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There is a new kid on the block when it comes to forecasting the wind and weather at Poole Harbour (and most of the world’s other great windsurfing locations)…

Muchoviento.net is a wind forecast provider for windsurfers, that provides quality wind forecasts for many surf locations in Europe. For us, it not only has a wind & weather forecast for Poole Harbour but also for, Branksome Dene & Boscombe as well! How it differs from other popular wind & weather forecasting websites such as Windfinder & WindGuru is by focusing on local regional weather models & forecasting the wind / weather at a much higher resolution model size.

As the creator of Muchviento.net says…
“What makes muchoviento.net different is the fact that we run several regional weather models (eight at the moment; cabeverde is the next to go live) spanning small, “surf hot-spot” areas. Our competitors, e.g. windfinder, runs one large europe model at a grid scale of 12km. We in turn decided to provide several higher resolution models (5km to 8km) for better topography modeling. This greatly improves the ability to include athmospheric effects like sea breezes and orographic effects at mountains.” – Michael Scheer, Muchoviento

The term ‘regional weather model’ refers to Muchviento’s highly sophisticated approach of applying state-of-the-art weather models to small, focused geographic regions. Since the focus is quality, the regions chosen are small and the model is set up to run with a very high grid size resolution. This configuration directly translates into great forecasts: orographic (study of the formation & relief of mountains) and thermal effects can be modeled as well, apparently making a real difference compared to the results of their competitors.

Each weather model has a both a fixed & dynamic aspect to it. The fixed side of things is the topography and the dynamic part is the initial weather conditions at the boundary of the model, which change with each run of the model.

You can see the topography layout for the UK channel model in the 3d-contour plot shown to the right.



Using the forecasts is pretty straight forward:
1. Bookmark your favorite regional forecast pages directly – its quicker than going through the dropdown menus each time
2. Click on Regional Model (0-72).
3. Read the forecast graph – time across the top & wind strength, gusts, direction, temperature, rain down the side
4. For a quick visual reference as to what the wind strength is doing, the charts are colour coded (blue for light wind, green, yellow, orange, red then purple for the strongest winds)

Direct links to our local windsurfing forecast pages:
wind & weather forecast for Poole Harbour
wind & weather forecast for Bournemouth, Branksome Dene
wind & weather forecast for Boscombe

All forecasts are updated every 6 hours and you can find the update cycles for a specific regional model at the top left of each local forecast page. The Global Forecast Model (GFS) button gives values useful for comparison and long-term forecasting – not something your average user needs to use.

So, there you have it another great tool for checking the wind & weather at Poole Harbour and a couple of our other local spots (Branksome Dene & Boscombe).

All the latest 2013 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 2013 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
2013 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.

2013 Goya Surf Beginners Windsurf Sails:

The 2013 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 2013 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.”

2013 Goya Guru Improver to Advanced Windsurf Sails:

The 2013 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 2013 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.”

2013 Goya Nexus Improver to Advanced Windsurf Sails:

The 2013 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 2013 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
2013 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™.

2013 RRD Evolution 145lt & 158lt Improver to Advanced Windsurf Boards:

The balanced mix between floatation and performance makes the RRD 360 Evolution Duratech V3 S 145lt and RRD 360 Evolution Softskin V3 L 158lt 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 2013 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.

Technology includes EPS/ HD Glass Epoxy skin on top and bottom with a Glass crossed fibers laminated in AST moulding process. Covered by a full layer of 3 mm moulded EVA skin.

Billabong Intruder Wetsuits

Billabong is a market leader in wetsuits and we have been using them at the Poole Windsurfing School since day one. For 2013 we will be taking delivery of a fleet of brand new Billabong Intruder Wetsuits for both men and women. These wetsuits are built to last, still have amazing amounts of flexibility & have a feature list to be proud of…

AirLite SuperFlex G3 undersleeve panels
Flatlock construction
Lycra collar facing
Contour collar
Key loop

These features give the wetsuits excellent performance & using them at Poole Windsurfing we are setting a new standard for other windsurfing schools to follow!

Top 5 Things To Do In Southampton

1. Take Windsurfing Lessons at UK’s No1 Spot with the Poole Windsurfing School

When looking for things to do in Southampton, holiday makers and locals often forget that they can take windsurfing lessons and learn how to windsurf at the UK’s No1 spot, Poole Harbour. It is only 30 minutes on the motorway from Southampton 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 this clip from beginners windsurfing lessons taken at the Poole Windsurfing School to see what you could be getting up to during your stay in Southampton:

2. Have a blast at Paultons Park

You can find rides to suit all the family at Paultons Park; there are real thrill seeker rides, family rides and kid friendly rides. If you are purchasing tickets in advance you can get a family of 4 day pass for £86 which is pretty good value. When you need to take a break from all the exhilaration you can see many different types of birds and animals located around the Park ranging from exotic birds to Australian Wallabies!

