76 COACHING WINDWISE TECHNIQUE
WINDWISE
SUMMER
SESSIONS
LIKE A CHALLENGE? NOT PROGRESSING?
NEED INSPIRATION? TIME TO WORK ON THE
REAL SKILLS THAT FAST TRACK YOUR HIGH
WIND WINDSURFING - EVEN BY PRACTICING
IN A SUMMER BREEZE? Simon Bornhoft
offers two simple summer exercises that
stand alone as super skills training
exercises that link into different moves.
Plus, when they’re combined, they create a
great duck gybe.
You’d think that being forced to turn round every seventy
metres with the wind spinning like a double helix and the risk
of a stomach pump every time you fell in wasn’t a great
environment to learn to windsurf. In fact, I was lucky to start
my windsurfing journey on the River Thames near Ravens Ait
Island in Surbiton.
I had a Saturday job in one of the UK’s most prominent
windsurfing shops under the ‘never say it’s not possible’
tutelage of Dee Caldwell, who in the eighties was pretty much
the UK’s top all-round windsurfer winning numerous racing
titles and totally dominant in freestyle. Dee always said, “If you
want to improve, don’t just sail in a straight line and gybe.”
Basically he lived and sailed by reversing, spinning or changing
his board and rig position as much as possible.
uk
WIND
SURFING
WORDS:
SIMON BORNHOFT
PICS:
WINDWISE