BaBrUWE 8: The Debrief
After a year apart, the SWA returned to Bristol for the first Core Event of the year: BaBrUWE Wet Dreams 8! With the combined forces Bristol, UWE and newly-reformed Bath organising the event, expectations were high. A hundred and fifty students made the journey down (or up) on Friday night, excited at the prospect of not sleeping in a tent and ready to see what Bristol has to offer…
Sponsorship Spotlight: Beverley Hills Villa, Fuerteventura!
This year we're welcoming back Beverley Hills, who have been sponsoring us for a few years. Over that time, several of our clubs have had amazing holidays staying with them in Fuerteventura, with the villa situated super close to the Ion Club bases at Costa Calma and Risco del Paso.
The hostel is ideal for student groups, with three self-contained apartments, which house twenty people in total, and can be rented separately or altogether for larger groups. There is a heated swimming pool, an outdoor shower, a barbecue, a range of furniture for sunbathing on and a private bar, making it the ideal student villa. Of course, brilliant as the private bar sounds, the real reason you'll be heading there is for the windsurfing... right?
Aussie Kiss 16: The Debrief
Last weekend over three hundred of you made the journey to Roadford Lake in Devon to celebrate the super sweet sixteenth birthday of our favourite student windsurfing festival, Aussie Kiss. It was a weekend of wind, rain, and quite a lot of mud, but us windsurfers are a sturdy bunch, and we didn't let the weather hold us back. Having now returned to the comforts of four walls, radiators and duvets, it's time to reflect back on the weekend in an attempt to beat the PED (that's Post Event Depression, if you weren't sure).
Things kicked off on the Friday, with minibuses, kit vans, a selection of cars and a stray coach arriving across the evening, ready for the first big night in the party tent. A special mention goes to the University of Limerick, who not only had to get on an actual plane to get there, but were also unfortunately involved in a car accident on the drive from the airport. They didn't let this hold them back however, and made it in time for the party. As the rain came down, the final tents were pitched and everyone migrated to the spectacular dome tent for a wild night of catching up with old friends and getting to know new ones, under the influence of some great music and the second most abundant fluid of the night (after the rain): alcohol.
An SWA guide to: Waves glorious waves!
Waves Glorious Waves.
Making the transition into wave sailing can be a daunting prospect, but in reality you are likely to have many of the skills you need to dive into the swell and start taking your windsurfing in new and exciting directions. To help break down some of the most important aspects of this incredible windsurfing discipline our resident SWA wave series directors: Ben Page and Dan Lytton have put together this excellent guide for you. The SWA hosts 3 wave events every year visiting some of the UKs best loved wave sailing spots. With so much fun to be had now is the time to get in involved! Here are our answers to some of the most common questions regarding the wonderful world of waves.
Sponsorship Spotlight: Mark Warner!
Warner is one of the most highly regarded tour operators in the UK, offering a mix of ski and beach activity holidays all over Europe. They'll be running our Beginner Beach and keeping an eye out for potential staff for their Summer 2018 season, as well as offering funding towards further instructor training as a prize for a lucky winner!
With beach resorts in Greece, Sardinia and Corsica, they offer countless opportunities for employment abroad. If you're already a qualified RYA Windsurfing and/or Sailing Instructor, you should definitely keep Mark Warner in mind for summer and post uni jobs! Likewise, if you've enjoyed your windsurfing holiday with your uni club this year and feel like one week in the sun just isn't enough, think about doing your instructor course ̶ because two months of windsurfing is a whole lot better than just a week! And it's better than free, they actually pay you to do it.
