Windsurfing Magazine

kristin
2004-02-10 19:00:00 | 204 views | 0 Comments

Are you the person who sees wave sailors in videos and magazines and says, “Yeah, that looks cool, but I'll never do that.  I don't live in Maui.  Thanks, but I'll stick to the flat stuff.”

I agree that Maui is awesome.  So is the Dominican Republic, Oregon coast, Cape Hatteras… the list goes on.  But there is a lot of wave sailing that can be done where the rest of us live… in the real world.  My most frequent wave sailing spot is north shore Lake Erie.  That's right… Lake.  While it certainly is not Ho'okipa, it  does dish up some good, clean fun, and is much more user friendly. 

My point - if you are a competent bump and jump / slalom sailor, and are ready for a new thrill, there are many places to learn.  This is your opportunity to pick up the basics - Your step-by-step guide to wave sailing.

Where to go:

Any place that produces a rolling swell and a shore break will do for starters.  Try to find a launch that has at least a side-onshore wind.  Straight onshore winds can produce good waves, but make it very difficult to get our through the breakers.  Make sure you find out what is making the waves break, and are there any possible danger areas.  Most waves are caused by a beach break.  (swell jacks up as the water gets shallow.)  These are usually the safest, especially when the beach and bottom are sand.  When a wave breaks some distance off shore, it is usually from a reef, shoal or sand bar.  With these, ask about how shallow the water gets, and if there is anything you might hit with your fin or your body if you crash.  My home break is caused by a rocky shoal about 300 yards off shore.  There is one spot where you will hit your fin, so you need to avoid that, and other areas that are waist/chest deep, so you don't want to take a deep dive if you bail out.  The other issue is that there are zebra muscles on the bottom, so you don't want to step down in bare feet.  As long as you are aware of these things, the sailing is awesome.  Just check with the more experienced sailors before you head out.

What to ride:

 A floaty wave board and a wave sail is the best kit to start on, but any freeride/freestyle board under 110 liters will get the job done.  Just move your footstraps forward and as far inboard as they will go.  If you have a double strap on the back, switch to one, and put it in the center.  Make your straps a little looser than you would for bump and jump.  These changes will allow you to position your body weight closer to the center line of the board, which becomes very important when trying to carve your board onto your toe side rail.  Choose a sail a little larger than you normally would.  The wind is usually lighter on the inside, and being powered up makes getting over white water easier.   Cambered sails will make life more difficult for you in the waves.

Prep:

Before you hit the water, take a couple of minutes to check out what the waves are doing.  Are there sets?  Are there times when the waves flatten out?  Is there a channel where the waves aren't as big?  From which direction is the wind coming?

Launching:

As you carry your gear into the water, be prepared for some degree of a rip current running downwind.  If you drop your board down, the rip will pull it sideways, causing you to do a constant shuffle to keep up with it.  If you need to wash the sand off your booms, give them a quick dip, but don't let your sail bury in the water.  It is best to walk out waist deep, drop your board after a wave passes by you, then quickly waterstart.  If you do put the board on the water, keep hold of the back strap so that that you can quickly jump on instead of chasing it down.

If you feel you ve power in you sail, bear off, pump, and try to get onto a plane.  Once planing, you have three options as you approach the waves.

1.  bear off, keep your speed and avoid the breaking section

2. turn up into the wave, but pre-jump the white water, so that you skip over the top without jumping very high

3. turn up into the wave so that the white water hits the bottom of your

board, jump off the wave and send yourself soaring (to the thunderous applause of your buddies on the beach)  The problem with #3 is that often you will land dead in the water, and have to get on a plane again before the next wave… very tough.  The best place to launch hospital air is on the last wave before you get out.  That way if you eat it, you won't have another wave waiting to make your waterstart difficult.

What if you can't get powered before the first wave?  Don't worry, this is normal… remember, lighter air on the inside.  Keep your body weight centered over your board as you schlog out.  As wave approaches, crouch down a little to lower your center of gravity.  The wave will push your board up and backwards for an instant.  If your C.O.G. is high, you will be tripped over the nose like that day in high school when someone tied your shoelaces together.  (Just me?  O.K. then)  The more onshore the waves, the more the wave will kick you sideways instead of straight backward.  Balance against it.   As soon as the wave clears the nose of the board, force the nose back down and off the wind again.  You will have to repeat this action until you get through the impact zone, and/or get onto a plane. 

Once you get outside the breakers, start to point your board upwind to make up the ground that you lost getting out, and the ground you will lose when you start to ride down the waves.  Look for a smooth place to jibe and head back in.

Wave ride set up:

As you start back in, you will likely want to keep pinching up wind.  If you jibed on a wave, stay in front so that the swell help to push your board, and ride it upwind.   Or forget about riding for a little while, power up and sail upwind until you are ready to surf.  Keep looking over your upwind shoulder to scout out a smooth wave you want to take.  Speed up or slow down to get yourself in front of that wave.  As your experience increases, you will become better at judging which wave will offer up the best rides.  Once on the wave, you must change your mentality from bump and jump/slalom sailor to surfer.  If you maintain your hiked out, high speed slalom stance, you will cruise right out the front of the wave, having missed your ride completely.

Heel side/back side rides:

Once on the wave your first move will likely be a bottom turn.  Unhook, sheet in, and carve the board upwind by putting pressure on your heels.  Enjoy your spray, but as you rise to the breaking section of the wave, initiate your top turn by shifting your weight forward over your front foot, and over your rig.   Carve the board back down the wave by putting pressure on your toes.  You can make your bottom and top turn more aggressive and snappy by railing the board harder, transferring your weight quicker, and handling your rig more forcefully.  To tweak your top turn into an off-the-lip, keep lots of speed, and wait until your board is right near the top of the wave before you initiate your aggressive shift.  Make sure the white water hits the bottom of your board first and kicks you up.  If you let the white water break over the deck of your board, the wave will roll you over and send you swimming.

