It is going to happen at some point or most likely already has; the wind is going to greatly affect your paddling experience. It happens to the best of us, even the most seasoned paddleboarder has no control over it. It’s fantastic when the wind is at your back! You look back and you’re like, “Woah, I made that amount of distance in only 10 minutes?!” But then when it’s time to turn around the real fun begins… A full-on body workout is about to begin and if you haven’t properly strategized, you’re in for a rude awaking! We can’t control the weather, but there are a number of things that we can do to help make our experience enjoyable and I’m happy to share my experiences with you.
Paddle from your knees
I have found this to be the most affective strategy when dealing with the wind head-on for two reasons: it allows less resistance against the wind and you can also get faster and more powerful paddle stokes. If you’ve ever been caught in the wind, you know what I’m talking about. It feels like you can’t gain any ground when you’re standing, a snail can literally outpace you if the wind is bad enough! The unfortunate thing about being on your knees is that you can’t take a break because you will lose ground, so it becomes a battle of will and determination. One such instance happened to my wife and I on Lake Superior.
Superior is known for its unpredictable wind patterns and it’s tough to find a day that is calm on that lake. Due to COVID restrictions, traveling was not really possible to celebrate our anniversary in mid-August. We decided that we wanted to try to paddle by the sea caves on the South Shore line by Bayfield, WI. It was crazy busy from the launch point and we decided to try another beach a few miles east. We ended up paddling the shoreline for about two miles when we decided it was time to maybe go back with the wind starting to pick up.
We rounded a corner in our home stretch and were completely caught off guard by how powerful the wind had become! I made the wrong call of cutting across the bay to get back to the beach vs. going along the shoreline. What resulted was the most punishing arm workouts in our lives! It seemed like we kept drifting further and further out into the lake. My wife kept screaming, “Are we even going anywhere!?” It was a scary moment for both of us, but we eventually made it back. But, do you know what saved us? Dropping to our knees and our relentless effort to keep going!
Paddle along a shoreline that is blocking the wind
In that last tip, I mentioned making the wrong call by not hugging the shoreline. Even though we would have still been directly into the wind, paddling to shore for a quick break would have been a possibility for us and made the situation far less scary than it was. However, if one properly strategizes, the wind doesn’t have to be a problem whatsoever in your paddle boarding experience. Before even deciding to go out or not, I look at the wind direction and speed on my weather app. This will determine where I’m going to be going and if it is even worth it to go.
I have several go-to lakes in my area that I paddle, and I know exactly which ones will work with how fast the wind is blowing and the direction. Some lakes have shorelines that completely eliminate the wind based on direction, others offer no help whatsoever. For example, if there is an East wind, I will go to the East boat launch of Forest Lake and paddle North/South along its Eastern shoreline. You’ll want to try to access the body of water you are planning on paddling at whatever direction the wind is blowing. Chances are that the wind will get blocked in some capacity to make your experience more enjoyable!
So those are my two best tips on dealing with the wind while paddle boarding. Perhaps you have already discovered these practices and its old news. Maybe you have some additional advice you would like to share? Maybe you are a crazy person and actually love paddling into the wind… Whatever the case may be, I just hope you’re enjoying yourselves out there, paddle on friends!