Prerequisites:
- Registered as a UBC Sailing Club member for the current season
- At least 10 times on the water (with 15 knots of wind or more) after achieving windsurfing L2.5
- Very comfortable with the beach start (given reasonable amount of wind)
- Able to go upwind efficiently without a daggerboard, ideally on a shorter/smaller board (very comfortable on 140-150 L)
- Thick wetsuit for glacial water
Join us for an exhilarating high wind windsurfing trip to Squamish Saturday July 18. We will also run a high wind lesson for advanced L2.5 windsurfers eager to get to L3, with spots for at least 4 students (the registration fee is the cost of the lesson). Keep an eye out for windy days this summer as a chance to prepare and hone your skills!
We'll meet at Jericho the night before to review and test rigging, and cover waterstart theory in the water (so bring your wetsuit/plan to get wet!). Transportation will be arranged separately (we'll carpool so if you're willing to drive your car or a Modo, please let us know as it will really help to split the windsurfing gear among vehicles!). Once registered, you will be added to the trip Whatsapp group closer to the date for better coordination. If several people are interested, we may also camp in or near Squamish the night before or after (optional if we have multiple carpool groups with different preferences)
High wind conditions are essential for this session, and our ability to conduct the lesson depends on favorable weather. In the event of unsuitable conditions, we will provide a full refund or a credit to your UBSSC account, if you prefer. We may adjust the destination based on regional forecasts. The most likely destination is Squamish Feather Park (also known as Nexen Beach; note the water here is glacially fed and extremely cold all summer long), although if conditions are better elsewhere we may also go to Porteau Cove, Harrison Lake, or Boundary Bay.
Advanced windsurfing lessons aim to help you sail in high winds with a smaller board. This course covers:
- Rigging and handling gear in high winds
- Planing and using the foot straps
- Waterstart!
To pass the course, your instructor must feel confident in your ability to do the following:
- Take proper care of the lighter and more delicate advanced equipment in a safe manner.
- Be able to waterstart with enough wind.
- Be able to control the board while planning and using the foot straps.
- Select appropriate gear for the conditions.
- Practice good decision making and able to self-rescue back to shore at any point.
For you to pass this course, your instructor must see that you can demonstrate all of the above and they must feel confident that you can safely launch and return to shore in high winds. Note our instructor will also determine whether it is safe for you to participate in a high wind environment and associated hazards, and we reserve the ability to request you to re-join another session after more practice on the water. We will pair L2.5 students up with experienced L3s who will bring tow lines; therefore the capacity for students will be limited by the number of L3s who can join.
On Friday evening we will review rigging at Jericho, and practice some waterstart concepts and theory (so be prepared to get wet after rigging). As Squamish is a place with many hazards, we will review these in detail and look at satellite imagery of the bay. Then we'll de-rig and pack all our gear into cars for the next day.
On Saturday we will need to arrive at Squamish Feather park by 11:00 am sharp to rig and catch the low tide window, as there's a sandbank not too far from the beach which will be very helpful for practicing waterstarts during low tide.
If you are unsure if this is the right class for you, feel free to contact our head windsurfing instructor at windsurfinginstructor@ubcsailing.org. What should you wear? Please look at this page (note this is for Jericho, make sure to plan layers for our destination).
It'll be a long and demanding session, be sure to bring lots of water and snacks + food and electrolytes for stay hydrated and energized! Get ready for an unforgettable day on the water!!