An Overview To Skate Sailing
December 4th, 2008

In its simplest application, skate sailing refers to an athlete who wears skates, yet is propelled by the wind, which catches in a sail the athlete is holding. If the sport is played on ice, then ice skates will be used. If a different surface is the playing field, the roller skates are acceptable. Due the many different kinds of skates available, this activity can be done anytime in the year, during any season, at any time.

There really are no particular rules to observe, and many of the suggestions that are made to avid skate sailors are simply common sense:

You will need to learn how to stop and make turns while holding a sail. While this is easier said than done, it can be learned in a few hours.

You will need to get to know your tolerance for speed and know when to slow down.

Safety gear is highly recommended, and usually a pair of durable long paints and some safety goggles will do the trick.

Obviously, you want to dress appropriately for the season; thus, if you skate sail in winter, you will want to dress in warm clothes. Avoid cotton since it retains any moisture and keeps it close to your skin. Dress in layers so you can shed some or add some, depending on your comfort level and outdoor temperature changes.

Pay attention to others around you. Since you will quite possibly gain a lot of speed, you want to make sure that you do not run into anyone or anything.

Of course, while these ideas truly are common sense suggestions, you will soon find that skate sailing is a lot easier to describe than to actually do. The biggest hurdle for many novices is how to accurately handle the sail while keeping the balance on the skates is usually not that hard to do. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you to navigate your sail without loosing your grip, or worse, heading toward places you did not intend to:

Positioning your hands on the front edge of the sail and then maneuvering it above your head in a horizontal fashion accomplish stopping. Do this while you are pointing in the direction of the wind. When the sail is in this position, the wind will not add speed to your movements and you will be able to easily stop your movements via skating stop and slow motions.

Sailing happens when you move the sail to the shoulder that is exposed to the direction of the wind, actually putting the sail like a shield between the wind and you. As you turn into the direction you wish to skate to, lean against the sail and let the wind actually hold you up. When you switch sides, always bring the sail back to the stopping position. This will allow you to switch sides without jerking around suddenly but while you are loosing momentum which will make your movements much more fluid and thus easier on the joints.

If you believe you are loosing control of your sail, or have lost control already, simply let it go. There is no sense in trying to hold on and either breaking the sail or getting hurt while holding on for dear life. Instead, let go, break your speed, and then go after the sail.

As you can see, there is a lot more to skate sailing than meets the eye. While it looks like effortless elegance when done by a pro, don't feel like the sport is not for you simply because the first few outings do not go smoothly. Instead remember that even the apparently effortless pro started out small, and probably had to let go of the sail quite a few times before she or he finally got into the groove of things. So go ahead, dust off your skates, make sure the blades of your ice skates are properly sharpened, and get yourself a sail. This inexpensive sport is a lot of fun and can be enjoyed alone or with others. Best of all, it will get you out into the fresh air and allow you to enjoy the beauty of nature year round

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