Learning to Windsurf from a FEMALE perspective

mamero · Joined: 25 Aug 2013 Posts: 380 Location: Vancouver, Canada

I need some advice from the lady Windsurfers out there. Or at least a female perspective. Do many women sailors frequent this forum?

My wife is in the thick of learning to waterstart and also trying to increase her threshold for higher wind (you can't really water start without some decent wind). She can deep beach start and I feel she is 90% of the way to getting her first waterstart. That last 10% is proving challenging. She is at the stage where she wants and needs to get out in higher wind, learn the footstraps, and blasting and expeirince "real" windsurfing beyond schlogging around. But, before she can do this she needs to waterstart. There are a lot of Catch-22's at this stage in Windsurfing. She finds it difficult to uphual in strong wind and she can't waterstart yet. So, in stronger wind she can't really go anywhere but stay at the beach and practice waterstarts. which are becoming frustrating for her. Because she can't water start she doesn't feel comfortable going out in deep water because of the fear she will get stuck out there and will not have the strength to uphaul in the wind that is required to waterstart. She is beginning to get frustrated and starting to get discouraged with Windsurfing in general which is no good. Time for some intervention!

This is a challenging stage. You need strong enough wind to waterstart, but this means it is much harder (or even impossible) to uphual.

My wife is 5'1" 115 lbs. A petite lady. She sometimes finds dealing with the gear to be exhausting especially in stronger wind (getting to and from the beach etc). What tips can you provide with a female perspective to make water starting easier and windsurfing in general? Thanks.

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

My wife was stuck at the "almost waterstart" stage for half a year or so. After a private lesson or two, she'd be able to get onto the board most of the time, but spent so much energy doing it that she'd fall right back in.

The solution was one 3-day ABK camp on Cape Cod. She learned the waterstart on the first day, and how to use the back strap on the next day (despite non-planing conditions on day 2). The water start was good enough to sail on Maui and in the Gorge a few months later. She's done plenty more ABK camps afterwards, and now kicks my ass on the water.

Bottom line? Get your wife some good instruction! Multi-day camps are best. ABK camps are great, but there are other good options, too.

uchida · Joined: 06 Apr 2002 Posts: 42

Go to Texas; North and/or South Padre Islands (Laguna Madre). The best place to conquer waterstarts that I know of. Warm water, good winds and chest deep water as far as you would want to sail (for your 5'1'' wife, chin deep). It eliminates the fear of being in deep water and not being able to handle your gear. You just stand up arrange your kit and off you go! It's the first place that I ever waterstarted and jibed. I haven't been there in years so I suggest looking deeper into this forum to get best times to go, where to stay and eat, etc. etc. Just don't go during spring break. Too many drunk college kids.

underwood · Joined: 15 May 2010 Posts: 54

My wife is at the same stage. She will be taking a few waterstarts lessons and has been told that once she starts learning in earnest she won't be doing any more sailing until she learns to waterstart. So don't even try to go out. Makes sense for the reasons the OP states. Need more wind than you can comfortably uphaul in in order to waterstart.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 9:01 pm Post subject:

Aside from her very light weight , compared to the male population, I can't see any more difficulty for a female. Her strength , I reckon could be a factor, but the hesitation on her part seems a issue.. like most thing , go for it.

Most women I have noticed are very well balanced on the water, it's a balance and control issue, not strength.

Her issue of deep water needs to be overcome.
Being able to waterstart opens a new stage of sailing. Seek some instruction ,
Other than you. At some point the waterstart was a issue to each and everyone, some additional fear and respect for conditions ..is a nice trait.

Best of luck to her

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

My first real, reliable waterstarts came in one day (after a year or two of piddling with it) when/where it was waterstart or go home. Learning to waterstart is aided by -- some might say requires -- three conditions:
1. Enough wind and square meters to come close to planing.
2. Technique, including pushing up (not pulling down) on the booms.
3. Motivation. I was too impatient to practice waterstarts after losing several seconds per fall trying it, until being confronted with far too much chop to uphaul and no choice but waterstart or sit on the shores of Oahu.

