P.E. Wavesailing Expression Session 2005

Angelo Angelos

I live in Johannesburg and I have been windsurfing on flat water my whole life. I always wanted to venture into the ocean and do proper wavesailing but it seemed beyond my grasp.

Apart from needing the right equipment, there were the stories (amply supplied by coastal sailors around the campfire at night) about sharks, broken masts, shattered limbs, smashed boards and all manner of catastrophe.

That changed when I met a fellow Vaalie who had moved to Cape Town. He told me that he had done only flat water sailing for the first three years after he moved to the coast. He had been nervous to go in the ocean. When he finally got the nerve to do it, he cursed himself for wasting those three years. Wave sailing is not that much different to flat water sailing as long as you get into it sensibly.

So I decided to take the plunge and go to the Port Elizabeth Wavesailing Expression Session held late in 2003. It was the most ideal introduction to the ocean that I could ever have had. The organizers and fellow competitors (all from P.E. and Durban) were great, helping me with all the ins and outs and escorting me into the waves effortlessly.

We sailed at a beach called Noordhoek. If you stayed downwind, there was a calm flat channel where you could go in and out like being on a lake. The more you sailed upwind, the bigger the waves got. There was just one break per wave and, if you fell in, the current swept you towards the calm open channel. So I never had to deal with being pummeled by wave after wave with no end in sight. It was the most sublime and relaxing experience. I did this all with an F2 Max2Air, which is a 100 litre bump and jump board -nothing fancy.

The competition itself was excellently run and there were great prizes for everyone. I came tie second last in 2003 but this year I plan to make the middle order.

If you ever dreamed of getting into the ocean but never had the opportunity, make a plan and get down to this year’s P.E. Wavesailing Competition. It opened up a whole new discipline of windsurfing to me. Two years on I am starting to bottom and top turn and this year I am definitely going to attempt a forward loop.

See you there!

Regards,

Angelo Angelos