How to Carry Windsurf Gear in Strong Wind Without Losing It

Storms are starting to pass through the Northern Hemisphere again, so it's time to get you ready for those really windy days. Because that's when windsurfing is the most fun: when you manage to control and harness whatever nature throws at you, and you try to be in sync with it. It's just the best feeling there is.

But before you get there, you have to handle your gear around extreme wind. So this guide is about exactly that: how to rig your gear, how to carry it and how to get into the water safely when it's really howling. Everything that happens once you're sailing is in Windsurfing in Strong Wind: 9 Ways to Stay in Control.

Prefer to watch? The full video is at the end of this guide, together with a checklist to save on your phone.

1. The basics: prepare at home, not on the beach

Let's start with a few basics to make your life easy. Leave as few preparations as somehow possible to be done on the beach. Doing them out in the storm costs you energy and leaves room for mistakes.

I'm talking about things like:

• checking your gear for damage
• tightening screws
• repairs
• untangling ropes
• turning your wetsuit the right side out

Prepare and check your equipment on the calmer days before, or at home.

And once you arrive at the beach, look for a parking spot close to where you can rig your gear. That way you never need to leave it unattended for too long.

2. Board first: secure your board on the beach

Start by bringing out your board. We do this so the rig doesn't stay by itself after rigging, because it's more prone to fly around than the board.

If you're close to the beach, bring the board down to the water and press the fin carefully into the sand. Ideally you leave the fin cover on. That's not ideal for the fin, but much better than having your board take off.

Point the nose or the tail into the wind. This way the wind can't grab under the board as easily.

If you still don't feel secure enough about the board, turn it around and carefully place a flat rock or sand on the bottom of the board. You can use the fin cover as a sheet between the board and the rock. Again, not ideal for the board, but better than your board up in the sky.

3. How to rig in strong wind

When it comes to rigging the sail, first get all your parts ready to rig:

1. Adjust the boom.
2. Untangle the extension.
3. Connect the two mast pieces.

Once the sail is unrolled, it's harder to keep it under control. So you want to make sure you don't have to deal with those things after unrolling.

Then unroll the sail by pushing the mast through the sleeve. That way the sail won't get thrown around by the wind. The mast keeps it controllable.

While you rig your sail, always keep one hand on the sail so it doesn't fly away. Downhaul your sail and attach the boom while keeping the sail low to the ground. Once you're done rigging, attach the rig to your board.

And always keep an eye on your gear, even when you go changing into your wetsuit.

At this point your gear is hopefully rigged perfectly for the storm, because I still see too many people not quite rigging their gear the way it's supposed to be rigged. The quick trim fixes for strong wind are in Windsurfing in Strong Wind: 9 Ways to Stay in Control, and the rigging mistakes I see most in Windsurf Sail Trim: 3 Rigging Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes.

But sometimes you just need someone telling you exactly what to do. That's why I run more and more clinics and windsurfing trips. We've already helped so many people to rig their gear perfectly, reach new personal best speeds, make their jibes more effortless, or simply have a good time on the water with like-minded people.

4. Park your rig out of the wind

Now, before you put on your wetsuit, look for a wind protected area like a bush or a bench, and park your gear behind it so it doesn't catch as much wind.

Careful though with cars and high walls. They often create turbulence, which can cause the wind to push under the sail from the other side.

5. How to carry windsurf gear in strong wind

So now you're rigged, and in a storm even carrying the rigged gear can be a challenge. For the basics, check out my full tutorial on how to carry your windsurf gear.

When the wind is strong, you don't want to carry your gear on your head. It's a fragile position, you have little control over the gear, and unexpected gusts can make it close to impossible to keep it there. Instead, keep the gear close to yourself and low to the ground.

Carrying the board

Carry the board on the downwind side of yourself, with the tail pointing into the wind. That creates the least resistance in the wind and lets the board adjust itself to the wind direction, to a certain extent.

Hold the front strap in one hand, and the back strap or the fin (with the fin cover on, of course) in the other. Hold them tightly, but don't fight against the wind. Let the board adjust itself to it.

Carrying the sail

Like I said, keep the sail low to the ground. Front hand on the boom, back hand on the mast above the boom. This is the safest way to carry the rig.

Carry the rig with the mast across the wind, at a right angle to it, and when the strong gusts come in, allow the mast to point slightly away from the wind. And when the wind is strong, grab the boom close to the mast. Otherwise you tend to pull the clew up, and you end up fighting the wind.

Carrying board and rig together

Once you get close to the water, attach the rig to the board. Carrying the board and rig together is a challenge, because you can't adjust the board the way you can without the rig. So you're creating a lot more resistance against the wind.

• One hand on the front footstrap, one hand on the boom.
• Let the mast point slightly downwind, instead of having it across the wind.
• Keep the nose of the board close to the ground, and the tail close to your body.

In very strong gusts, the wind tends to push the top of the sail down. So keep your hand on the boom really close to the mast, and again push the nose of the board towards the sand. This allows the sail to keep an angle where the wind goes under the sail and pushes it up.

6. Getting into the water: stay upwind of your gear

When you arrive in the water, don't position yourself downwind of the gear, because it might lift off easily. Always stay upwind of your gear.

I once injured myself that way when I was about 14 years old. The board flew onto my head and left a big open cut. Maybe that's why I turned out a bit weird. So better stay upwind of your gear.

And off you go. Controlling the strong wind once you're sailing, with the right trim and technique, is the next step: Windsurfing in Strong Wind: 9 Ways to Stay in Control.

Here's my checklist for storm days to save on your phone and take to the beach. Below it are the steps once more.