Project Windsurf-UK, a brand new initiative dedicated to windsurfers across the country, was officially launched last weekend (3-4 September) at the National Windsurfing Festival at Hayling Island.

The initiative, created by the RYA, aims to promote windsurfing clubs & groups in the UK, and link individual windsurfers with these groups, encouraging more people go windsurfing more often, linked with the added social aspect of the club/group environment.

Project Windsurf-UK invites windsurfers old and new to sign up and share ideas through blogs and forum posts, upload windsurfing photos and videos, and to join a local group as an online member.

Registered groups can further promote their activity through their own group’s pages, post events and link to their own website if they have one. Most importantly, the project aims to get those people chatting online out on the water windsurfing with their group. With more people getting out on the water the more it will help raise the profile of windsurfing to the wider population.

“We are delighted to be able to introduce Project Windsurf-UK. We believe it is a fantastic way of promoting windsurfing and connecting with groups easily across the country. It will encourage people who haven’t sailed for a while, to find a group in their area and dust off their windsurfing kit”, explained RYA Windsurfing Development Officer Gillian Wright.

“For existing windsurfers it will enable social connections to be made, where it doesn’t happen naturally”. Gillian continues, “But first we need existing clubs and groups to register, so the connections can be made”.

Project Windsurf-UK also provides new groups and clubs without a website, with a free template website tool enabling them to develop their own website within a website; making it even easier for people to see what they have to offer and get in touch!

Gordon Roach who is part of the Trent Windsurfing Club, halfway between Nottingham and Derby, said: “Our club is based in the Midlands and we are always looking for ways to get our members to be more active and we think this will really inspire them. Project Windsurf-UK is also the perfect tool to put us in touch with potential new windsurfing members.”

The Sussex Numbnuts are one of the virtual windsurfing clubs already signed up to the project. Created by passionate windsurfers Ian Kraft (Krafty) and Gary Parks who windsurf at Eastbourne, their profile states: “We simply have fun on and off the water. We arrange social events, training, demo days and support the guys and girls who represent Spray Sprites T15. We aim to promote the sport along the South coast”

Any kind of windsurfing group or club can register, providing their intention is to encourage regular windsurfing activity on the water as part of a social scene. So ‘virtual’ or roaming clubs can sign up, as can sailing clubs who have an interest in windsurfing, existing windsurfing clubs, ‘commercial’ windsurfing clubs attached to training centres, and the project provides an ideal lead on for ex-Team15 sailors to create their own local group.

Signing up is easy. Simply register as an online member and follow the step by step guidelines on the website homepage.

Check out Project Windsurf-UK at www.projectwindsurfuk.org.uk