Featured as one of our Windsurfing legends Jason Polakow and UK Pro windsurfer Robby Swift travel down to Punta de Lobos on the Chilean coast for an epic windsurfing session. This little video clip see them windsurfing 20-25ft waves alongside some of the worlds top surfers…

These epic Chilean waves feature in the latest windsurfing movie Don’t Let Go. Starring some of the worlds top windsurfers including Boujmaa Guilloul, Robby Swift, Camille Juban, Flo Jung, Robby Naish and Levi Siver.

Check back soon to our Top Tips and Latest Windsurfing News blog for a sneak peak at the new windsurf movie Don’t Let Go.

If you have thought about giving windsurfing a go or just want to get back into the sport now is the time! We are getting some really great conditions over the coming week here at the Poole Windsurfing School. If you make a start with learning how to windsurf now it gives you the whole summer to really progress your skills. Read our 3 Part How To Windsurf Guide to get the low down about everything windsurfing and be prepared before you take your first lessons.

The Poole Windsurfing School is open 7 days a week throughout the summer season, so make the most of the amazing teaching location here at Poole Harbour and come take your first lessons with us. The teaching location keeps you within standing depth and is protected on 3 sides, with the prevailing wind pushing you back in to the shallows. This makes for a safe and very progressive area for learning to windsurf in.

Hope to see you all over the coming summer & happy windsurfing!

Any sport, particularly ‘extreme’ sports have a fair amount of supposed barriers to learning. People often watch such sports giving comments like ‘oh, I would love to do that but it looks too difficult for me’ or ‘I wouldn’t know where to start with learning’. This little post will blow away 10 myths about learning how to windsurf!

Over the years you hear a lot of supposed barriers to learning how to windsurf from people who are not sure if the sport is something for them, even though they would really love to give it a try. The following are 10 of the most commonly repeated myths, along with an explanation as to why they ever came to be & what the real deal is about them!

10 Myths About Learning How To Windsurf

1. Windsurfing is difficult to learn
This is probably the No 1 reason people get put off giving the sport a go & the myth came about because windsurfing did used to be difficult! The design of the kit just wasn’t up to scratch back in the 80′s/90′s, with domed, slippery decks on the boards & big heavy sails with no real shape.

The good news is that in the last 10 years there have been massive leaps forwards in the design of windsurfing kit, making learning really easy. The boards have much more stability, with a fatter/shorter shape to make balance easy & control a lot more straight forwards. The decks have all over EVA foam grip to both give much needed grip & to protect your shins from any scrapes when learning how to get on the board. The sails, mast & booms have all been made a lot lighter which helps beginners get to grips with the equipment.

2. There is no need to take any lessons, just learn from a friend
No, no, no. The worst thing you can do is to ‘just give it a go’. Windsurfing is a technical sport with a lot going on all at once, balance on the board, control of the sail, reading the wind, etc. It’s not that it has to be difficult but you do really need a few basic pointers before even heading out on the water so that you know exactly what you are trying to do & have even been up on a dry land simulator where an instructor can coach you through getting into the basic positions that you will need to repeat out on the water.

A little help with a lesson at a windsurf school makes a massive difference to your learning curve & overall enjoyment of the sport from day one. So often, we see well meaning relatives/friends trying to give someone pointers out on the water and all it end in is big frustration for both the wannabe instructor & the poor learner!

3. Windsurfing is expensive
Well yes the kit does cost a fair bit, I’ll give you that but no more than when you look at something like mountain biking or golf! As a beginner cost really doesn’t have to come into the equation. You take beginners windsurfing lessons then just rent equipment for some time to practice what you have been shown & use this rental time to move down through the size boards & up in sail sizes. It makes much more sense to do your progression on windsurf rental kit rather than buy a beginners setup only to sell it 3 months later at a big loss, once you need to move onto slightly more intermediate kit.

One thing to be careful of when using rental kit is that you go with a windsurf school that has quality, up to date & light weight equipment. Windsurfing is a lot about learning technique but also the quality of the equipment you are using can make or break the speed at which you progress.

