46FEATURENON-PLANING
You see it all the time at windsurfing holiday resorts – home
and away. Those of whom wouldn’t be seen dead flicking a
tiny sail about in barely a kitten’s sneeze (mainly because
they probably don’t own the relevant kit) will happily grab a
small rig, high volume sled and head out for a float with puff
missing in action.
No stress, no hassle, no expectation to ‘perform’ just sheer
indulgence of the moment and blissful contentment – often
for hours at a time (or at least until the wind fills in). Post-
float and the comments are always the same: ‘that felt great
and has done wonders for my overall sailing!’ just like Mr
Bornhoft et al have been telling us for years!
uk
WIND
SURFING
In the past there have been countless exercises undertaken
by some to convince those who will pooh pooh the practice
that it’s a worthy cause. Some suggesting that planing
windsurfing ensured the sport became too elitist. And in
many cases that’d be correct – especially in the years that
immediately followed. But these days time is a limiting factor
for many with family, work and general life commitments
taking precedence over windsurfing time.
When a decent full power forecast does pop up there’s still
high probability of it not quite coming to fruition – skunkings
are, after all, part and parcel of windsurfing yet no less
frustrating. As such all manner of water born toys can now be