Sailing, windsurfing or sailing is a modality of sailing sport, worth the redundancy, which consists of moving in the water on a board somewhat similar to a surf, provided with a sail.
Unlike a sailboat, the sail or rig of a windsurf board is articulated allowing its free rotation around a single point of union with the board: the mast foot. This makes it possible to manipulate the rigging freely according to the direction of the wind and the position of the table with respect to the latter. The rig is manipulated by the windsurfer through the boom.
A windsurfing team consists of:
-Vela: is the one that drives the table by the pressure difference between both sides of it due to the different speed with which the wind circulates on both sides. The candle can have several sizes.
-Mast: this can be one piece or separated in two and has the mission of joining the sail to the board and maintaining an adequate profile of the sail.
-Pie of mast: composed by a joint cardan type generally of some type of rubber that can be bent in all directions. Its mission is to join the rig to the board and transmit to it the force generated by the wind in the sail.
-Botavara: formed by two tubes (one to each bow of the sail) attached by one end to the mast (fist of tack) and the other to the sail by a cape (sheet).
-Table: composed mainly of polystyrene foam covered with a structure composed of different fibers (glass, carbon, kevlar, …) and epoxy resin. Its length (length), shape and width (sleeve) varies depending on the sport specialty to which it is focused, range of wind for which it is designed and weight of the navigator. Its mission is to get the best possible glide on the water and the navigator is on it.
-Quilla, fin or wing: the one that is placed near the stern and avoids the drift in gliding navigation.
-Folding arm: whose mission is to avoid the drift of the board at low speed (when the planing speed has not been reached). It is optional and only large displacement tables carry them.
-Arnes: used by the navigator to hang from the boom using ropes helping to prevent muscle exhaustion.
-Faste fastening: are placed on the feet in order to prevent the athlete from skating or losing control of the board when the waves pass through and also allows various maneuvers.
– Adapter: is the piece that joins the mast with the mast foot, allowing to vary the length of this.
-Driza: it is a rope that goes from the boom to the foot of the mast and is used to lift the sail without
The windsurfer has to get off the board.
Finally we must mention that in windsurfing there are six competition variables:
-Wave, or waves, it’s a discipline where jumps are made and waves are surfed. You need a light equipment, enough wind and waves of at least 1 meter.
-Freestyle, or free style that is practiced with short, light and wide tables and with candles of 4 to 6 square meters. In the modern free style fast maneuvers are made at the same time as one jumps, rotates and slides. Usually, it is practiced in good wind conditions and flat surfaces.
-Slalom or slalom is a race that goes zigzagging and surrounding buoys with the wind through, until you reach the goal. It takes more wind to be able to move faster and plan.
-Regata, a race in which the buoys are placed in a way that climbs the wind “ciñendo” and then goes down in stern or doing lengths, giving several turns to the course. This category is subclassified taking into account the size of the sail in: Formula Windsurfing, Formula Experience and Race.
-Indoor or indoor, within which there are sub-classifications: slalom, regatta and freestyle.
-Super X a new discipline of windsurfing, developed by the PWA (Professional windsurfer association) in 2003 but was withdrawn in 2008-2009. It consists of a slalom race in favor of the wind interrupted by large floating obstacles that competitors must jump over before performing compulsory freestyle movements at specific points on the circuit. The pace is fast and frenetic being hard to know who can win until the last moment, so Super X the most exciting way of racing on a windsurf board.
Windsurfing is one of the main activities practiced in the lakes of San Rafael, Nihuil and Los Reyunos, as well as in the Carrizal reservoir, and the Potrerillos Dam, where the Mendocina de Windsurf Association (AMW) is located, especially in the summer season. The calm waters but with strong winds, characteristics of the province, are the ideal landscape for lovers of this sport.
