66TRAVEL SOUTH AFRICA
Ragged coastline
Langebaan, located just an hour and a half drive up
the ragged coastline from Cape Town, is a favourite
with locals for slow weekend escapes filled with sand
and sea, and provides a great stop for travellers
making their way up the coast to Namibia.
Luckily, for those who know of it, the tranquil
Langebaan lagoon is often overlooked, or unheard of,
by overseas tourists who flock to iconic Cape Town in
the summer months.
But windsurfers be warned – missing out on this little
South African gem would be a huge mistake!
The tranquil Langebaan lagoon provides an expanse of
crystalline flat water, surrounded by a verdant national
park and a quaint fisherman’s village with amazing
restaurants and vibrant bars and coffee shops. In the
South African summer months between November and
March, the wind blows a consistent 15-25 knots.
Combined with warm weather and sunshine filled days,
you have the perfect conditions for getting into the sport.
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WIND
SURFING
The centre in Langebaan is stocked with all
the latest equipment and the buoyant
beginner’s board with its tiny centreboard
made stabilising myself super simple
My dad, whose old windsurf board still sits in the
garage of my childhood home, had warned me what a
frustrating and tiring experience learning to windsurf
had been for him and I was nervous to say the least.
The first part of my introduction to the sport including
learning about the wind direction and the angle of the
sails – something we zoomed through pretty quickly
considering my sailing background.
Trying aimlessly
Then it was on to the water. Having attempted to
windsurf once, with no instruction, I knew that it was
easy enough to get on the board, have the sail pulled
up for me, and zoom off in one direction – but turning