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Provided you can sail everyday, what is the ideal duration of a windsurfing holiday?
Before everyone chimes in "as long as possible!"
Last year I spent 23 days in Vassiliki as a beginner and was completely stuffed after 2 weeks. I had to give it a rest for 2 Saturdays, otherwise I would have dropped dead. And I was reasonably fit when I came there (swimming 1 km per day, gym almost everyday 6 months prior). OK, for the first 2 weeks I was out on the water almost all day (light wind in the morning on a high volume board, crazy gusty wind in the afternoon). I dropped the morning sessions in the final week. Vass was very gusty (thermal wind). My only accomplishment was waterstarts.
This year I will go to the Cocos Islands. The only question is the trip duration. I can waterstart, plane briefly (but only with the front foot in the strap), use the harness a bit. Still in the catapult stage, though mercifully the mast now usually misses the nose of my board. My options are 2, 3 and 4 weeks. I want to make as much progress as possible without killing myself (especially forearms and hands). It seems like the wind is somewhat weaker there, but more consistent. I also weigh less this year. 67 kg down from 76 kg, so planing is only limited by skill. It's flat and shallow way out, so waterstarting should be easier. The water is warmer. On the downside, I'm a year older (37).
What do you guys reckon? The basic expectation is to plane reliably in the straps and harness. The dream is carve gybes.
Can you go for 4 weeks and commit to taking a few days off at a time so that you are only 'sailing' for 2 weeks? At your stage it might be the best idea because its a great time to learn but one block of 4 weeks might be a bit too much. I think when you get tired you start making mistakes and stuffing simple things up.
After re-reading your question, maybe its a bit early to expect to handle 4 weeks in one go. There is the potential to learn a lot, but at your stage it might be a bit too tiring. You won't know until you are there. You might find you use up all the time and are loving it, or that you are shattered after 2 weeks.
The big issue is how often you fall in and how difficult it is to get going again, for me anyway. I can sail for quite a few hours if I'm not falling in much. However if falling in all the time, I get worn out and tired fairly quickly. Also the water state is a big factor too. If the water is really choppy then it takes it out of me a lot quicker than flat water.
So if the water at the CoCos Islands is flat and it has a sandy bottom that you can stand on, I would aim to stay there as long as possible. These sorts of areas make windsurfing as easy as it can be so you make good progress or have a lot of fun.
The simple answer is as long as possible
The major issue is how your body and in particular your hands hold up to constant sailing.
For those in the west who sail consistently maybe not such a problem, but if like me your stuck at work/ family commitments and your usual sailing window is narrow you hands aren't conditioned to gripping a boom for 4-5 hrs per day
The head will always say one more run the hands say enough
Funny idea as 99.9% of windsurfers do + the top riders..I'd get another instructor..
