progress your windsurfing skills with a mix of hire time & further lessons. This really is the best way to learn to windsurf, take a lesson then practice what you have been taught for a while and when you feel confident with those skills, take another short course to be shown the next module that will open up another level of windsurfing to you!

Hope to see you all out on the water this summer!

Out of all the windsurfing brands out there we choose to use Goya Windsurfing sails. The Guru, Eclipse and FXR have such great build quality, extra little design features, cool looks and a development team headed by non other than ex world champion, Francisco Goya.

Working closely with Goya Windsurfing, we are sometimes lucky enough to get fantastic savings that we can pass on to you. The following Goya Guru, Eclipse and FXR windsurfing sails are from the 2010 season but have all the key design and build features of the current models.

Goya FXR

The FXR 6 is a 6 Batten No Cam Freeride sail that supplies the maximum of power, speed and control in the Goya Sail range. The Goya FXR design changes from size to size to suit the conditions- The larger sizes are cut for power and speed- the fundamentals of slalom and race style sailing. Lightweight, great low end power- plane early and go faster. The smaller sizes are cut to excel in high wind maneuvers, jumps and speed. The new reduced head outlines on all sizes gives a quieter, easier feeling and improved overall range. Goya FXR is the sail of choice for Designer/Rider Jason Diffin for The Gorge summers of white knuckle power, speed and jump sailing, and light wind cruising on the big boards.

Goya Eclipse

Levi Siver’s signature windsurf sail “The reason’s behind the Eclipse for me is to have a balanced low drive sail with a compact feel and short mast. I wanted a sail that could go neutral real quick but then push on the gas when I need drive in my sailing. I make sure to downhaul the sail real good to create the tension in the sail that gives it release from the top and balance in high wind conditions. We created a tight head so the sail retracts back after it releases which gives it it’s drive and balance. Now outhaul is relative to what the wind is doing. You can ride less out haul but make sure to have a good amount of down haul. The sail can touch to boom but shouldn’t be rapping the boom unless it’s 10 knot conditions.

The Goya Eclipse needs shape so if its powered 5.0 and you flatten your sail its going to feel bad so it’s better to go 4.7 and keep the shape. The Goya Eclipse has a big range from high wind control to being able to cheat with a sail size smaller because of the drive and full shape. Another trick is to move your harness lines an inch to two inches towards the clue to centralize the low drive management. So, the principle of the Goya Eclipse is to ride a smaller sail which means better style on the wave.”

Goya Guru

Effortless and easy handling makes your sessions longer. Huge wind range means more time sailing and less time rigging. Soft and flexible, forward driving and quickly neutral, the Goya Guru will take you where you want to go on the water and in the air. Just visualize what you want to do, and the guru will take you there… The Goya Guru is also an excellent choice for smaller and lighter sailors in high wind due to it’s forward stable draft, and soft, easy feel. Keith Teboul and Francisco Goya rely on the Guru to take them to a higher level with confidence, and so can you.

These prices even include FREE NEXT DAY DELIVERY (Mainland UK).
Grab yourself a bargain and some of the best windsurfing sails out there on the market!

Check out these actual Goya Windsurfing sails in action:

2012 DIRECT DRIVE SERIES™
INCORPORATING DIAGONAL FLEX™

Diagonal Flex™
The main difference between Goya masts and those of all competition is Diagonal Flex™. No other mast brand offers this technology.

Diagonal Flex™ does not only allow Goya masts to bend to amazing curves, just like all those laboratory photos you know, but while in that shape, they are also enabled to twist extremely lively, working in close synergy with the Goya sails.

The difference resulting from this feature is expressed by a very simple number: Last winter, also know as the big wave season, between all Goya Team Riders, shops and distributors, we broke a total of three (3) masts. This was only possible through the Diagonal Flex™ technology developed by Goya Windsurfing.

90% Carbon
Another essential building block of our masts is the use of an all new Goya exclusive Carbon lay up that makes our extreme bend and twist curves possible in the first place. 90% Pre-Preg. 33 million pounds per square inch.

Wall Thickness
The equation is very simple. Our wall thickness is at least 50% thicker than the rest of the market, while still being among the lightest weights.

How is that possible? Again, it’s no magic, everything starts with the most advance materials available, built with the same technology that is used in the aerospace industry.

Bend and Reflex like SDM
That sounds impossible but when you see that we offer our RDM masts at 490, doesn’t that make you curious how quick and stable our 400 is?

The Goya mast layup gradually adapts to each sizing, enabling us to go from 12 IMCS on our 310 all the way up to 30 IMCS on the 490, while still keeping the same bending percentages or even getting a stiffer bottom section on the larger masts.