Last weekend, our brand new Calshot Flock, a community of Windsurfers, Wingfoil Women, Paddle Boarders and all round Water Women in Southampton, led by Georgia, gathered for their first official event. What a weekend it was!
Beginning early doors with the team enjoying delicious pastries, tea, and coffee while unloading their kit and settling into their camping pitches. Despite a rainy start, spirits were high as we huddled under the She Flies tent for the morning briefing, where we discussed the weekend’s agenda, essential safety information, and were thrilled to see Tim from Duotone setting up some exclusive demo gear just for us. The promise at She Flies is - and will always be - to join alone as you’ll leave with friends and the mornings welcome by Georgia was a perfect way to set that tone.
The rain was short-lived and fortunately brought a welcome surprise—unexpected wind!
We wasted no time pumping up our wings and hitting the water. The wind direction was perfect, allowing the more adventurous women to venture into the rougher waters safely, as they would be blown straight back to the beach. Our photo boat capturing all the action as we tackled the Solent chop.
As soon as the lagoon filled up, we were blessed with even more wind, and the energy was electric. Whether in the lagoon or the rougher waters, everyone cheered each other on through first flights and even nailing foiling gybes. A special shout-out to our youngest participant, Tessa, who achieved her first foil upwind in the lagoon, making it all the way back to the beach—what a legend!
After everyone had their fill of winging, we lit the fire pits, blasted some music, and brought out the beers. Pizzas were ordered, and we enjoyed a lovely evening around the fire, chatting about everything from winging to life in general. It is always so much more than the sport with She Flies and the Calshot Flock has hit off to a beautiful start with awesome chat amongst such like-minded ladies, friendships forming already.
Sunday morning greeted us with sunshine. A few of us headed to Calshot for breakfast, where we were treated to a chat with local shop owner John about the area and the best conditions for winging. By the time we returned to camp, the wind was picking up again, so it was all hands on deck to get our gear together and hit the water.
The format followed similar to Saturday, starting in the rougher waters off the end of Calshot spit and moving into the lagoon as the tide came in. The day was an absolute beauty, with the sun shining, the wind blowing, and a double high tide giving us hours of non-stop fun on the water. We launched at 12:30 and didn't finish until 17:30. The last women standing had a little mud run to get back to the beach by the time they were done. Rumour has it, Calshot mud is great for the skin!
A huge thank you to everyone who made this weekend unforgettable; The Calshot Activities Centre, the SUP Co x Calshot and an even more special thanks to Georgia, our brilliant leader to this growing Flock, Rowena our number 1 support and the rest of the superb guests.
The Calshot Flock proved once again that Women are awesome, all levels, all experiences, all energies.
Stay tuned for our next gathering—sign up to the mailing list to join the Flock itself and be the first to hear about upcoming events.
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