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Cross Train Your Sailing, Paddling, and Boarding Sports!

  • Posted on
  • By Alan Raby
  • Posted in Kayak
Cross Train Your Sailing, Paddling, and Boarding Sports!

If you are into non motorized water sports and want to avoid being burnt out on your current goto activity on the water, you are in luck! Water sports outlets such as Mariner Sails understand that one water sport easily leads to another, making cross training into another sport, be it for fitness, recreational fun, or to enhance your social life, something that is natural and easy to do!

In our community there are three main categories of water sports; sailing sports, paddle sports, and board sports. Of course these all blur together, and branch out into other categories such as fishing, camping, bird watching, and some swimming; plenty of activity to keep us entertained, fit, and healthy.

Kayaking

Kayak Cross Training

Kayaking is probably the most popular paddle sport these days and one of the easiest to get into. There is such a variety of kayaks or kayaking venues, such as kayak fishing, long distance touring, white water and even surf kayaking. When on a kayak we learn to read and feel the water fairly quickly.

Kayaking Crossovers:

  1. Fishing - Kayak fishing is huge these days. Having the ability to be mobile on the water without the hassle and expense of a motorized vessel has motivated the masses to get into kayak fishing of every conceivable type.
  2. Stand up Paddle Boarding - There are many reasons a kayaker can easily cross-train into SUP’s. SUP is still a paddle-sport, and although the strokes used are different the physics are the same. Stand-up Paddle Boarding also engages more muscles for fitness purposes. And the standing viewpoint allows for a lot of advantages over a kayak when it comes to fishing.
  3. Sailing - In many cases it is not difficult at all to convert a kayak into a basic sail-powered vessel. There are many sail-kits on the market, Hobie specializes in this. All one really needs are the appropriate mounts for the sailing rig, and sometimes some pontoon kits can be helpful for stability. Hobie makes an amazing hybrid Kayak Sailboat , or sail-yak, called the Adventure Island.
  4. Surfing - Surf Kayaking is a thing! It is a fun sport with its own learning curve.

Stand-up Paddle Board Crossovers

Stand-up Paddle Board Cross Training

  1. Kayaking - As a paddle sport, the physics of SUP and kayaking are very similar, although the paddling techniques are different. There are now hybrids between kayaks and SUP where you can choose to stand-up or sit down.
  2. Fishing - fishing from an SUP has become very popular due to the excellent stand-up view, and many find it is easier to fight fish from a standing position.
  3. Windsurfing - if you put a sail on an SUP - you are windsurfing. There are many SUP’s that are designed to easily convert into windsurf boards such as the Starboard Windsup. Sometimes even long windsurf boards that are not designed to be SUP’s can make great SUP boards.
  4. Surfing - Surf SUP is a very popular and fun sport. You could categorize it as a style of long-boarding, but with the advantage of having a paddle to get to the best wave sets, and control the board when riding a wave.

Windsurfing Crossovers

Windsurfing Cross Training

  1. Sailing - Windsurfing is more a form of sailing than anything else. Unlike sailing on a boat, everything is faster, closer to the water, and more raw. Windsurfing is one of the more extreme forms of sailing, rivaling catamaran sailing in intensity for advanced windsurfers.
  2. Stand-up Paddle Boarding - Since windsurfing is a standing board-sport, it is very easy to transition to SUP, especially if you already have a long windsurf board.
  3. Surfing - The intensity and balance of windsurfing translates fairly well into surfing. Wave-sailing is a form of windsurfing that combines surfing on large waves with windsurfing.

Sailing Crossovers

  1. Fishing - Sailing offers mobility comparable to a motorized boats to reach a lot of fishing spots, and trolling or pulling artificial bait is a popular way of fishing while sailing. The Hobie Adventure Island sail-yak is a very effective sailboat designed for fishing.
  2. Windsurfing - Sailors can ship-down to something more raw and intense, the physics, terminology, and knowledge is identical to sailing, but the physical application is different.

Conclusion

There is never an excuse to get bored as long as you are engaged in any one of the above water sports. It is best to have at least two; a primary and a backup. There are circumstances that may not allow you to do one, for example it is often too windy to get out on a kayak or SUP, but this means the sailing sports are the optimal choice. Or if the fish aren't biting, maybe it is time to get on the SUP and firm up the abs to prevent back injury. There will almost always be a way to get out on the water and have a good time.