Paultons Theme Park is full of fun family entertainment, whether it’s hitting a hole in one in the adventure golf, making a splash in the water kingdom or relaxing on the Rio Grande Train ride around the park. There are tons more attractions for all the family to enjoy, making it one of the top things to do in Southampton.

3. Take a day trip to the Isle of Wight

A top thing to do when you are staying in Southampton is to take a trip to the Isle of Wight, to give you a completely different experience.

The perfect break on the Isle of Wight consists of many elements; strolls along the beaches, fun at Blackgang Chine, animal magic at the Isle of Wight Zoo and reminders of this Dinosaur Isle’s prehistoric past.

The most iconic image on the Isle of Wight is the Needles. Get a good view from Alum Bay, have fun at The Needles Park and take the chairlift down to the beach.

With up to 350 ferry crossings a day, it’s really simple to travel to the Isle of Wight as a day trip from Southampton.

4. Beaulieu National Motor Museum

There are so many great exhibitions at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum…

The BOND IN MOTION exhibition, the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world, showcases 50 of the best loved and most iconic Bond vehicles – some never before seen in public – in celebration of the 50th year of James Bond films.

‘World of Top Gear’ features actual vehicles created by presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for some of their most ambitious challenges.

The motor vehicle collection in the National Motor Museum remains one of Beaulieu’s most famous attractions with more than 250 on show from the earliest examples of motoring and family cars of the 30s and 40s through to classic cars of the 70s and 80s and rare motoring oddities.

5. Learn about the ‘Gateway to the World’ at the SeaCity Museum

For a long time Southampton has been known as the ‘Gateway to the World’, a place for traders, settlers and those seeking refuge. At the SeaCity Museum you can learn all about the city’s maritime history. There is also a great exhibition all about the mystery surrounding the Titanic, with the centre-piece of this gallery featuring a 1:25 scale, interactive model of the Titanic, showing the intricate layout of the vessel. Find out more on the SeaCity Museum webpage.


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 Southampton! Incorporate some or all of the following free Southampton 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 Southampton

1. Stroll through the wild heath lands of The New Forest

Less than 30 minutes from Southampton is The New Forest a huge area of wild heath and woodland where you can see wild ponies, donkeys and deer.

The New Forest is the only area of England to remain relatively untouched since Norman times, thanks in large part to its unsuitability as agricultural land. It still retains a code of law handed down during the reign of William the Conqueror that protects the land from development.

The New Forest is a great low key Southampton tourist attraction – try to escape from the confines of the car and head out on foot, bicycle or on horseback to get a more intimate feel of the forest, its coast and villages. The New Forest is a genuine walker’s paradise with many circular and linear routes. There are many picnic sites with toilet facilities, all of which are carefully sited to allow visitors safe and easy access to a variety of forest landscapes. The New Forest is a fantastic place for cycling with miles and miles of traffic free off-road tracks leading you right into the heart of the forest with few hills to worry about.

2. Look around the Southampton City Art Gallery

The gallery is internationally renowned for its impressive art collection, spanning six centuries of European art history. Thousands of visitors explore the exhibitions and displays every month.

Finding the Southampton City Art Gallery is easy, go to the Civic Centre (it’s the big grey building with the tall clock tower – easily walkable from the West Quay car parks or the railway station). It’s free and actually a very good gallery. There is always something to do for families at the gallery. Children and adults can explore exhibitions together through gallery trails, and during the school holiday’s they have a fantastic range of activities for children of all ages.

There is also a rather nice cafeteria for lunch or snacks. Allow about 2 hours for a visit to see the lot.

3. Take a rain check and browse around West Quay Shopping Centre

WestQuay shopping centre has over 100 stylish shops for you to explore including Apple, Dorothy Perkins and John Lewis. When the shopping bags are getting heavy you will have plenty of options for getting a bite to eat with the new dining level at WestQuay, introducing new brands such as Pizza Express, Wagamama and Café Rouge Express.

WestQuay is conveniently at the centre of major road networks and hosts 2 dedicated car parks offering over 4,000 car parking spaces. There’s a free shuttle bus from the railway station to West Quay shops and Town Quay, ask the station staff for where the shuttle bus stop is.

4. Take a picnic and enjoy the Southampton Common

Take a picnic to the community award winning Southampton Common, a much loved and well used green space and is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Common is one of the UK’s most important wildlife sites and internationally listed as a site of excellence. This place makes for one of the really nice free Southampton tourist activities that is enjoyed just as much by the locals!

Once you have had your picnic why not stroll over to the Hawthorns Urban Wildlife Centre. Situated on the south east corner of Southampton Common the centre provides information about Southampton’s abundant wildlife and how the City’s open spaces are managed, to protect and increase biodiversity.

5. Look at the boats in Ocean Village Marina & Town Quay

Situated in the shelter of Southampton Water, and right in the heart of Southampton, Ocean Village offers more than just a marina. It has great restaurants and bars, two cinemas, great sailing facilities and great views. Overlooking the marina is the Royal Southampton Yacht Club.

