Windsurfing in a squall

A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed that is usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow.

I recently windsurfed at my local lake (Siblyback) on a a cold winter afternoon where there was a whole series of squalls. During these the wind speed increased quite substantially.

The following two pictures were taken just 13 minutes apart and show how the wind and conditions can change very rapidly.

Nice and sunny, with a reasonable wind level, no white water.

 

Raining, faint rainbow on right, wind dramatically increased as evidenced by white tips on waves.

On this occasion I rigged a 7.5M sail which was great between the squalls, but overpowered during them. I would have been going well with my 6.7M had I rigged it. Instead I put a few extra cm of outhaul on my 7.5 to reduce the power a bit.

Dealing with squalls as a windsurfer will largely depend on your skill level and where you are sailing. Squally weather can also make your sail size choice more difficult. 

The downside of squalls

If you are a beginner, you could find that during a squall you are completely overpowered and unable to sail. Since squalls are temporary, providing you aren't somewhere with strong currents and the wind doesn't mean you are drifting into danger you could lay down your sail and sit it out, or you might be able to wait on the shore until the strong wind passes. The edge of a squall will be when the brighter skies reappear. Squally weather can also make your sail size choice more difficult.

The upside of squalls

Sometimes a squall can do you good. Early in my windsurfing career when I was learning to use the harness I was guilty of being overcautious with my sail size. One day whilst sailing a strong squall came through and made me realise I could cope with more wind than I previously thought. As a more advanced sailor, a squall could give you that extra bit of wind that you are looking for on a day when the winds are otherwise marginal.

Squalls are temporary and mustn't be confused with a general increase of wind strength that is going to last several hours.