Tamil Nadu takes to windsurfing: Why this Olympic sport is gaining popularity in Chennai

Tamil Nadu takes to windsurfing: Why this Olympic sport is gaining popularity in Chennai

At first glance, they appear to be butterfly wings. A closer look from a nearby passenger boat confirms that the ‘butterflies’ in hues of red and pink are in cahoots with the wind to cross a finish line between an orange buoy and a flagged boat on the choppy waters of the Bay of Bengal. They are sailboards carrying windsurfers; all vying for the top spot at the All India Windsurfing Championships that wrapped last weekend at the Chennai harbour. 

While a half-metre swell in the ocean is enough to throw the distant observers (safe in a boat) off-balance, windsurfers deftly combine the techniques of surfing and sailing to find their sweet spot on the waters; with the wind as their guide. They don’t always follow, they fight it too. The sailboard carries the weight of the windsurfer who uses their body weight to determine the movement and its direction.

In a city celebrated for its dynamic surfing community, windsurfing is slowly but steadily seeing an uptick in interest. “You are looking at more than 20 windsurfing training institutes across the country, so the accessibility has definitely improved,” says kite surfer Jehan Driver of Quest Academy in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu which is widely regarded as one of the ideal locations to windsurf owing to steady winds, and relatively flat waters.

While cities like Mumbai and Goa have for long been touted as strongholds, this is the second time Chennai is hosting an all-India competition. 

Last year, the event was held between the curvy shoreline of Kovalam beach and the fishing hamlet nearby, with an eager crowd of spectators. This year, windsurfers from 14 states and nine different clubs were in attendance at the Championships organised by the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association, Chennai Sailing Academy and the Indian Coast Guard, of which many young Chennai athletes clinched silver and gold medals in different race classes, like the Raceboard, Techno-293, RS-X and IQFoil. 

While the movement is slowly picking up in competition circles, the adventure sport will also be a preferred leisure activity along the East coast for the next five months, thanks to ideal wind and water conditions.

“Along the coast, we have a completely open ocean, with no land formations till the Andamans, which means we have steady winds, and good, clean waters. We also have swells ranging from half-metre to three and four-metres, and that’s the challenge. I would say this is one of the best conditions for windsurfers and sailors,” says Ajit Diaz, founding member of the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association and International Race Official appointed by World Sailing.