THINGS PEOPLE DO : Windsurfing Key Is Finesse, Not Muscle
When people think of windsurfing, images of muscular surfer types, tearing up the waves on a sailboard, are often the first that come to mind.
But windsurfing is a sport in which anyone can participate, and in the summer, people of all ages and body types descend on San Diego bays and lakes.
A common misconception concerning windsurfing, which mixes sailing and surfing, is that the person must be strong to maneuver the sailboard. But experts say windsurfing is based on technique rather than strength, and if it is done properly, the wind does most of the work.
Dori Fontaine, manager of the San Diego Sailing Center at Santa Clara Point off Mission Bay, said some of her best students have been “women in their 40s” and some of her worst have been “the big strong surfers.” The only requirements the center has are that a prospective windsurfer weigh at least 80 pounds and know how to swim.
“Some people are intimidated because they think they have to jump waves like they show the windsurfers doing on TV,” Fontaine said.
Fontaine, who has been windsurfing for 10 years, prefers the flat water of lakes or bays over the open ocean because a person can go faster on flat water. Also, Fontaine said, the ocean waves “are pretty hard on the body and equipment.”
Besides Santa Clara Point, Lake Murray and Lake Hodges are among the other good places to windsurf.
Knowledge of sailing and wind theory helps, but instructors assume a beginner has never seen a sailboard or sailed before and cover that in the lesson.
Fontaine says anyone can learn how to windsurf during a two-hour private lesson or four-hour group lesson, but skepticism led me to find out first-hand. This student would be as green as one could be, having never surfed, sailed or water-skied before. If I could stand up on a sailboard and maneuver it around the bay, anyone could.
Instructor Amy Kelts began the two-hour private lesson by explaining the parts of the sailboard--the sail, board, mast and boom. She then set up a dry-land simulator that is used for the first-half of the lesson. For someone who has participated in no water sports other than swimming, the simulator can feel unsteady at first. Students learn turns and how to steer in different wind conditions.
After learning on the simulator, Kelts said I was ready for the water; I wasn’t so sure. We pulled the sail and board to the water, and I climbed on and paddled out. Beginners learn in a protected area of the bay so they’re not in traffic with water-skiers, boats or more advanced windsurfers.
After I realized I was capable of standing on the board in the water, I began to relax. Kelts stood on the shore, shouting instructions, and soon I was gliding across the bay. A fairly strong wind was coming from the south, and when I directed my sail correctly, it carried me across the water without a lot of effort . . . well, until I moved my sail a little too far upwind and was thrown off balance and into the water. Fontaine says “you can’t windsurf without falling in the water at least once,” so three times didn’t seem so bad for a beginner.
Successful completion of the lesson earns a certification card. The Mission Bay Sportcenter, directly next to the Sailing Center, has boards and wet suits among the water equipment to rent.
The size of the board depends on wind conditions and the sailor’s ability. Beginners use a longer board and smaller sail, making it easier to handle. A small sail is also used in stronger winds. More advanced sailors use shorter boards and prefer larger sails.
Windsurfing peaked in popularity around 1985 and has since leveled off. But because of lower costs of equipment, more people are now buying sailboards, and the sport has become more popular with the family.
“Now it’s like bicycles,” Fontaine said. “Everyone has a sailboard.”
When Fontaine bought her first board five years ago, it was $1,200 for the complete package. Not as many companies manufactured sailboards, so designs were limited. Now, beginning windsurfers can buy the same type of package for $600 and have a greater variety of colors, sizes and designs to choose from.
Fontaine, 26, first tried windsurfing at a free day of instruction given at a lake in Northern California 10 years ago. Participants first learned on a simulator, then took to the water. An instructor stood with a megaphone on one side of the lake giving instructions while a group of beginners made their way across the lake.
“It was just enough to give you a taste of sailboarding,” Fontaine said. “I’ve been hooked ever since.”
On Saturday, June 15, from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m., the San Diego Sailing Center will sponsor its first free day. Anyone who weighs at least 80 pounds and can swim can participate.