Expert: Windlover - 11/28/2009

Question
QUESTION: how do I avoid the board from going up wind when I move back to get in the straps? Thank you

ANSWER: Hey Eddy,

For starters, head the board offwind to increase board speed. While doing this, sheet in just a bit and extend your front arm. This will help push the nose of the board offwind. Also, try to keep the board flat by putting more pressure on your back toes and keep your foot over the center of the board. Now move your feet back until they are just in front of the footstraps. Now bend your knees and hang from the harness. This puts pressure on the mast base and helps keep the nose from rounding up.

Now shift your weight to the back foot and slip your front foot into the front strap. Immediately shift your weight back forward and straighten out your front leg while keeping some pressure on your back toes. Straightening your front leg will help push the nose of the board offwind. When you are comfortable with your board speed and body position, shift your weight forward slightly, hang from the harness, and slip the back foot into the rear strap. Shift your weight back to both feet and sheet in the sail to increase board speed even more.

I know I mention a lot of things that push the board offwind and it would seem that you would be going fully downwind by this time. But trust that these small efforts will counteract the natural tendency of the board to go upwind when you are shifting your weight back to get into the straps. The board should stay on a beam to broad reach (90deg-130deg) while you are getting into the straps.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey guys,
Thank you for all the help. I have been windsurfing for four months now and because of your help and practice practice practice, I am in my foot straps moving at a constant velocity and have experienced the feel of the sweet spot, where there is little if any pull on my harness from the sail while flying over the water. My Fanatic shark 160 handle like a dream, I am using a 7.5 sail in winds of 12-^ MPH. Would I get the board on plane with winds of 6-8 MPH if I use a 9-10 liter sail?


Answer
Hey Eddy,

Great to hear that you are advancing your skills and that the advice you found on this site is helping.

I can't guarantee that you will plane in that light of wind but to have a chance of making it happen, you will need to go with the maximum size sail you can use on your board and possibly going with a larger fin. The top end sail range of your board is a 10 meter sail but you could probably go with a 10.5-11.0 if you are a lighter weight sailor. Most sail ranges are base upon an average weight sailor which is around 170-190 lbs. If you get a large sail and find yourself not quite getting on a plane, then a larger fin may give you the extra edge you need to break onto a plane. Your current fin is around 50-52 cm and should work well even for a 10 meter sail. But in 6-8 mph winds, it may not be quite enough. If you go with a sail larger than 10 meters or just can't quite break onto a plane, consider getting a fin around 56-60 cm. Just don't try using the larger fin in anything over 12-15 mph as it could cause too much stress on the fin and tail of the board.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover