waterstaet in strong wind

Question
H i Windlover,

out sailing the other day in about 30 knots in gusty conditions. This was on a river with large wind blown chop.  When trying to waterstart,  the board ( flow 284  and 4.0 metre sail  )gets lifted up and blows over my head,   This was after I had the sail in correct position but had not got to the stage of feet on board. The only things I could think of were that the chop is lifting up the  board and exposing it to wind or I need more mast foot pressure to hold board down.
Also, when i am waterstarting i come out of the water when waterstarting and  get to the stage of standing upright with sail but tend to sheet out because of the strong wind or am pulled off balance over the front of board. So I guess i am asking the procedure for strong wind waterstarts ., from water to the stage of being hooked in and blasting..!  
 Any tips greatly apprciated.  

regards Geoffrey










9

Answer
Hey Geoffrey,

Your question brings back many memories of struggling in high winds. There are various factors that are affecting your abilities to waterstart in high wind conditions.

I'll cover equipment first. If you were in 30kts with gusts, your 284 is probably a bit big. But if that is your smallest board or all you have, here are few things you can do. A smaller fin will help keep the board in the water and be more controllable (look for used ones online, at your local shop, or at swap meets. It will probably not get used much so save some $'s buying used). Your mast postion should be more to the forward to help push down the nose of the board. As you get more comfortable and experienced, you can move the mast back for more speed because it helps reduce the wetted surface of the board.

Next would be your sail size. A 4.0 in 30+kts is a lot of sail on a 284. If you were on a board with about 85ltrs volume a 4.0 would be about right. If 4.0 is your smallest sail, then you need to downhaul it to the max. The top/leech (top 2 or three battens) of your sail should be flopping like a flag with no wind. Outhaul your sail so that it is close to flat. You still want a small amount of pocket to keep the draft locked in. The excess wind will spill out the top of the sail. If it is a cambered sail, remove the camber and install a regular batten. You don't need the deep pocket if the wind is overpowering you.

Set your boom a bit higher than you normally do (1/2" to 2"). Raising your boom height will help you rake the sail back in high winds. It allows you to hang from the boom during water starts and while getting out of the water. When you hang from the boom during sailing, it places your center of gravity lower and gives you a bit more leverage on the sail.

Now to you and waterstarting.
It sounds like you are doing the traditional method of flying the sail on the upwind side of the board and going from there. This method works well for most conditions but it leaves much room for error in high winds.

Try this method for getting the sail flying.

Get the sail on the downwind side of the board and parallel to the board with the top of the mast to the back of the board. Push the tail of the board down with your back hand and pull the boom up onto the board with your forward hand. Release tail and it will lift the mast out of the water. Grasp the boom (underhanded) with your forward hand and lift slightly to clear the clew of the sail. Once the sail is clear, switch to overhand grip, pull the sail towards you, and grab with your back hand. At this point you should be getting your back foot onto the board just in front of the rear strap. Now get your front foot on the board just in front of the front strap.

Normal waterstarting would have you pointing the board a fair bit off wind to get the sail to pull you up. In high winds you don't need quite as much offwind postition due to the force of the wind. As you start raising the sail (straight front arm, rear hand sheeting in), push hard with your front foot to keep your body behind the sail. Keep your knees bent so that you are hanging from the sail instead of standing up and letting the sail launch you. If you are still getting pulled too hard, let out with your back hand. Once you are up on the board, lean back against the sail and sheet in slightly to get the board moving.

The big key to control here is your body postion and sheeting the sail. Body should be leaning out and back from the mast (back meaning towards the tail, out meaning away from the sail and board), sheeting should be as needed to control the sail. Once you are moving and have some control over the sail, get hooked into your harness. Once in the harness, get into the front foot strap and then the rear. Sheet out as needed to control the sail until you are hooked in and feet in the straps. Once you are in, you will have much more control over the sail. If you have rigged as mentioned above, the sail should be much more controllable.

For practice, on a high wind day, get to where you are flying the sail and feet in postion. Perform your water start and get into the harness and straps. As soon as you are planning good, try a jybe. If you fall, then you get to practice another waterstart. Just try to get as many waterstarts in as you can until you get them dialed. If you start getting tired, take some long runs or head for the beach for a rest. But really push yourself to keep doing waterstarts for at least one or two sessions. It won't take but about 15-20 trys to get them dialed in fairly good.

Hope this will help you in the high winds. Please feel free to ask more questions.

Have a great windsurfing season,
Windlover