Description
Welcome to the biggest and best university windsurfing club in the country! Last year we had the most people at events and won the student windsurfing series!
Tuition from Qualified Student Instructors; Socials to be Remembered (or not); UK-Wide Student Windsurfing Events; Windsurfing Summer Holidays. RYA Instructor course opportunities
Watch this video to see what we did in 2023/2024:
Join the groupchats for more info on socials and more!
-UBWC 24/25 chat: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J1I9Gqn7msMAXx3IFnsAI6
-Lake Trips groupchat: https://chat.whatsapp.com/B8s1eYWZqyqFTSxbRw4j0Z
-Give it a Go groupchat: https://chat.whatsapp.com/IouTycuV9a20F7VlLUCUgd
Find us on:
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Welcome!
Whether you've never tried windsurfing before or are a seasoned shredder, our club welcomes anyone and everyone. We take a keen interest in making sure you progress quickly and get to experience everything this amazing sport has to offer.
Some praise from the Rate My Group survey:
- "This is the best sports club as it welcomes everyone from any level as if they were the same, racers or not, windsurfers or not."
- "Everyone is really friendly and welcoming into the group."
- "Enabled me to participate in an activity I would not have the opportunity to do outside of uni so easily and for such good value for money."
- "I like that we are part of a UK community of students who practice windsurfing, beyond Bristol."
Windsurfing Day Trips!
We run day trips for newcomers/beginners, intermediates, and advanced windsurfers. Newcomers and beginners are taught at Bowmoor Sailing Club by our very own qualified instructors, with safety cover provided. Bowmoor also has a clubhouse with a bar, a cafe that serves hot food and changing rooms with hot showers. Intermediates and advanced windsurfers tend to go to coastal locations that may or may not have waves (South Wales, North Devon, and Weymouth).
Here is a video from one of our Portland harbour advanced trips.
Student Windsurfing Association (SWA) Events!
We have a jam-packed calendar of events lined up for you that take place all across the country. This is a great way to get outside of the Bristol bubble and meet new people as well as experience some awesome nights out in different cities. The first event, Aussie Kiss (AK), is the largest and wildest. It's basically a windsurfing festival for students and attracts over 250 of us each year! As far as we know it's the world's largest student windsurfing event. There'll also be:
- Three core events (In 2022/23 we went to Liverpool, Southampton, and Birmingham)
- Wave events (In 2022 we went to Swansea, in 2024 we went to Exeter)
- BUCS Nationals (2023 & 2024 Bristol)
The core events are for everyone, there is beginner instruction as well as racing for all levels, team racing (relay with the kit!) and freestyle for all. We are hosted by other students and go on two nights out.
The wave events are focused more towards intermediates and advanced windsurfers to do their thing on the water, but everyone is welcome to join the party.
Nationals is the 'serious' SWA event with BUCS points and medals up for grabs from the racing. The racing is split by level so as long as you can stand on a board you can join in the action. The nights out are very good fun too. Heres the video from last years event:
Windsurfing Holidays!
There are annual SWA holidays, to warm and windy spots across Europe. Since Covid we have been going to Bol in Croatia, which has been a stop on the PWA world tour, so its pretty reliable for wind!
The holidays are a fantastic chance to improve your windsurfing skills, where the water is slightly more inviting than Lake Bowmoor when you inevitably lose balance on the board. It's also a great opportunity to get to know more students from other universities across the country and it ends up being fairly reasonably priced.
Socials!
Probably the most important bit! Every Tuesday, we meet up and throw some shapes in Bristol's finest bars and clubs. We have a 3-strong team of social secs to ensure a diverse and exciting range of activities. From formal Christmas dinners to drinking challenges and climbing evenings, we will always have the most 'creative' costumes so grab your cardboard and scissors and come and join in. The Beanies and Bikinis socials have grown massively in recent years to become one of the best socials at the university. All extreme snow and watersports societies come together for 2 massive evenings on the water a year. For the first, we hire party boats and cruise around the river, and for the second we hire the whole of Thekla for a themed club evening. Last year 750 tickets sold out in under 24 hours so It's not one to miss!
We often meet up with the kitesurfers and they are actually quite nice.
