Travel

A lot of people who come to Poole Windsurfing for lessons tell us that they want to learn, so that they are ready for their windsurfing holiday aboard. So we thought we’d do some reviews of interesting windsurfing locations around the world, starting with Tallinn, capital of Estonia.

The waters off the coast of Estonia are shallow and there is plenty of wind, making it ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing enthusiasts.

There are many windsurfers in Tallinn and over 5,000 kitesurfing enthusiasts in Estonia.
Windsurfing in Tallinn is enjoyed in the sea and on the lakes – one of the popular windsurf lakes being Harku. In the winter ice-surfing tracks are opened in Estonia giving the surfing a whole new feel.

All the necessary equipment and accessories can be rented from the many service providers in coastline harbours, surf clubs and lake side holiday resorts. Most rental outlets require that you have at least basic skills, so make sure you’ve had your lessons at Poole Windsurfing before you go!

The best time for surfing in Estonia is from late spring (April) to early autumn (September).

The capital, Tallinn is a very beautiful medieval town, so if you can, plan an extra few days to look around. The best place to stay is in the historic old town and if you want affordable luxury Tallinn accommodation the best choice is a serviced apartment.

Here are some of the best places for your Estonian windsurfing holiday:
• Beaches in Tallinn and Pärnu are best for beginners and intermediate level windsurfers. It is possible to rent equipment at a number of beaches, for example Pirita and Harku.
• Ristna (Hiiumaa Island). Known as “a windsurfer’s paradise”. Because of almost constant heavy winds, Ristna is very popular among skilled windsurfers. Equipment rental is also available.
• Vääna-Jõesuu (25km from Tallinn). A beautiful beach with great wind conditions.
• Roosta holiday camp (near Haapsalu, 115km from Tallinn) is the perfect choice for a longer all-in-one windsurf vacation for beginners. Equipment rental is available.
• Kaberneeme harbour (30km from Tallinn) provides you a beautiful beach with a view over tiny islands and historic fishing villages. Windsurfing equipment rental is available.
• Saaremaa Island is the largest island in Estonia, and is also a popular destination for windsurfers.

If you want to know more about the Poole Windsurfing ‘holiday quick start’ lesson plan please contact us at info@poolewindsurfing.co.uk” or call on 01202 237 247

Find the best windsurfing locations on the planet! There is now an extensive website where you can record & view every possible detail about sailing sessions, venues and equipment used.

On My Windsurf Sessions there are so many bits of windsurfing information that you can look at, some of which is pretty geeky but also very useful. For example, you could look at the chart giving the most windy spot of the year, if you are trying to decide where to go on your next windsurfing holiday.

Windsurfers can upload their recorded speeds & keep an eye on who is topping the speed charts!

Basically there is a whole wealth of windsurfing information on the website, its a great place to get some interesting statistics on windsurfing locations, where like minded windsurfers can share information and create a bit of friendly competition!

Insider tips for choosing the best windsurfing holidays and getting a great windsurfing experience:

1. Decide whether to go ‘all inclusive’ with your windsurf holidays – as with any kind of holiday you will need to choose whether to have everything included: flight, accommodation, windsurf equipment rental and windsurfing lessons.

In favor of all-inclusive windsurfing holidays, they are usually a good deal in terms of price. You can relax and let others take care of your arrangements.

At the other end of the scale are the self-made windsurf holidays. You can tailor the experience exactly how you want it (not that it always goes to plan!). In terms of windsurfing equipment, by bringing your own, you can be in control of exactly what kit you will be using on your windsurf holidays but the cost of transportation (we are talking a few £100) can over shadow this freedom.

A good compromise would be to book some equipment for windsurf hire or windsurfing lessons at your chosen holiday destination but sort out your own travel & accommodation. This way you get the hassle free feel of having all the windsurfing equipment provided for you yet maintain an element of flexibility by being in charge of your own itinerary.

2. Make sure the windsurfing equipment you will use is top rate – If you are taking your own equipment on your windsurfing holidays then there is no excuse for poor quality kit & only yourself to blame if is not up to a good standard.

