Published May 5, 2004 12:00AM
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Week of March 6-13, 1996 Tips on Great Smoky Mountains park Back to windsurfing school The primo treks on this planet Springtime getaway in Moab The lodge life in northern Canada Bike touring in Iceland Back to windsurfing school Q: I read an article in Outside a couple of years ago that profiled a beach resort that specializes in teaching windsurfing to beginners. Do you have that back issue or name/contact? Thanks. Andy Lufkin San Francisco, CA alufkin@ix.netcom.com A: By the sounds of it, you’re referring to “Going off to Boarding School” in the Destinations section of our January 1992 issue, in which we give you the inside skinny on five of our favorite windsurfing resorts. If you’re like me, you may have spent a few frustrating hours in a lake or ocean, wrestling with a too-big sail or an unwieldy wishbone while your skin turned to prunes and your buddy–who was supposed to be your unfailing teacher–sat in the boat or on the dock and laughed, or worse yet, fell asleep. By the time you finally wised up and headed for shore, your shins and ego badly bruised, you were probably cursing the day you met your so-called friend. Ever since that fateful afternoon, you’ve tried to put it out of your mind but to no avail–you’re haunted by windsurfing, determined to master this elusive, bicep-burning sport. But enough about me. You want to learn to windsurf. Forget the above-mentioned approach and stick with top-notch instructors and brand-new equipment, not to mention tempting diversions like horseback riding, snorkeling, and beach lounging to supplement your studies at a beachfront resort that approaches paradise. Spend a week at one of the schools listed below and by the third day you’ll likely have progressed from a simulator (a dry-land sailboard with training wheels), to a big floaty board or a BIC Flotation Trainer (like a pontoon with a sail), to–I kid you not–open water. Vela Highwind Center, Cancun, Mexico, 800-223-5443 Rhonda Smith Windsurfing Center, Hood River, Oregon, 503-386-9463 Windsurf Village, Aruba, 800-252-1070 Maui Magic Windsurfing School, Maui, Hawaii, 800-872-0999 Excursions Extraordinaires’ Windsurf Baja Center, Punta Chivato, Baja California, 800-678-2252 |