Brrr...it's cold outside

I have worked overseas for the past six years in various roles in both our summer and winter programme. I learnt to windsurf my first season in Lesvos at the Aeolian Village Beachclub and over the years I have tried to progress alongside my job. Having access to great kit, some amazing instructors and a beautiful backdrop has been really helpful to give me the foundations I needed, but I was certainly not an awesome windsurfer.

This year with life being a little different than normal and having a lot of spare time on my hands, I have managed to take what I have previously learnt and with the help of a few great windsurfing friends in the UK have reached a level where I am happy and safe and that means I can enjoy the sport even in the cold! 

It is a little more difficult to keep myself motivated in the winter months, changing in a cold car park whilst standing in a bucket fighting to get my wetsuit on as quickly as possible isn’t the most enjoyable thing, especially with the added challenges of the short days and British rain.

But once the suit is on and my kit is rigged, heading into the water with the sun trying to burst its way through the clouds with other windsurfers and kiters blasting around you is still pretty special whatever the time of the year. With less light in the winter bringing less surfable tides, there is a feeling of camaraderie as everyone rushes out to get as much time on the water as possible and your teeth chattering whilst you de-brief on your sessions and once again fight to get your wetsuit off and change into your warm clothes and stick the heating on in your car.

Wetsuits are amazing for keeping you warm and in the water all year long. Choosing the right one is the first step to staying warm and toasty. I wear a 5/4mm Ion semi-dry wetsuit, which is perfectly warm.

To those who don't know what 5/4 stands for, the first number is the thickness of the neoprene in the chest and back area, the second number is the thickness in the arms and legs. It's thicker on the torso to help maintain your core body heat and thinner on the arms and legs so you have more flexibility.

I also recommend a chest zip wetsuit for winter, that way there's much less chance of cold water flushing down your back and a thick pair of neoprene boots to keep my feet warm and protected. From the end of November I dig out my neoprene gloves and a hood too, I'll wear these until it starts to warm up again. When choosing gloves I would recommend a palmless or pre-curved pair as normal gloves can hurt your hands if you're clinging on tightly.

I always have breakfast before I head out on the water in the morning. Toast and a banana and sometimes a smoothie are enough to keep me energized without being too heavy. I try to drink lots of water afterwards and take a flask of coffee or tea to warm me up afterwards and on the drive home.

I also make a point of trying to dry my wetsuit after a session so that it's altogether more pleasant to wriggle into next time out. Another tip I recommend is to practice rigging and de-rigging your sail in the garden or open space so that you can do it quickly on the beach in strong winds without getting cold before you've even started.  

I've also learnt how to put my kit as a pack so that if I ever landed a bit further downwind than planned I could pack it up and carry it back in one trip. 

If you need some additional motivation to get going in the cold, winter months why not find a local RYA centre the camaraderie of windsurfing with a group, all experiencing the same thing will help you get to grips with the conditions.