Pumping in windsurfing is a technique that is not really talked about much. Many people do it intuitively, others can’t seem to get the hang of it, and the rest have no idea how to explain it properly. I was only made aware of this recently and noticed that even in the vastness of the internet there is not much information on pumping. So here goes:
I like to break pumping down into four types as the techniques varies on the wind available to us and the purpose of pumping.
Pumping in near zero wind
In my post on how to get back if the wind drops, I describe how to move the sail in a way that pushes the mass of air to the stern, thereby pushing the board forwards. Then moving the sail forwards with the sail surface in line of movement to reduce the surface causing drag
Buying a board can be pretty confusing, specially if we don’t know what to look out for. Be it in a shop, surf centre, garage sale or some guy on the internet, there will always be a gap between our knowledge on what we need and the seller who wants to get rid of his board. Let’s try to close that gap a little today.
Here I have compiled a checklist for you to know what to take into account when going to buy a new or second hand board.
Buying a new windsurf board
Where are you going to sail?
This is the first question you need to ask yourself. The answer will have a very big impact on what you need to look for. If you are going to windsurf in El Médano you will not be needing the same kind of gear as if you usually sail on Lake Garda. In El Médano we usually have 20-25 knots (and more in the summer) which for my 75 kg means 80 – 100 litres waves board whereas in Torbole (Lake Garda) the average is 15-17 knots where I would need a freestyle or free-ride board in the 100 – 115 litre range. (more…)
Learning how to windsurf with a harness is one of those abilities that opens the door to longer sessions on the water as it save you heaps of energy. At this point you will have to decide on the harness you want to get for yourself. Much like the wetsuit, it is one of those things that you will want to have your own of.
There are a couple of places where you can go windsurfing in Lake Garda. Going from east to west there are the Conca d’Oro beach, Circolo Surf Torbole beach, the Foce Sarca beach and the Pier Windsurf beach.
Conca d’Oro Beach
A nice family friendly beach where you have a lawn to assemble your kit, a bar and a parking place nearby. The beach is a pebble stone beach but they have a rubber mat there to stop your kit from getting damaged. If you sail far enough from the shore (50-70 metres) the wind is nice and stable as you will be sailing between the beach and the central part of the village.
Starting from this beach you have 3km of pure planing until you get to the Ponale.
Fabio, from waterwind.it, explains that the best wind of all is between the Conca d’Oro and Pier windsurf. You basically have to throw yourself into the water from the rocky coast next to the road.
Here is just a small tip I wanted to give away to start off the month. It has to do with one of the most avoidable falls into the water at the beginner level that I have seen.
Dropping the sail
When we are starting to learn how to windsurf we will be in the initial phases of sail control. Once we stop moving our feet we will constantly be pulled over forwards at the hip. The most typical consequence of this is that we let go of the sail with the mast already inclined over the water. Only then do people tend to let go of the back hand (when they don’t let go of the front hand by mistake).
The problem of letting go of the back hand at this point is that the clew will touch the water and get stuck, thereby pulling the sail out of our hands.
This in itself is not that big of a deal. We just pull the sail out of the water and start again and that’s it. The mistake that I see most people do is remain standing on the board completely upright. The consequence is that the first wave knocks then in the water.
The solution
The reson for the wave being able to make us fall into the water so quickly is that our center of gravity is very high up and once the support (the board) is moved, we simply fall in.
If we bend our legs however, our center of gravity is close to the board and we are less likely to fall in
So remember, when you drop the sail but are not thrown in the water, be sure to bend your legs so that you don’t fall in stupidly and waste energy unnecessarily.