Equipment
We have one of the best and largest kit collections of any university windsurfing club. The beginner gear is kept lakeside at Bowmoor with ease to rig and get straight on the water. We have enough beginner setups for several people on the water at a time and lots of planning kit for those windy days at the lake. Our prime intermediate boards are starboard carves and atoms from 120 to 150l. We also have a range of wave, freestyle and free race boards as well as a dedicated foil board. Most of this advanced stash is kept at the student union where it is convenient to grab and go straight from Bristol to your desired spot. Your membership allows you to borrow wetsuits and windsurfing equipment (just ask someone on the committee).
Skill Development and Instructor Courses!
Lake trips are only possible with student instructors so we are very keen to get as many people qualified as possible. With the help of the SWA we aim to run these courses yearly and can even help to subsidise the course.
We have good relationships with centres to get all prerequisites for the course (PB2, First aid and safe and fun) completed at a good price without leaving Bristol, and can assist in finding instructor courses once you are ready.
This means you can go to sweet places like the ones in the videos AND GET PAID!!!
What we are about!
Meet the Committee
President |
Vice President |
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Kit and Training Sec
Ben Millard |
Treasurer
Alexia Noirot |
Social Sec
James Parsons |
Social Sec
Harriett Sanderson |
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Social Sec Jason Price |
Club Secretary
Tommy Millard |
| Transport sec
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Welfare Rep
Alex Robinson |
Social Media Rep
Will Brookes |
Boogieboard Sec
Tommy Millard |
UBWC Associations
We a proud to collaborate with
- Club Vass
- Tenzing energy drinks
- The White Hearte
- Lizard Lounge
We are a member of:
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| Student Windsurfing Association |
Terms and conditions
Click here to view terms and conditions
Membership Fee Inclusions
Prior to signing up to a Club or Society speak to the Committee to find out what your membership includes and if there are any further expenses throughout the year.
Service Standards
All Club or Society members can expect to receive:
- The opportunity to attend regular meetings, events, activities, trips and socials as arranged.
- The opportunity to stand for a committee position or vote in their elections (Bristol students only).
- For Sports Club – to attend regular training sessions and have the opportunity to be selected for the teams.
Code of Conduct
When joining a club or society you are agreeing to abide by the constitution, general rules, regulations and policies of University of Bristol Students’ Union and also the Club or Society Code of Conduct which sets out the level of behaviour & discipline expected of all Club & Society members.
Refund Policy
Any customer who pays for a membership subscription to a Bristol SU Society, Sports Club, Student Media and initiatives has a 14 day cooling off period from the time and date of purchase during which they have the right to cancel the subscription and receive a full refund. If you do decide to cancel within the 14 days, Bristol SU will refund your payment within a further 30 days of the cancellation. To request a refund please email: bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk
Data sharing (Sports Club members only)
Please be aware that Bristol SU may share data relating to the members of its sports clubs with the Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health (a department of the University). This information may be used for the purposes of communicating direct with these members and/or to cross-reference against SEH's Sports Pass membership records.
As part of Bristol SU's membership of British Universities & Colleges Sports (BUCS) Bristol SU may have to share data on to its sports clubs members so BUCS can, from time to time, communicate with these members.
Data sharing (Societies members only)
If you're joining one of the societies listed below please be aware that your name and email address will be shared with Bristol Hub for the purpose of keeping you up to date with their activities through their email “The Week”:
AIESEC Bristol, AMICUS Bristol, Anti-Slavery Society, Bristol Feminists, Bristol Friends of MSF, Bristol Marrow, Bristol Social Enterprise Society, Bristol Student Action for Refugees, Bristol University Amnesty International, Conservation Group, Bristol University Oxfam Group, Bristol University Sustainability Team, Bristol Volunteers for Development Abroad, Engineers Without Borders, Howard League for Penal Reform Student Society, International Affairs Society, Medsin Bristol, Model United Nations, and Vegetarian and Vegan Society.
For more information on Bristol Hub visit: http://www.bristolhub.org.
If you do not want your details shared with the Hub please email: bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk.
These terms shall be governed by English law and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. Nothing in these terms shall exclude liability for fraudulent misrepresentation.
