66 FEATURE FREE RIDE
Over time, as all
windsurfers do, technique is
consolidated and before long regular
pilgrimages are being made to anywhere with
water and wind. These days bigger, more powerful
sails are used and turboing about your local stretch is
par for the course. A thing called carve gybing (what?!)
has entered your vocabulary and every now and again
you experience the sensation of air and space between
water and kit ala chop hops – a whole new ball game!
Does this all sound familiar? It should. As said at the
start of this article it’s the type of windsurfing we all
love and do. With all the stresses modern life can
throw at us there’s simply nothing better than cutting
loose and going for a blast. If you’re not yet at this
stage then have no fear. Keep going and you’ll get to
that magic planing stage quicker than you can blink –
especially if you have a qualified instructor guiding you.
Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the simple things
windsurfing can bring. Open any magazine (ours
included), hit up any windy website or check out the
various (and many) online windsurf portals and images
of big waves, gravity defying stunts, twisted moves and
talk of performance will greet all. But dial it back and
understand that this is just one part of windsurfing’s
broad palette. There’s no pressure to go out and break
yourself just because you spot some teenage trickster
bending into impossible shapes. Of course, it’s good to
not
stand
still, and the
more we learn
and improve the
more we enjoy our
sport, and the wider the
plethora of conditions we can
use opens up. But going for a simple
blast is fine. You’d be surprised how many of the pros,
without a lens trained on them, will do just that.
Whizzing back and forth, even on the greyest and
dampest of days, will brighten your mood – there’s no
question. Freeriding is in us all as windsurfers and
there’s nothing better. After all, being a windsurfer is
about having fun and leaving life’s hassles on Terra
Firma – at least for a short while.
So the next time a forecast pops up and comes good
go for a blast. Hook yourself in, slot feet into straps
and shoot for the horizon (obviously turning round at
some point!). Enjoy the ride and love the fact you’re a
windsurfer, which is one of the best things in the world!
Big thanks to Andy ‘Bubble’ Chambers and JP Australia/Neil Pryde who helped out with this
article. Also stay tuned for Windsurfing UK’s kit review of JP Australia’s Magic Ride 130 and Neil
Pryde Ryde 7.5m – how much freeride goodness can you handle?
uk
WIND
SURFING