One of my goals of this trip and two month period in Radolfzell was to learn something completely new that I have never done before. Taking advantage of Lake Constance (Bodensee) was my number one priority, and so I decided to learn how to windsurf. When I first arrived in Radolfzell I took a walk around the town, and I noticed a surf school. A couple of weeks ago I decided to go investigate how much it would cost, and how feasible it would be to learn wind surfing in German. Luckily for me, the cost was not too prohibitive, and all materials were included. Also, our instructor was willing to give us an individual time for instruction that worked with our schedules.
Some facts about Germany: In Germany, almost everything requires a license, including windsurfing. So I have the opportunity to take a test after I complete the minimum number of hours of instruction so that I can get a certificate and wind-surf on my own. Other hobbies that require a license are fishing (since you have to make sure you're not catching an endangered fish, wind-surfing, golfing, and most other extreme sports).
Our instructor, Sigi (short for Sigmund), is in his 40's and is part time wind-surf instructor, part time other profession. We have our lessons on Thursdays from 2-4pm. Before I committed, I was able convince some of my other classmates to do it as well. In total, there are 4 of us who are taking Wind-Surfing; Anastasia, Dana, Patrick and I. On our first lesson, we had 1 hour of practical ground training. Unfortunately or fortunately, it was extremely gusty our first day. Sigi was unsure of whether we should go out onto the water, but since it's only a lake, and we can't really drown as the water is only 4-5 feet deep, we convinced him to let us out on the water. Our first exercise was to practice just standing on the board without the sail. The board has a stabilizer underneath against choppy water and is approximately 2 feet wide and about 6 feet long. The sails also vary in size depending on how windy it is, and how talented one is. I started with a sail that was 4.0 sq. meters. Normally, trained wind-surfers use sails between 6.5 and 8 sq. meters. I was pretty successful at standing on the board and was able to keep my balance. Later, we each took turns getting on the board with the sail attached. The first step is to lift the sail out of the water. The trick is to use your legs to pull the sail up as opposed as your back. Lifting the sail out of the water isn't so difficult, but since it was so windy, it was hard to keep one's balance. Once you pull the sail out of the water, you grab the mast with your right hand, and then grab the bar (naturally, I have no idea what the terms are in English, as we're being instructed only in German). Your arms are to be completely extended so as the sail doesn't push you back from the wind into the water. Also you counterbalance the weight of the sail with your own weight and therefore keep your balance better.
At first I was getting the hang of it, but it was difficult to control the direction in which I wanted to travel. I fell into the water quite a few times because I simply wasn't experienced enough to stand, keep balance and travel. Another difficult task is to turn around, which requires flipping the sail around and standing on the other side. This requires you to move your feet and switch sides. Luckily, on our second lesson, there was just a little wind, and it was much easier to get the hang of things. So, now I can say that at least I have the basics down. This thursday will be my last lesson, and then I will decide whether I will want to get my license.
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