PeconicPuffin · Joined: 07 Jun 2004 Posts: 1830

Mamero, here is what I've learned from my petite wife (5'3" 110).

1. A floatation vest (she wears an impact vest...we don't call it an impact vest though) helps with confidence in the water.

2. My wife responds to things that respect her as a petite woman. That our gear includes 100% carbon RDM masts (easier to hold, lighter to lift) encourages her (besides being actually easier to waterstart).

3. Her favorite places to sail (and learn) are Bonaire (there are sections deep enough to work on waterstaring) and a shallowish location near us locally (Mecox Bay).

4. When she's sailing with other women who can waterstart, it motivates her differently than when there aren't other women around. It takes away the "this is a guy thing" thought.

Early in her windsurfing career I rigged a sail for her one day. She knew I took care to treat the equipment gently, and expressed concern that she might harm something. I told her not to worry, it was an old sail, the mast was fine and the boom was bombproof. She looked at me with horror when I said "bombproof". She wanted nothing to do with "bombproof" gear, she wanted a boom that a woman would use. When I learned to discuss things the way she and her girlfriends would, everything got easier. Straight out of the "Men are from Mars Women are from Venus" books. Seriously. And now every year my wife is the one who suggests a windsurfing vacation (to Bonaire). Keep her happy!

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1549

I second the flotation vest. It makes positioning the gear much easier. Adds some protection. Take a vacation to SPI in April. Its windy, warm and shallow. A B K does a camp each year. I watch people go from no clue to sailing out and back and water starting in that week. It is the easiest higher wind location In the country.

manuel · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1158

I would think that it goes beyond gender, probably anyone quite away from the average 170-180lb weight and 5'8" height. Can be kids, light weights, heavy weights, etc, and even then, I'm "average" and still struggle at times!
Working through tendinitis and such.

Windsurfing is a challenge, an everytime-anytime challenge, that's why most of us love the sport so much. I personally think it's worth the reward. It takes so much work to move a small step but mentally that small step feels like a giant step each time.

So like others have suggested, sail other venues, treat yourselves to a nice (exotic maybe) trip, and persevere!

And finally, never be too hard on yourself, envision smaller steps to break down stages and enjoy every little bit of progress. Anytime we go on the water with our rig we improve, it's the way nature intended it to happen!

Beyond all this, make sure she has gear which is well-suited for the conditions. Rig a sail that feels light, a board that floats and heads upwind nicely. Anything to make it enjoyable and easier. Ask around for advice at your local spot. Some days are going to be tough and some amazing.

It's also good sometimes to take a step back and look at things. No point in getting frustrated. I know my wife has given up on the sport, she has little interest in sports in general, enjoys yoga, choir, travelling. She learned to uphaul, tack, come and go, but isn't attracted to water sports much. So less gear to purchase and maintain for me! Hehe!

Also, windsurfing isn't really about force, strength, it's mostly about finesse, agility, flexibility, dexterity, and most of all balance. Watch some kids zoom around and throw tricks, they hardly have any strength at all. Waterstarts can be tiring while positioning the gear swimming at first but quickly become easier and easier. A small life vest helps a lot to get that mast out of the water.

Sometimes it takes a full dedicated session (or more) to break the secrets of a particular move. And it's perfectly normal to become discouraged at times because our sport is tough physically and mentally. It's mostly why it's quite a bit more rewarding than most other sports out there.

cgoudie1 · Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 10:35 am Post subject:

Steady wind, sunny warm air, warm shallow water, 4 hours worth of focus and dedication.

If she's been stuck at a specific "almost" stage for a year, there's some bad habit that needs to be corrected (probably by instruction).

Initially, if you set the rig in position for her and give her a boost up several
times, she'll have enough success and enough energy left over to try positioning herself, while still having the "feel" of how the actual start works.

-Craig