Simon Bornhoft explores the counterintuitive moments in windsurfing… Photos: WindWise / Karen Bornhoft
A frustrated gyber once proclaimed that windsurfing was like getting in a stunning sports car, throttling down the road, only to find the steering worked in completely the opposite direction to what you’d expect.
Many will agree that the sport is punctuated with moments that can contradict, confuse or just don’t feel natural. Often, what you assume to be ‘right’ isn’t actually the way it works at all. For instance, if someone asked you which way you throw your body for a forward loop, you’d naturally think forwards, but, as many learned loopers will tell you, the body actually moves backwards towards the clew – only the rig goes forwards! Back in the real world, there are many scenarios where we need to resist our natural instinct or reasoning. So, over the next few pieces I hope you’ll find empathy with these situations, as they link into many key moments within the sport. First off, let’s look at a very common windsurfing tendency to pull, when in fact we should be pushing.
