Help for early intermediate....

Question
Hi there,

I've been windsurfing for a season and seem to have got a bit stuck in terms of progress so I wondered if you could help me out with a few tips please.  I'm 147 lbs, 5'10 and have my own kit, a Mistral N-trance beginner board (190L) and three sails 5.5, 6.0 and 7.5.

I sail inland on a local lake so the wind is often a bit gusty and shifty, usually in the 10-18mph range. I'm comfortable in the harness and am now starting to find the front footstrap.  I'm having a lot of problems though getting on to the plane and staying in control.  My goals for this year are to learn how to plane in both footstraps with consistency and control so I can sail in higher winds and to learn to waterstart.

The main problems I'm experiencing are:
1) I always seem to be out on the wrong sail size!!  Often it will look about 12 knots so I will try the 7.5 but once out the wind will get up a bit and I'll be overpowered and blown off downwind.  In these situations I'm still relying quite heavily on the daggerboard to slog back upwind.  If I come in and change down to the 6m often times there doesn't seem enough power to get on the plane.

I'm guessing this frustration is all down to poor technique - I've seen other folks out on much bigger sails than 7.5 and they're ripping along while I'm getting catapulted and having to come in to change down.  When on the 6m I don't think I really understand how to pump to get the board planing so suspect with better technique I may be able to plane more with that sail.  Or do you think I could do with a sail in between these two maybe 6.5m?

2) When I do catch a lucky gust and get planing I often seem to get headed off downwind which gets pretty scary and then have problems making up the ground to get back upwind so I usually end up having to drop the centreboard and slog back out of the harness which is very tiring.

3) To try to get into the footstraps I've been heading off a little and working my way back on the board until my feet are next to the straps.  I get my front foot in then hook in the harness but when I try to commit weight into the harness this powers everything up and I usually get catapulted whilst I'm trying to work out how to get my back foot in.

Would I find it easier to get planing do you think with a lighter board in the 150L range (the N-trance is 14kg) but I'm nervous about not having the daggerboard as I still seem to need that.  I did try out a 125L board and I could sail it OK in light winds and found it good fun but it was very tippy and when the wind got up a bit I couldn't stop getting blown downwind and found it difficult to uphaul in the chop so I'm thinking I'll need to learn waterstarting before getting a board that size.

I plan to stay sailing at the lake as it's very close to home so was even wondering about a formula board in time as there are several other folks I've noticed that sail regularly there and they seem to be able to plane upwind and downwind in all sorts of conditions on formula boards.  I guess they might be a bit too technical for me at the moment though ?

I'd like to get some tuition but there isn't anyone at the lake and the nearest other venue is a 2 ?drive away so I'm really hoping to be able to master all this practicing on my own.  Any help you could give would be really appreciated.

Many thanks,

Nicki


Answer
Hey Nicki,

It's always great to hear about new windsurfers. I'll answer your ?'s in the order you have asked.

1) You should be okay with the sail ranges you have of 6.0 and 7.5. You may just need to rig them a bit different. One thing to note is that unless the wind hitting you the same as out on the water, it will almost always be a bit higher than you judge from the shoreline. If you are getting overpowered on the 7.5, just try downhauling a bunch before downsizing. Most newer sails have a large wind range and you just have to adjust to the conditions. If you do downhaul, you may need to move your mast back a bit on the board. Probably 1-2 inches. This helps you move back on the board and makes it easier to get into the footstraps.

2) Once planing you should be able to point upwind and make up any downwind loss very quickly. A couple of things to do are; once planing, rake the sail back a bit (just like old school when learning to get the board to head upwind for a tack). This will cause the board to point upwind. The other thing is to put pressure on your heels and lift your toes. This causes the windward side of the board to dig into the water and helps it point upwind.

3) You are getting the hang of it but you need to do a couple things different. First, get into the harness and get comfortable with the sail. Then work your feet back until your back foot is right against the rear strap and your front foot is against the front strap. Now, sheet in just a bit and bear off wind just a bit. When your balance is comfortable, bend your knees and hang off the harness. Sheet out just a bit to depower the sail.

Now, shift your weight slightly to your back foot and slip the front foot around and into the strap. Then shift your weight to your front foot and slip the back foot in. Now start putting pressure on your feet and sheeting in the sail. You will feel an increase in power. Be ready to sheet out a bit to not be overpowered.

4) As for planing or getting up on a plane. Pumping the sail can be difficult at first but will help increase board speed. Usually you will sheet in just a bit and then literally pump the sail. This is done by leaning the sail to leeward and then pulling it directly towards you. The boom will move about 6"-8".
The other part is to us the feet to pump the board. This is actually the most effective way to get the board planing as it uses the fin and board rails to help move the board. First, you get the sail powered up decently and hook into the harness. Power up the sail and then hang on the harness just a bit. Now push with both legs against the board while pulling on the sail. It will seem awkward at first but you will soon get the hang of pumping the board. Try to time your pumps so that when pushing with the legs you are pulling on the sail. Do this in small doses until you learn the technique. Then you can really start getting good pumps in and you will have your board planing in no time.

I would suggest keeping the board you have until you are comfortable sailing all directions (upwind & downwind) without the daggerboard, in the footstraps, and hooked into the harness. You will very likely be doing all this very soon and you can then be working on your sailing techniques. You will find that once you are comfortable hooked in and in the footstraps, you will be able to control more sail in higher winds. You will be able to utilize your sails to their maximum wind ranges. You can also start learning jibes and waterstarts with the equipment that you have. I have some really good techniques for easy waterstarting and jibing when you get to that point.

Hope this will help. Please feel free to ask more questions.
Windlover