West Wales has plenty of wind energy, so why not harness all that free power and use it to go windsurfing in Wales? Former European wavesailing champion Tristan Boxford developed his talents in West Wales and reckons that you can find sailing in Wales to suit beginners, intermediates and "even those pushing the limits of windsurfing".
Spots such as Horton and Llangennith on the Gower Peninsula, and Broadhaven and Newgale in Pembrokeshire will have plenty of sailors scudding across the ocean on a windy day. They have windsurfing schools in close proximity or, if you'd prefer to start on smoother waters try windsurfing at Dale in Pembrokeshire which is one of the best-established windsurfing centres in Britain, let alone Wales.
New wider and more stable boards, designed specifically for windsurfing beginners, make the whole process a lot easier. Within an hour or two you should be able to sail along in a gentle breeze. By the end of a weekend, you'll find the learning curve has accelerated dramatically and you'll be ready to book your next weekend windsurfing in Wales.
How & where
There are several windsurfing schools around the West Wales coastline where
qualified instructors will kit you out with a board, buoyancy aid and wetsuit,
provide some land-based lessons about the gear and how to use it, and then take
you into shallow water to learn the basics.
Most instruction is in small groups but one-to-one tuition may be available at extra cost - Windsurfing in Wales doesn't need to cost that much - prices range from around £25 for a two hour course to around £55 for a full day, £85 for a weekend and £340 for a week.
Top Tips
Look for a course on flat water to start with. It's easier than having to deal
with wind and waves at the same time!
Since West Wales is made up of several peninsulas, there's almost always
somewhere with good sailing conditions, whatever the wind direction.
More info
For general info on windsurfing, log onto the
UK Windsurfing Associations'
website or
Royal Yachting Association's
website.