If you’re not fond of surfing big waves on a rickety surfboard, then maybe you would like to take up the sport of windsurfing. It’s similar, but not at all the same! Windsurfing uses a windsurf board, also known as a sailboard. This board is about two to five metres long and is powered by a single sail as opposed to nothing at all!

The rig of the board is connected by a free-rotating flexible joint called the Universal Joint, or the U-Joint. Unlike a rudder-steered sailboat, a windsurfer steers by tilting and rotating the mast and sail as well as tilting the board.

You could say the difference between plain surfing and windsurfing is that windsurfing combines surfing with sailing. Just like any sport with a board, it shares aspects with other board sports such as snow boarding, wake boarding and skate boarding. 

While windsurfing is usually seen as a simplistic sport, some windsurfers can perform stunts such as jumps, inverted loops, and other freestyle moves (no different than a snow boarder). There are a few types of disciplines in windsurfing, including speed sailing, slalom, course racing, wave sailing, and freestyle.

Lessons in windsurfing can be taken at a windsurfing school where under coaching and good sailing conditions – you can learn the basic skills such as sailing, steering and turning within just a few hours!

For more resources on windsurfing and windsurfing schools, be sure to look through the Traveller Trail's Travelogue and Directory for relative information!