If you are renting your equipment whilst on your windsurf holidays then make sure you specifically ask how old the equipment at the windsurf centre is! Have a look at the Poole Windsurfing School equipment page for an example of 1st class windsurfing equipment.

3. Check the forecast sites for good windsurfing conditions – With a weather dependant sports holiday such as windsurfing you really need to do your homework & look at a few of the top windsurfing weather forecast sites to get a good overall impression of the locations you are considering.

A good source listing the top wind forecast websites (which can be applied to most windsurfing destinations) can be found in this article about the Top Wind & Weather Forecast Websites.

4. Decide what you want to learn on your windsurfing holiday – Do you want just rent equipment and do your own thing or take windsurfing lessons to propel your skills to the next level?

It’s a good idea to pre-book at least some of your windsurfing lessons before you arrive, so that you start your windsurf holidays with a purpose! By picking out a good windsurfing school, talking with them about what level you are at & pre-booking some windsurfing lessons you will have a good action plan laid out before you even arrive to start your windsurfing holidays.

5. Make sure you have adequate windsurfing insurance – Last but not least, make sure you are adequately insured for all your windsurfing holidays. When you are out there in the elements, things may not always go to plan! You need to protect your windsurfing equipment against damage or theft and yourself against 3rd party claims arising out of incidents out on the water.

It is simple to get windsurfing insurance cover when you know what you are looking for. Check out this article, Finding The Right Personal Windsurfing Insurance for a good summary of what you need to be covered for and a summary of the major players in the world of windsurfing insurance.

Some of our regular windsurfing students have asked about how & where to get personal windsurfing insurance cover.

As a windsurfer you are out there in the elements and things may not always go as planned! Good insurance cover makes sense. Firstly, windsurfing insurance cover to protect the equipment you own, covering against damage or theft. Also, windsurf insurance to protect yourself against any 3rd party claims arising out of any incidents out on the water, including damage to others & their equipment (boards, boats, yachts).

There are a few specialist insurers that deal with this kind of insurance:
1. The Royal Yachting Association – You must be a member of the RYA but then you automatically have 3rd party insurance cover – nice!

Taken from the RYA’s website – “If you nominate windsurfing as one of your boating interests when you join the RYA, you will automatically receive third party liability insurance for up to £2,000,000 covering your windsurfing activities absolutely free!”

They also have a deal going with a company called Bishop Skinner Marine, which has a range of insurance products that are available to RYA members at a discount. They say that “Whatever sort of boating you do, there is something for you!”

2. Bishop Skinner Marine – As stated before these guys are working together with the RYA to provide your insurance needs.

You could ‘top up’ your RYA third party liability insurance with a windsurfing equipment insurance policy from Bishop Skinner to cover accidental damage, loss & theft.

3. Noble Marine Insurance – Seem to provide everything you will need regarding windsurfing insurance, including a good amount of 3rd party liability cover & personal windsurfing equipment cover.

On their insurance quote page you can customise your package to give individual details on all the boards you own, a total value for all windsurfing equipment & choose the level of insurance you require.

4. Viking Insurance – A specialist company that seems to offer very competitive prices for even their comprehensive policies that include equipment damage & 3rd part liability cover.

A great feature of their insurance policies are that you get automatic worldwide windsurf cover for any trip up to 62 days at no extra cost.

Happy & Safe Windsurfing!

We now have the Poole Windsurfing Photo Gallery page up and running after the first weekends action out on the water.

Example Screen Shot from the Photo Gallery page:

One of the albums on the Photo Gallery page

Past students can now use this feature to track down shots that were taken of themselves & their friends out on the water during their lessons with us at Poole Windsurfing. Check out your style, show your family & friends what you have been up to!

All the action is split into Beginners, Imporvers & Advanced courses & albums made for each month of the season to make it easy to find what you are looking for. You can even hover over the images to be shown what date/s it was taken on, making it even easier to find photos from the date/s on which you took your lessons.

