Keep practicing by holding onto the mast, and when you feel more confident with the way the board moves and the effect of the wind, you can start to use the sail as it was designed – to really catch that wind. But wait – take it slowly. Start by holding the mast as usual with both hands, then reach around with your back hand to pull in the boom a little. All things being equal, you should start to speed up, and gradually you’ll be able to progress to holding the boom with both hands. While you’re still beginning, try to avoid doing this in really strong wind conditions – you’ll only give yourself a fright! But in any case, falling off is part of the fun, so keep falling off, getting back on that board, and getting ready to fall off all over again.
When you’ve got sick of jumping off your board every time you want to go in the other direction, head back to your coach and get a lesson on tacking. This happens when you turn the nose of your board across the direction of the wind to turn around. After you’ve got this under control, you can learn to jibe – another way to turn around, this time by turning the nose away from the direction of the wind. This is a bit trickier and will definitely result in a few falls, but remember, it’s just part of the appeal!
Time for Your Own Equipment
After you’ve mastered these basics on a beginners’ board, it’s time to move up to a smaller, faster board. If you’ve already got hooked on the idea of windsurfing, then now’s the time to invest a little. Talk to experienced people in a windsurfing shop to get the perfect windsurfer for you. The equipment should be suited to your height and weight, and other factors to consider are the usual weather conditions in the area you want to sail, the type of windsurfing you’re most interested in (generally speaking, you might be more into either slalom-style racing, or wave jumping), and of course, your budget.
When choosing a board, you usually need to decide between plastic and carbon fibre, both of which have their pros and cons. If you’re really in it just for fun, and want something more durable that’ll take bumps and knocks without too much damage being done, as well as being cheaper, then head for plastic in the first instance. More serious windsurfers can try the more delicate but better performing carbon fibre, but the bank account will notice this too. Moving onto masts, some similar decisions are required, usually between the pricier but more responsive carbon fibre or the heavier but tougher fibreglass. Finally, most windsurfers at this stage stick to just two sails of different sizes, to give some flexibility depending on the wind conditions. Try to make sure you get a mast that fits both of your sails.