COURSES: Windsurfing

Further Information

The National Windsurfing Scheme is split into two schemes: the Youth scheme and the Adult scheme, and all courses last two days.

The RYA's Youth Windsurfing Scheme

Our Youth scheme is an easy and accessible way to progress in this exciting sport. The four stages are individual certificated courses for you to log your progression and recognise your achievements from beginner to expert.

Stage 1 gets you on the water, sailing the board across the wind and back. From this first taster, you'll be hooked and in no time will be blasting across the water.

Once you've got to Stage 4, why stop there? You have all the skills to move on to the advanced course and clinics in the National Windsurfing Scheme. Details of those courses are listed on the left, and in the National Windsurfing Scheme logbook and syllabus.

How about joining a club?

If you would like to join a club and meet the coolest windsurfers aged 15 and under, then Team15 is for you! You'll get together every week, have a great time and learn new skills. Team15 is a nationwide network of youth windsurfing clubs, offering weekly sessions at affordable prices, with an emphasis on fun. See the link above to find out more. Loch Insh has a club that meets Saturday afternoons from 2-4pm between April and October, and are current Scottish Champions and were 5th in the UK this year.

Fancy a go at racing?

The RYA Youth Racing Scheme has three levels - Start, Intermediate and Advanced. Completion of the Stage 1 course will put you at the right level to begin the Start Racing course.

As you improve you can progress until you have done the Advanced racing course. By that time, you'll be giving the Olympic team a run for their money!

The RYA’s Adult Windsurfing Scheme

Start Windsurfing

This course will take you from complete beginner, teaching you the basics of windsurfing using the right equipment, enabling you to sail to where you want to go and sail back to where you started.

Start Windsurfing
Pre-course experience	None
Assumed Knowledge	None
Course content	Teaches you the basics of windsurfing using the right equipment, enabling you to sail to where you want to go and sail back to where you started.
Ability after course	Able to sail to a chosen point on the water and return to where you started from in light winds
Minimum duration	2 days

Intermediate Windsurfing (non-planeing)

This course introduces you to our Fastfwd coaching technique, helping you fine tune your basic skills and make your windsurfing faster and more fluid.

Intermediate Windsurfing (non-planeing)
Pre-course experience	Should be able to sail on all points of sailing in light winds
Assumed Knowledge	The Start Windsurfing course
Course content	New techniques such as the beachstart and harness work will get you ready for the excitement of blasting control
Ability after course	Able to sail on all points of sailing in stronger winds, using beachstarts and faster tacking and gybing
Minimum duration	1 day

Intermediate Windsurfing (Planeing)

This is the second part of the Intermediate course, building on your skills to get the board planing.

Intermediate Windsurfing (Planeing)
Pre-course experience	Competent Intermediate non-planeing sailor
Assumed Knowledge	Skills and knowledge to the standard of the Intermediate non-planing course
Course content	Harness and footstrap techniques combined with our Fastfwd coaching improve your stance and get the board planing, giving you the exhilaration of speed and improved theory knowledge.
Ability after course	Comfortable blasting control in footstraps and harness in planeing conditions
Minimum duration	1 day

Advanced Windsurfing

Dynamic transitions, advanced planing techniques and waterstarts are all broken down and simplified by our Fastfwd coaching, backed up with relevant theory. Additional clinics help you master the waterstart and infamous planeing gybe.

Advanced Windsurfing
Pre-course experience	Ability to sail in footstraps and harness in planeing conditions
Assumed Knowledge	Competent Intermediate level
Course content	Dynamic transitions, advanced planing techniques and waterstarts are all broken down and simplified by our Fastfwd coaching, backed up with relevant theory
Ability after course	Improved blasting control to aid early planeing, tacking on a variety of boards in varying conditions. Additional clinics help you master the waterstart and infamous planing gybe
Minimum duration	Usually delivered as a series of clinics

These additional Modules tend to be done in one day. Beachstarts, both types of gybes, waterstarts etc… are run on an add hock basis as and when people require them. But you can book on a course provided there are two or more requesting the course we will take the booking.

Our coaching doesn’t stop there. Call to find out about our instructor training courses. We will run Instructor training at the Start Windsurfing instructor level at the beginning and end of the year. Look at the Instructor qualifications page for details of dates and availability.

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