Speed

There is a point when you are windsurfing when everything comes together. The sail powers up, the board accelerates onto a plane, your feet slide into the foot straps, and you are suddenly flying across the water faster than the wind. When you reach this planing moment after weeks (or in my case, months) of learning, you suddenly realise why this sport is so great; and from that moment you are hooked. It’s the orgasm of windsurfing, except it goes on for an hour or more and you get more wet and (ED: that quite enough of this analogy thank you).

Anyway, after two tentative post-accident sailing outings, today I went out with my new Element sail, and suddenly found myself in the footstraps and planing. There followed much whooping and screaming with the sheer exhilaration of the experience, my first windsurfing orgasm for four months. Was out on the water for a couple of hours and tonight my muscles and back are complaining; but I am not.

The windsurfing orgasm: good exercise, you don’t feel like rolling over and going to sleep afterwards, and no risk of unwanted children (ED: I told you to stop this).

P.S. The gold spray in the photo is from the setting sun. Just in case you thought I Photoshopped it.