Womens Wingfoil event at Hayling Island Sailing Club
Hosted by Rachel Dobrijevic, Josie West and Liz Ackrill. Supported by Nik Baker from Duotone UK
Reflections from Rachel Dobrijevic (AKA @salty_days1)
62 Women! SIXTY TWO WOMEN!
I am still blown away that we achieved this number at our third ever South Coast flock event. The weekend sold out in just 3 days, such is the appetite for a non-competitive weekend of extreme sports and community and female empowerment
The vibe at 7am in the dark battling 30 knot winds and getting soaked by the rain whilst trying to pitch the She Flies beach tent was not glam at all! But Teamwork was there is spades, even if the guys from Duotone made it look easy pitching their tent in record time!
Then it was time to welcome the guests, the sailing club was covered in She Flies bunting and flags and the Main Bar was ready to welcome ladies who travelled from all over the South Coast, from Exmouth to Essex, the flock was assembling, many ladies who had previously attended one of the other events we’d run as well as lots of new faces and new local wingers who were HISC members.
Coffee, hugs and catch-up’s and then it was time to break the ice! Not everyone had arrived (some were still travelling!) but 50 women took part in some ‘speed dating’ questions, the noise level was next level! Its got to be a superpower how good women are at talking to other women!
Then it was time to head to the Beach for land drills and clinics on flying consistently, gybing and tacking. Some of the women wingers had already gone afloat by this point and were flying around the bay in style while the rest of us rigged kit and checked out all the new 2025 Wing equipment from @Duotone.wing.uk!
By this point everyone had arrived and had made it to the beach with their kit or they were already afloat flying around in the wind which was gently dropping to an average of around 14 knots. Enough for the experienced riders to pump up in but more of a challenge for our beginners.
However for many of our beginners their challenge was to ‘stand up’ on a wingboard and ‘wingsurf’ or to use a bigger wing or try pumping. So even though conditions were gentle it was in many ways ideal for some of our beginners and our more advanced riders.
After three hours of playing on the water it was time to chill on the sand dunes and listen to Mia Adcock share her knowledge of all things foils, she explained the shapes and uses of the foils and answered questions with ease.
At 4pm the group moved back to the clubhouse where the team from Indoboard Board UK were set up for a demonstration and activity to introduce the usefulness of Indoboard exercises (calisthenics) for wingfoiling fitness. It was a lot of fun to try out and take part.
Following that it was time for drinks on the balcony in the sunshine overlooking views of Chichester harbour and the setting sun, another chance to connect with new friends and talk about winging and laugh, so much laughing! Dinner was a huge event with almost 50 women staying to share food and conversation and the atmosphere was fantastic in the restaurant. This was followed by a DJ set and those with the most energy danced the night away while others chose to sit and drink tea and talk some more in the restaurant.
Sunday brought completely different conditions – Storm Ashley with winds predicted to reach 42 knots. Before breakfast one of the local she flies ladies was already out winging in the 30+ knot winds and low tide, whilst the rest of us enjoyed a cooked breakfast and compared energy levels and enthusiasm for the big winds that were predicted to come.
After a quick welcome we all moved to the top floor of the sailing club a large and quiet space where we were treated to a Mind Coaching session from Josie West, this was an intimate experience where she coached us on the barriers women face and how to overcome them, also how to connect with that part of you that holds your fears and worries. Some laughed, some cried and many of us shared our inner critics and supported one another.
By the time we had all made peace with ourselves and set personal goals for our next year it was time to review the wind, it was gusting 41knots inside the harbour which meant it was too windy for the sailing club to launch rescue boats, however they were very encouraging of anyone who wanted to go out and had the skills to do so.
5 of us went out winging, on our smallest wings, it was really good fun but definitely not for everyone. Around the harbour entrance Hugo Dobrijevic (2 x National Wingfoil champ) put on a freestyle show for everyone who was keeping out of the weather and watching from the restaurant. While many others chose to go winging at a more sheltered spot on their way home.
All in all it was another brilliant weekend where the SHE FLIES motto ran true: Come alone and Leave with Friends!
Make sure you hear of upcoming events, Sign up to the mailing list to be the first to hear, book and do this all over again.
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