Windsurfing GUIDE : SLALOM RACING

With huge racing fleets reaching speeds of 30knots or more Slalom racing has come back to the Windsurfing competition scene in a big way. Equipment development along with technological changes has lead to board planning much earlier than ever before and in so doing has lowered the wind strengths needed to race slalom.

Slalom racing is run in heat formats on a ladder knockout basis. Most heats are made up of some eight competitors who battle it out around a course with bouys and fast speed legs. Coupled witht the fact that at some locations( as at White Air) this can all be held through the surf the action is often set to be exhilarating for both competitor and spectator alike.

A three day open event and the only (x4 ranking event within the UKWA National Slalom Series) For the winners a cash purse and an entry into the Indoor event at the London Boat Show.

Windsurfing GUIDE : COURSE RACING

Course Racing has made a huge comeback and now many of the racers are also the same competitors as the olympics. Course boards a much wider and larger volume than Slalom boards and look much more like small dingys now days. They plane in just 6 knots and reach speeds of 30-40 knots during the races. Races are made up of up wind and down wind legs with course distances mostly around 10km but ranging anything from 5- 24 km. Mutliple race are held and an average with discards decides the winner overall. The sport has gained a large world wide audience, and has grown to be a huge sport especially in China and all over the Far East. In Europe Racing is particulary big in France and Poland and rapidly growing in many other countries and including the UK.