4. Windsurfing is not cool
Yes during the 80′s/90′s windsurfing may have taken a bit of a back seat in the coolness department, particularly to kite boarding. Now though, just like skiing verses snowboarding things are going full circle and with the development of the kit has come the invention of high speed windsurf freestyle, taking the sport to a whole new level of coolness!

The Four Dimensions – Showcasing How Windsurfing Is Back On Top!

5. Windsurfing is a sport for the older generation
This point kind of ties in with the ‘not cool’ label of the last myth. For the same reasons; massive technical development of the kit leading to the crazy high wind freestyle & wave sailing possibilities windsurfing is definitely not just for the more senior of us!

6. Windsurfing is just for the fit & young
With all the images & video clips of the latest & greatest freestyle/wave moves windsurfing can actually now sometimes be seen as just a young persons sport. The great thing about windsurfing is that it is not an all or nothing extreme sport. You can participate at whatever level you want. Also, there is always something new to learn no matter how good you think you are, so you will never get bored!

7. It is hard work to pull a sail from the water
This is a classic myth about windsurfing that just isn’t true provided you go about learning in the correct way, i.e. take a beginners windsurfing course & use modern lightweight equipment. The only reasons this myth came about is because of people learning from friends who have the wrong type of sail (too big/heavy), learning at a windsurf school with old/heavy equipment or not learning the correct technique for pulling the sail from the water!

A great free top tip for pulling a windsurf sail from the water is to lift using your leg muscles and not your back. You need to squat way down low on the board with a good, solid shoulder width stance then push slowly through your strong leg muscles & keep your back straight. Your hands stay still on the uphaul rope, not moving until you have the sail almost up & have let the water drain from it. This way the strain is taken by your strong leg muscles and not your weaker back muscles.

8. It hurts to fall off the board
At the beginner to intermediate stages of windsurfing you really are not going to get anything worse than a few knocks. The video clips you see of people catapulting over the front of the board & exploding into the water are at a much more advanced level & even then usually only happen because they have not been taught good technique, being self taught rather than taking advanced windsurf lessons to help them fine tune their skills. Even the high speed crashes usually don’t result in anything other than getting winded or bashed against the sail. Windsurf crashes always look worse than they are!

9. You need to be a strong swimmer
Well, that all depends on where you learn how to windsurf! If you try to learn on the open seas then its going to be tough, with waves and deep water to contend with. Lakes are better but still mean you will be putting in a lot of effort getting on the board after every fall, as you will be quickly out of your depth. Also lakes tend to have freezing cold (deep) water & very gusty winds due to surrounding trees/buildings.

The best place to learn is somewhere like Poole Harbour, which is a semi protected bay on 3 sides, with prevailing onshore winds pushing you back to safety & shallow water in which you can easily stand up. When you fall in, just take a breather then easily climb back on the board from a standing position – perfect windsurfing conditions, it really doesn’t get any better than this!

10. You need to learn with a friend
It is always nice to take up a new sport with someone you know but it really isn’t a necessity if your family/friends don’t want to give it a go. Taking beginner windsurfing lessons in a small group environment means you will be learning with other like minded people that are in exactly the same situation as you. Everyone helps encourage each other & its ok because you are not the only one falling in! After your beginners windsurfing course, you can join a windsurf club to continue your learning, its a great way to socialise and unwind after work.

So, there you have it 10 myths about learning how to windsurf. As you can see its nowhere near as bad as some would have you believe and once hooked you will have years of happy windsurfing ahead of you!

Argentinian ex world champion windsurfer, Francisco Goya is one of the all time legends in windsurfing! Having successfully competed in the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) since 1994 and becoming PWA World Champion in 2000, he is now based on Maui, Hawaii where he runs his own windsurf equipment company, Goya Windsurfing.