Ocean Village has plenty of parking, spread across a surface car park (which is closed during major events such as the Clipper Round the World Race and the Sports Boat and RIB Show) and a huge multi-storey car park.

Town Quay is the departure point for the Isle of Wight passenger and Hythe ferries. From here you get a good view of the big ships including the Queens (if it’s in dock) and the giant P&O cruisers. This is one of the great free activities in Southampton. Take a camera and a brolly if it’s raining. The free shuttle runs to here from the station via West Quay.

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

With a wind forecast like the one below you could think Poole Harbour had been teleported to Maui, Hawaii. The only thing missing is the warm temperatures, which is maybe why you would be better off buying a Poole Windsurfing Gift Voucher whilst staying warm & toasty this Christmas!

Whether giving a windsurf gift voucher to someone you know or just as a treat for yourself, it will be something to really look forward to when the weather warms up this coming spring.

Don’t forget we have an amazing 2 for 1 offer on our Full Beginners Windsurfing Lessons, which is a great way to get you & a friend out there learning how to windsurf and making the most of the summer months!

Checkout this short movie from Estonian Team Slowride in Fuerteventura. Shot this summer, Estonian windsurfers Tony Mottus (JP / NeilPryde), Christofer Kalk (Fanatic / Gaastra / Maui Ultra Fins) and Sten Aava (JP / Severne) spent their summer windsurfing on the world famous island of Fuerteventura.

The movie has all the latest big freestyle moves including 900s, culos and air flakas but also some spectacular wipe outs that show just how much effort you have to put in to get this good at windsurf freestyle!

Remember, if you want to step into the world of windsurfing (or just help someone you know who loves the sport) we have just a few weeks left of our awesome 2 for 1 windsurfing lessons special offer.

Why not solve your Christmas present hunting the easy way and grab one of our 2 for 1 windsurfing lessons as a gift voucher? The offer is running again this year for December only, so grab yourself a bargain & take the effort out of your Christmas present shopping!

Or maybe you just want to treat yourself to something you can look forward to next year?
Get ready for a great summer of windsurfing, working on your tan & having a laugh in 2013…

Like most sports windsurfing is best learned from someone who really knows how to break down the learning stages & provide you with the key learning blocks. Your progression is just so much quicker when you have windsurfing lessons to get you through the basics & onto improver & then advanced windsurfing skills.

Learn to windsurf with a friend & split the saving between you or give 2 Christmas presents for the price of 1, either way this really is a great deal that should not be missed!

The details of this windsurf offer can be found at our Special Offers page

Happy Christmas from Poole Windsurfing & hope to see you all on the water next season!

The windsurf season is drawing to a close here at the Poole Windsurfing School and we are selling much of our used windsurfing equipment from 2012. Things are being snapped up fast so if you want to grab an absolute bargain you really should check out our used windsurfing equipment webpage. It lists everything that is for sale and shows how much you will be saving! There are even some pictures of the actual kit rigged & on the water.

It’s been a great season and everyone taking lessons & renting equipment from us has loved the new 2012 Goya Windsurfing, RRD, Amex, Billabong and Helly Hanson equipment. So much so, that lots of our windsurf customers have already bought themselves a setup from our secondhand windsurfing equipment list – take a look to the left at a snapshot of part of the used windsurf equipment list.

We only use the best equipment and it is replaced every season, so the secondhand windsurf kit is always in great condition and will save you £100′s compared to buying from new!

Checkout our Windsurfing Equipment Needed? A Buyers Guide for some great tips on how to go about buying your beginners, improvers or advanced windsurfing equipment. We also have a great blog post all about The Secrets to Choosing Beginners Windsurfing Equipment. This is a great article, giving step by step, independent advice on what to look for when buying windsurfing equipment. Reading it could save a big mistake when it comes to getting your first set of secondhand windsurfing equipment!

• Nice to have those kind of conditions on your doorstep! http://t.co/ubcS9WFr #
• Awesome shot!! http://t.co/Tum1v1nY #
• More action from the 13yr old wonder kid of windsurfing… http://t.co/zDrAoH9c #
• Top Windsurfing Tips & News: Great Conditions – Last Week Of Windsurfing Season http://t.co/GPd3wsyw #

So, we are reaching the end of yet another great season at the Poole Windsurfing School. Thanks to everyone who has sent us glowing testimonials, your words of praise are much appreciated by all of us! It is good to know that the tuition we give & the latest equipment we use is keeping you all happy and loving your time windsurfing with us here at the Poole Windsurfing School.

Judging from the forecast for the next week it looks like we are going out in style this season. Conditions look really nice for anyone wanting to come down for a last few sessions of windsurfing before the winter months!

As you can see from the screen shot above its due to be warm, sunny & with a nice steady breeze all week!

Hope to see you all back at the Poole Windsurfing School for at least one final blast this season.

• Windsurfing shots from AWT Peru:
  http://t.co/qbPA6dp5 #
• Check this little ripper out…
  (if only we all had waves like this to ride everyday!)… http://t.co/tiY0IewM #