This article is available to read for free now in WSW issue 04. Here’s a little more info below – or jump directly to the feature here
Are wingsurfers just grumpy or are they too busy steering? This article sheds light on the matter while breaking it down step-by-step as a technique feature
As a winger, the situation runs something like this: You’re riding along, smiling broadly and feeling good. As a kiter gets closer, you notice they start to release their hand from the bar to give you a wave. You think, ‘Shit’. They get closer and you can see their broad smile begins to fade as you turn your head away from them to look at your wing. Your own smile crawls up your face to be replaced by a brow furrowed in confusion. How to counteract this complex cultural interaction, somehow requiring extra-sensory co-ordination between your foil, limbs and wing?
Which hand should you wave with, and how the hell do you balance the wing with just one hand?
By the time you’ve decided to just smile and nod, when you look back around, the moment (and said kiter) have long since passed. Judgement cast.
So how do you wave? Well, this isn’t really a technique article about waving; we’re talking about an important skill for ocean going wingers, relating to balance, direction, momentum, perhaps a little pumping know-how and wing handling.