In a recent article he wrote for Boards Windsurfing Magazine, Goya sums up his thoughts on windsurfing…

“Wavesailing! I feel energy coming out of my skin as I say that word. The truth is that I’m still as passionate as ever about it; from gliding across a small wave to riding at Ho’okipa, this is my way of seeing the world. There is something magical about being propelled by something you can’t see. I still find it hard to wrap my mind around it all. How we can hit ramps full speed, ride the biggest waves, all with just a board and thin membrane called a sail – it’s crazy!” – Francisco Goya

COMPETITION RESULTS:
1st Place Gran Canaria World Cup 1999
1st Place Hawaii Grand Prix World Cup (Super Session)
1st Place Aloha Classic World Cup 2000
1st Place Ireland World Cup 2000
1st Place Wadell USA Tour 2000
1st Place Jalama USA Tour 2000
1st Place Omaezaki Japan 2000 (Wave & Super Session)

YEAR RESULTS AND AWARDS
1ST Place PWA ranking 2000
1999 SAILOR OF THE YEAR Paris Boatshow Boards Awards
2000 World Extreme Sports Awards, Munich “Nea Awards”

He loves windsurfing all over the world and includes the following as favourite spots:
Hawaii, Chile, Ireland, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, La torche, Klittmoller, Guincho, Cerdena, CapeVerde, Fiji, Bali

Francisco even found time to re-join the PWA Tour in 2009, finishing 5th in the 1st wave event at Cabo Verde.

Favourite board: Just about any board really, can be a 68 liter board at Ho’okipa or a 125liter one when I sail at Sprecks with my daughter Luna(4)

Favourite manoeuvre: Faster, higher, tweaker, on a deeper, bigger wave or simply riding the wind down the coast.

Francisco got into windsurfing through a combination of his older brother, Alejandro and from seeing videos and pictures of people windsurfing.

After moving to Maui when only 18 years old, Goya was living the dream, windsurfing all day long! 5 years later he got together with close friends to create his first windsurf board brand, Quatro. These boards absolutely rocked & still do today, with the brand going from strength to strength!

Now with Goya Windsurfing, the production covers a broader range of boards, sails, masts & now with a new branch of the company 211 Windsurfing Components there are also booms, extensions & base plates.

Here at the Poole Windsurfing School we are free to use whatever windsurf brands we choose & we choose Goya! The effort that goes into the design, quality of the finished products & awesome performance of the kit made them an obvious choice. Having a company where the owner/creator is still involved on a daily basis makes such a huge difference to the passion & end results. Francisco has even visited us for a demo day where we could chat directly to the man himself about the windsurf equipment and suggest changes, tweaks and improvements that he would then take back with him directly to the development team!

“I work together with a team that been focusing their whole life around windsurfing, the office, showroom, loft and factory are in Haiku, 5 minutes away from one of the most consistent and mixed conditions in the world to ride on. The mixed conditions that Maui has to offer along with a huge amount of visitors from all over the world, allow us to test the gear ourselves and receive direct feedback from our customers. So everyday we ride and hear feedback that is put back into the products, business and sport. All revolve around our passion and development for the ultimate ride, company and sport. When the new years gear arrive I’m just as excited about it as I was with my first board 25 years ago.” – Francisco Goya

With his company, Goya Windsurfing he is looking to take the sport to the next level!

We are always being asked are there are any bed & breakfast accommodation options close to Poole Harbour? The good news is YES there are several really nice bed and breakfast places within a 5 to 10 minute radius of the prestigious Sandbanks peninsular and the Poole Windsurfing School’s teaching location of Poole Harbour.

With the area being such a popular summer holiday destination the accommodation in Bournemouth & Poole book up very, very quickly. The trick is to be ahead of the game and know where all the little gems of bed and breakfast accommodation are and then book up your stay early on.

Here at Poole Windsurfing we know the local area very well & either personally know what the various bed and breakfasts close to Poole Harbour & Sandbanks have to offer or we have been given direct recommendations from our customers that have stayed at the following accommodation during their holiday.