We are also posting the following albums:

• The Poole Windsurfing School – setup, equipment & teaching venue
• Poole Harbour Sunsets – it may be in the UK but the sunsets here are amazing!
• Poole Harbour & Sandbanks Area Photography – to showcase what is some of the best coastline in the UK
• Poole Windsurfing Holiday Locations – Location & action shots from planned holiday destinations





Keep checking back to the Poole Windsurfing Photo Gallery for up to the minute windsurfing pictures!

Enjoy – Poole Windsurfing.

Children of the Wind tells the story of young children from the island of Bonaire who journey from humble beginnings to international fame through the sport of windsurfing, transforming not only their island but the face of the sport worldwide. At their first international competition in Merritt Island Florida 2001, the Bonaire children brought home twenty awards.

Preview: ‘Children of the Wind’

This was an unprecedented achievement for any country, much less a tiny island in the Caribbean. The shocking news aired on CNN and received major international attention. What many didn’t realize, however, was the fifteen year struggle endured by their mentor Elvis Martinus leading up to that competition, and the humble backgrounds from which these children came: take for example the Baletin brothers who were both orphans on the island; or young Tonky and Taty Frans who had left their unstable home with their cousin Kiri Thode to live with their grandparents and learned to sail on broken thrown away equipment; the Frans brothers and Kiri are now among the top 6 freestyle windsurfers in the world.

Since 2001, this small island of 13,000 people has dominated the professional rankings in freestyle. More remarkable: Bonaire continues to produce world champions in every age category of the ProKids competitions. The documentary will follow these children from their modest beginnings to the cover of magazines and what they learned in the process; how they took their fame and returned it back to the local people with humility and pride. This is a story of how powerful change can come from children willing and strong enough to persevere through physical discipline. It is a story of children brave enough to push beyond the perceived limits of their circumstance and offer new hope to their community.

Find out more about this latest windsurfing movie at the official website:
Children of the Wind

London, our capital city. Home to tons of people with great shopping & night life but what do you do if you are into your windsurfing? Resign to the fact that London & windsurfing just don’t mix? No, its not that bad.

Well, there are a few options for windsurfing in or near London. Queen Mary Reservoir would be the 1st (& maybe only real) option that is right there in London but the problem with this windsurfing location & others like it is that they are inland reservoirs. This creates a few problems for those looking the take beginners windsurfing lessons. Inland reservoirs are usually surrounded by trees or buildings that shadow the wind making conditions gusty & the depth of water drops away very quickly, making it much harder when you have to climb back on your windsurf board. Not to mention the fact that the water temperature is usually freezing in a deep water reservoir!

So, what is the alternative?
A little know secret is that there is actually one of, if not the best windsurfing locations in the UK only 1 hour 20 minutes away from south London!

The place, Poole Harbour….

For years I have been teaching people how to windsurf in some of the best learning conditions in the UK. When people do come down from London they are amazed, one at how quick & easy it is to get to Poole Harbour & two just how stunning a windsurfing location it is!

I have written an earlier post 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 & with us at Poole Windsurfing, great windsurfing equipment, windsurfing lessons & windsurf hire for all levels of ability! You can read more about Poole Windsurfing & the windsurfing location of Poole Harbour on this page ‘About our Windsurf School’

Windsurfing near London has never been so easy, after a hard weeks work you can come down on Friday night, take your beginners windsurfing lessons on Saturday & Sunday (half day each day), enjoy the amazing surrounding scenery & make it back to London refreshed but not tired with only 1 or 2 hours drive!

Windsurfing lessons in London or windsurf hire in London really isn’t that big a deal when you have somewhere like Poole Harbour & a school like Poole Windsurfing practically on your doorstep.

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

Happy windsurfing

I am always getting asked where to find good accommodation in Poole, Bournemouth & the surrounding areas when students book their windsurfing lessons & hire. So I thought it was about time I shared my insider knowledge on finding all the best places to stay.

