Cold Water Sessions

The days may be starting to get longer again in Europe after the winter solstice, but we’re still only in the middle of winter, meaning there’s still - hopefully - plenty of winter storms to come, which may mean braving the cold in order to score the best conditions. Markus Rydberg (Simmer) is one sailor who is no stranger to the cold having been born and bred in Sweden. However, even the coldest of conditions don’t seem to phase him, with Rydberg happily sailing through the depths of the Swedish winter. Find out his thoughts on cold water sessions below:

PWA: How do you get motivated to go sailing when it’s freezing cold? 

MR: “It’s very rare that I'm not motivated to go windsurfing anytime during the year, but a session when it's really cold is something totally different. When it's 2 degrees and below, with just a few other sailors out it is really rewarding in a special way! Hard to explain but it's a good feeling and for me it's not hard to motivate myself to go in the water when it's cold!”

PWA: Do you follow a set preparation the night/morning before you go sailing? If so, what?

MR: “Not really. If it's windy in the morning I like to have a nice breakfast with coffee and think about the upcoming session to get the right mindset. You need to know it's going to be cold, otherwise it will be a major shock when you fall in the first time, haha.” 

PWA: Favourite music to get you pumped up before you go sailing?

MR: “Different every time.” 

PWA: Gloves or no gloves? Are boots allowed?

MR: “If you don't use gloves and boots you pretty much can't sail during the winter here in Sweden. 

Some guys have even started to have home made lanovated wetsuits as well to keep the hands warm.  (a tiny plastic pipe going from the mouth, through the arms down to your gloves, where you breath out warm air).”

PWA: Warm up routine before you go sailing?

MR: “I have the same warm up routine all year round, but it feels especially important during the winter as you get cold and stiff faster. Would be a shame to get injured and miss all the crazy winter action by not warming up!”

PWA: Anything else you’d like to add…?

MR: “Make sure your gear is good, especially your ropes and the mast foot. If something breaks it can get very serious, very fast!” 

PWA: Thanks, Markus.

If you’d like to follow the latest news about Markus Rydberg then be sure to ‘like’ his Facebook Fan Page, here.