Top 10 Bed and Breakfast Accommodation close to Sandbanks, Poole Harbour:

1. Pinewood Lodge – a beautifully refurbished Victorian Villa, very well presented and in a great location, 1 night for 2 people £80

2. The Chines Hotel – Cosy rooms in a quite location with garden & even an indoor swimming pool! 1 night for 2 people £75

3. Grovefield Manor – very well presented and in a great location, 1 night for 2 people £65-£90 (standard double), 3 self catering apartments also available for weekly rent

4. Our Living Room – very nice boutique B&B with its own coffee lounge, 1 night for 2 people £60-£75

5. The Beach House – Just 2 minutes walk from us is a small family run B&B that is right on the harbours edge

6. The Laurels – Reasonably priced B&B on a bus route from Poole to Sandbanks, 1 night for 2 people £60

7. The Mariners – Very close to Poole Park & on the main route to Poole Harbour, 1 night for 2 people £70

8. Fenn Lodge – next door to The Chines Hotel, 1 night for 2 people £64

9. Mountbatten Court – Comfortable, clean rooms and friendly owners, 1 night for 2 people £60

10. Sunnyside B&B – 2 double rooms with en-suite shower rooms & toilet, 1 night for 2 people £60

So, there you have it a great round up of the best recommendations for choosing your bed and breakfast accommodation that gives you great access to the beaches, Poole Harbour, the Sandbanks peninsular and most importantly the Poole Windsurfing School!

In this final installment of our how to windsurf guide, we want to give you a clear breakdown of the 5 skills that you will be learning on your beginners windsurfing lessons. These steps are essential learning blocks and should be included as part of any good windsurfing schools syllabus for simulator work & on water training during a beginners windsurfing course.

Assuming you have your overall plan of action clear in your mind from reading our How To Windsurf Guide – Part 2 lets get down to the essentials that any beginner windsurfer needs to know…

1. Naming the various parts of a windsurf board & sail – It’s no good if your instructor is telling you to put one hand on the mast & the other on the boom if you don’t know what these things are! A quick tour of the windsurf board & sail should be the first thing you cover on your beginners windsurf course.

Looking at the board, you have have to know the front form the back (otherwise you may end up windsurfing backwards!). The front is more rounded & the back more squared off. The three parts that fit to a board are called the daggerboard, fin & universal joint (UJ for short). The daggerboard stops sideways drift (the curse of all those learning how to windsurf!) and gives much needed stability! The fin keeps you moving in a straight line & the UJ is the missing link between board & sail, basically the magic piece of kit that allows windsurfing to happen.

The sail or more correctly the ‘rig’ is a combination of the sail itself, a boom (which you hold onto) and a mast (which is the pole that runs up the front sleeve of the sail). With these three bits of kit, some ropes & a little knowledge of how to rig a windsurf sail correctly, you can be setup & ready to go in under 5 minutes from having rocked up at the beach!

2. The Start Position – The very first thing you have to master in windsurfing is how to get yourself up on the board and in a balance position from which you can get moving. Easier said than done! Key points here are to understand the board has a centreline on which you must keep all your weight, using your stronger leg muscles rather than your back to pull the sail slowly from the water & creating an counter balance between the sail & your body.

It takes some practice & a few splashes but after a short period of time & the right conditions this start position should become second nature.

3. Static 180 Turn – You may think the next step in learning how to windsurf is to set sail into the sunset but what happens if you don’t know how to turn around & come back home? This is why the second skill to learn is actually how to turn yourself & the board around a full static 180 turn.

A simple explanation is that from your start position you lean the back end of the sail (called the clew end) down to try and touch the back of the board. This action will make the board start to rotate under your feet, at which point you must take small, controlled steps around the front of the board, making sure to stay very close to the centreline as explained earlier. Once the board has completed a full 180 degree turn and you are facing back to where you just came from (i.e. ‘home’) you adopt your start position once again, to stop the turning process & stabilise the board.

It takes some practice, mainly to master the balance involved with tip toeing around the front of the board but it is an essential skill that must be learnt early on in your windsurfing career.

4. The Sailing Position – Right, time to actually get windsurfing! You have been spinning round in circles practicing your static 180 degree turns & feel confident that that can get back home, so its time to master the all important step of getting from the start position and into a sailing position.

There is nothing for it here but to remember a set sequence of movements that will best get you from standing still to moving along on your board. First, check you are aiming across the wind, cross your front hand onto the boom, release your backhand from the mast, move your feet into an ‘L’ shape (back foot behind the daggerboard & front foot by the mast), draw the sail up to the ‘balance point’ & take power into the sail by pulling on the boom with back hand.

