Waiting for Perfect

“As a group I think we windsurfers can get quite precious about what conditions we go out in,” admits Amanda Van Santen, RYA Chief Instructor, Dinghy and Windsurfing.

“On the coast there is a tendency to wait for the right state of the tide or wind strength or waves. But the downside is we wait for perfect conditions, which means we don’t actually go windsurfing as much as we could if we weren’t quite so fussy.”

So how can we get windsurfers sailing more often? Uncovering these inland gems is the answer believes Amanda.

“I was brought up in Amersham,” she continues, “There was a lake about 20 minutes from my house and that is how I got into the sport. That sort of distance from water is typical throughout Britain yet the perception is windsurfing isn’t an inland water sport.

“The benefits of inland sailing are many-fold. Having somewhere on your doorstep means you can go more often, and that consistency of accessibility means you probably will go more regularly. When you go also isn’t dependent on tides, yet there can be some really varied and challenging breezes to experience as much as on the coast. It does get gusty.

“For beginners and intermediate sailors especially inland waters are a great place to practice, as not only are you likely to go out and practice more, but the waters are typically flatter with less chop.”

People who sail inland tend to accept less perfect conditions, grabbing their kit and going for a social cruise, saving the smaller kit for when the wind picks up. The result? They windsurf much more frequently than coastal diehards.

Let’s not forget Britain’s most successful Olympic windsurfers ever – male and female – both honed their fledgling talents inland too, Nick Dempsey at Ferry Meadows in Peterborough and Bryony Shaw at Farmoor Reservoir in Oxford.