Top 3 Tips for Finding Great Accommodation in Poole & Bournemouth
1. Bournemouth Tourist Information Guide
The www.bournemouth.com website is great, with tons of listings for accommodation in Poole & Bournemouth. The search can be narrowed down to different local areas & each listing has a page with more detailed information, photos, map & a link through to their own website. Availability can even be checked right there & then from within the individual listing pages. You can definitely find something to suit your needs by having a look on their extensive website.

Accommodation In Poole & Bournemouth

It also includes on-line hotel booking and listings for transport, attractions, restaurants, pubs, self catering, night clubs, shops, excursions & activities. Basically everything you could need to know about in & around Bournemouth & Poole is listed on the their website.

2. Poole Tourism
The official Poole Tourism website has an easy to use accommodation section. The link below will take you direct to the accommodation listing:
Poole Accommodation

It has all you need to know about hotels, guest houses, B&B’s, self-catering, caravan and camping, including the current week’s vacancies and on-line booking!

Snapshot of the accommodation menu on Poole Tourism's website

There is a great listing for Poole & Bournemouth camping & caravan sites. People often struggle to find any such places but with this link you have the inside line to all the campsites, mobile home & caravan sites in and around the Poole & Bournemouth area.

3. Bournemouth Tourist Information
Their website has a very good system for finding your preferred accommodation. You can filter results by type, location, on-line booking, etc. There is even a Visit Britain grading system to help check the quality of accommodation as you search.

The main accommodation search page

Bournemouth Accommodation takes you straight to the main listing from where you can narrow down your search & click through to read more information about any accommodation Bournemouth & Poole has to offer.

These 3 Top Tips should get you going with finding accommodation in Poole & Bournemouth. Remember, if you need directions to find us for your windsurfing lessons use our built in ‘Door to Door’ directions to find how easy it is to get from you to Poole Windsurfing.

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!

OK, so we all know the UK has it’s limitations when it comes to getting out on the water but when it comes to great windsurfing locations UK based, you really can’t beat our local patch, Poole Harbour…

It really does have something for all windsurfing ability levels from beginners through to advanced freestylers! Ok, let me explain. Poole harbour is an enclosed coastal location that works on many different wind directions: south, south west, west & north west are all a variation of cross to cross on shore winds. The beauty of this top UK windsurfing location is that the harbour gradually shelves from ankle deep to over head high water; you pick your desired depth & pretty much know that whenever you jump (or fall) off you will be at that same level of water & if you go anywhere it will be being blown into shallower water by the wind! This is great not just for beginners windsurfing lessons but also for those looking to master a specific module of windsurfing, such as beach starts, progressing to waterstarts or even mastering those carve gybes!

Progress is fast when you are somewhere that when you make a mistake and fall in you can just get straight back on your board without too much loss of energy! This also applies to those looking to get into or master the world of windsurfing freestyle. A few hours either side of low tide is actually the best time to get there and practice your freestyle moves. Either side of absolute low tide is when the water is at its flattest, prefect freestyle conditions with loads of space & smooth water!

Advanced Windsurfing Freestyle!

There is a specially designated area of the harbour that is only for watersports users, giving us all loads of open space to blast around & not worry about hitting any boats! The effective season for windsurfing in Poole Harbour is from May through to October. You can go outside of these months but it will be damn cold & only for the truly dedicated (or mad).

If you are thinking of leaving the safety of the harbour, we have many great spots all along the coast from Sandbanks all the way past Branksome, Bournmeouth, Boscombe & on to Hengistbury Head. These all work on slightly different wind directions as you move around the famous 7 mile stretch of beach. Beyond that you have the wave spot of Kimmeridge Bay. In the other direction you have Avon Beach in Chrischurch.

Basically there are no excuses you should be coming to train your windsurfing skills in the No 1 for windsurfing locations UK based, Poole Harbour & if you need some help give us a call at Poole Windsurfing on 01202 237247 & we can get you up to speed with some lessons, hire or just a few words of advice & encouragement!