The above description is a good starting point but please note it is no substitute for taking tuition from a reputable windsurf school where you can practice the movements under supervision on a dry land simulator, gaining valuable muscle memory. You will also receive continued feedback & tips whilst out practicing on the water, particularly important as all thoughts seem to go out the window once you are actually out there trying to windsurf!

5. Steering – Often overlooked but very important, is the ability to steer around your fellow beginner windsurfers & avoid other stationary objects such as expensive yachts! The key to steering is to think in terms of ‘upwind’ and ‘downwind’, not left and right. Because you change sides every time you turn 180 on a windsurf board, so does your effective left & right!

To steer towards the wind you lean the clew end of your sail smoothly to the tail end of the board & to steer away from the wind you tilt the mast forwards/across the nose of the board. After each steering action you must return the sail to a neutral, upright position to straighten up your path.

When practiced under professional supervision, using modern equipment and in the right conditions you will have loads of fun & your progress through the basics of learning how to windsurf will be swift. After taking beginners windsurfing lessons you really should continue your good work by hiring windsurf equipment to consolidate your learning. The absolute best way to learn & progress is to intersperse lessons with your own practice time. You can be shown ‘how’ to do something over and over but you won’t ever really fully understand the movement without practicing it yourself.

So, that’s an overview of learning how to windsurf, from naming the various parts of the board and rig to actually getting to grips with the basic principles all beginner windsurfers need to know. In future posts on our Top Windsurfing Tips & News blog we will cover how to progress from beginner to improver windsurfing skills, detailing how to make your learning curve as smooth and enjoyable as possible!

Enjoy your windsurfing.

Top 5 Things To Do In Dorset

An insiders guide to the top things to do in Dorset, whether you are on holiday in Dorset or are a local resident looking for something special to do. Their are so many great Dorset activities, on what is one of the most diverse stretches of the UK’s south coast. There really is something for everyone to do both on & off the water…

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

For years those in the know have been learning to windsurf in some of the best learning conditions in the UK. Poole Harbour is the second largest natural harbour in the world & has the most ideal conditions for learning how to windsurf!

Have a look at this source Our local windsurfing spot – Poole Harbour describing in great detail what makes Poole Harbour & the surrounding area such a great place to learn to windsurf and progress on to intermediate & advanced windsurfing. To sum it up for you, Poole Harbour has predominately on-shore winds (meaning you won’t get blown out to sea!), gently shelving, shallow water to make it easy to get back on when you fall and windsurfing lessons & windsurf hire for all levels of ability!

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

Try it & you will wonder why you haven’t thought about it before!

2. Take a walk on the Purbeck Hills

Formed of a Cretaceous chalk the Purbeck Hills give commanding views across Poole Harbour, the Isle of Wight and out into the English Channel.

Start by taking the Poole Harbour chain ferry and then walk out past Old Harry Rocks & onto the seaside town of Swanage. On route you can see rare species of flowers, animals & birds.

3. Spend a day on Sandbanks beach

Soak up the sun & enjoy the golden sands of this world famous ‘Blue Flag’ beach. One of the most relaxing things to do in Dorset! Sandbanks, Poole is renowned for its perfect beach, lined by the multi-million pound houses of the rich & famous!

Sandbanks beach is part of the 7 mile stretch of continuous beach from the Sandbanks peninsula all the way to Hengistbury Head at Christchurch.

4. Wildlife spotting on Brownsea Island

The best place for seeing wildlife in Dorset. You can see a mass of bird life, deer & a thriving population of red squirrels. Brownsea Island is part of the National Trust organization.

Taking the ferry across to Brownsea Island is an experience in itself. Once on the island there is varied landscape to explore and amazing views looking out across Poole Harbour and on to the Purbeck Hills.

Kids will be happily entertained with the free wildlife ‘Tracker Packs’ provided by the visitor centre.

5. Soak up Dorset’s heritage with a trip on the Swanage Railway

Experience a unique journey through six miles of breathtaking Dorset scenery, including the ruins of Corfe Castle. Providing access to historic villages, the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site & the seaside resort of Swanage.

A great experience on your list of things to do in Dorset, you can stop off at some of the local villages on-route & even take Sunday lunch or evening dining!

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