July 19th, 2010 12:38 pm
Windsurfing Tutorial
Windsurfing is an exciting adventure sport and has become a rage among adventure lovers. To master the sport, a surfer must systematically move from the basic level to the more advanced levels. Only when you are thorough with the first level can you graduate to the next level of windsurfing.
Windsurfing Learning Curve
Before beginning to surf, ensure that you have the right equipment and a qualified or experienced windsurfing professional to guide you. Before beginning to surf, make sure that you have top quality wetsuit, helmet and life jacket. These are the bare essentials in windsurfing and venturing without them can cause serious trouble for you.
Then you proceed to learn the basic lessons of windsurfing.
1. Basic Level: This is the beginners’ level and you are taught basic techniques of windsurfing. These include balance, uphauling & powering the sail & steering the board. You are also taught tacks and gybes. Tacks refer to turning the board upwind while gybes refer to turning the board downwind. In this stage, you also learn to control the sail upwind & downwind. In the basic level, you would surf during light winds.
2. Transitional Level: In this level, you will learn the following skills:
Windsurfing in Strong Winds: Surfing during strong winds requires skill, strong technique and great control over the surf board. For this, you must have a very good stance with your arms stretched out and feet positioned behind the mast. It also includes balancing your weight against that of the sail rig.
Fast Tacks & Flare Gybes: Once you learn tacking, the next step is to do those turns faster and more swiftly. For this you must be precise with your footwork and have great control of the sail. Flare gybes refer to spinning the board swiftly in moderate wind conditions.
Surfing with Harness: Windsurfing with the help of harnesses is essential for learning more advanced surfing techniques. Only when you reach the semi-professional level of windsurfing can you start practicing surfing with harnesses.
3. Advanced Level: This is the final level of windsurfing and is mainly meant for professionals. In this level you can learn advanced windsurfing techniques like footstrap sailing, the carved gybe, deep waterstart, chop hopping and wave sailing.
Deep Waterstart: With the deep waterstart, you do not have to lift the sail from the water. Instead it is the wind that lifts it. Learning deep waterstart allows you to surf without getting very exhausted.
Carve Gybe: The carve gybe is one of the most difficult maneuvers in windsurfing. It involves turning of the surfboard on its edge in a 180 degree arc with a change in direction. The key in carve gybe is maintaining high speed of the board till you make the turn. To become an expert in carve gybing; you must practice it consistently over a period of time and in difficult wind conditions.
Wave Sailing: Wave sailing refers to the high jumps on waves, which is possible only for windsurfing masters.
A windsurfing enthusiast must follow these levels systematically in order to master the sport and its inherent techniques completely.
Tags: Tutorial, Windsurfing