The biggest change most sailors need to make at this point is to make sure they keep their body center of gravity over top of the mid-line of the board, especially when you are riding down the wave or being pushed by the white water.  If you maintain your slalom stance [hiked out against the sail] when the wave hits your board, it will push it right out from under you, and make you fall back into the water.  The more you angle your board during a turn, the more you must commit your body weight into the turn.       (I think a diagram or photo would help)

Toe side
/front side/down the line rides:

This is the type of riding that you see most often in magazines and videos.  It is easiest to do when the wind is more side shore or side-off.  It can be done in side on conditions, but it is much more difficult to pull off spectacular moves. 

Try to position yourself at the upwind end of the wave.  This will require you to check out the wave over your downwind shoulder.  As you see the wave pitching up behind you, it is time to go for your front side bottom turn.  Move your back hand 8-12 inches farther back on the boom.  Unhook and over-sheet the sail and carve your board onto your toe side rail, much the same way you would initiate a carve jibe, but without taking your back foot out of the strap.  (This is why it is important to have your straps set up as described, so you can generate good rail pressure with your feet in the straps.)  The key to a good bottom turn is to make sure your carve comes from driving off your front foot, keeping your weight forward, and using the rail to turn.  If you lean back at this point, you sink the tail and cause the board to lose speed.   You end up stalled out in front of the wave waiting, with no momentum or power.

In side shore conditions it is easy to  make long drawn out bottom turns, like you see in the mags, but in more onshore conditions, you will not be able to hold the sail in the over sheeted position for the full duration of your turn without getting back-winded.  These conditions require you to sheet out the sail as you come back up the wave on your toe side, so that you are almost sailing in a clew first, switch stance position in the straps.  It does take some practice to get that tweaked in side-on conditions.

As you approach the lip, sheet out and let your back hand come forward again, and carve your board back onto your heels.  Remember to keep your body C.O.G. over top of the angled mid-line of your board.  For a smooth top turn, keep your weight forward over your front foot.  For a slashy cut-back, shift your weight to your back foot and rip the board back upwind.  You don't have to worry about stalling the board now like you did on your bottom turn, because you have the white water, and the steepness of the wave to quickly generate your speed again.  Crank right into another series of turns and ride until you run out of wave.

Getting off the wave:

When the wave closes out (turns to white water mush) or flattens out, jibe out the bottom, or pinch upwind and tack.   Head back out using the same method as your first time.

Finishing:

When you have had enough and are ready for a break, approach the shore on the back side of the wave instead of riding the wave face all the way in. If you are on the face, it will take you all the way in until you run out of water and deposit you unceremoniously in a heap on the sand.  If you are on the back of the wave, you can simply step off when you get to knee deep water.  Don't drop the sail.  It will likely get pushed under by the next wave.  Now you have 3 options:

 1. Keep your front hand on the boom, close to the mast.  Grab your board by the back strap with your back hand.  Start to walk to shore and let the wind and water twist you around so that you are walking backwards out of the water, dragging the noseecially when you are riding down the wave or being pushed by the white water.  If you maintain your slalom stance [hiked out against the sail] when the wave hits your board, it will push it right out from under you, and make you fall back into the water.  The more you angle your board during a turn, the more you must commit your body weight into the turn.       (I think a diagram or photo would help)

Toe side/front side/down the line rides:

This is the type of riding that you see most often in magazines and videos.  It is easiest to do when the wind is more side shore or side-off.  It can be done in side on conditions, but it is much more difficult to pull off spectacular moves. 

Try to position yourself at the upwind end of the wave.  This will require you to check out the wave over your downwind shoulder.  As you see the wave pitching up behind you, it is time to go for your front side bottom turn.  Move your back hand 8-12 inches farther back on the boom.  Unhook and over-sheet the sail and carve your board onto your toe side rail, much the same way you would initiate a carve jibe, but without taking your back foot out of the strap.  (This is why it is important to have your straps set up as described, so you can generate good rail pressure with your feet in the straps.)  The key to a good bottom turn is to make sure your carve comes from driving off your front foot, keeping your weight forward, and using the rail to turn.  If you lean back at this point, you sink the tail and cause the board to lose speed.   You end up stalled out in front of the wave waiting, with no momentum or power.

In side shore conditions it is easy to  make long drawn out bottom turns, like you see in the mags, but in more onshore conditions, you will not be able to hold the sail in the over sheeted position for the full duration of your turn without getting back-winded.  These conditions require you to sheet out the sail as you come back up the wave on your toe side, so that you are almost sailing in a clew first, switch stance position in the straps.  It does take some practice to get that tweaked in side-on conditions.

As you approach the lip, sheet out and let your back hand come forward again, and carve your board back onto your heels.  Remember to keep your body C.O.G. over top of the angled mid-line of your board.  For a smooth top turn, keep your weight forward over your front foot.  For a slashy cut-back, shift your weight to your back foot and rip the board back upwind.  You don't have to worry about stalling the board now like you did on your bottom turn, because you have the white water, and the steepness of the wave to quickly generate your speed again.  Crank right into another series of turns and ride until you run out of wave.

Getting off the wave:

When the wave closes out (turns to white water mush) or flattens out, jibe out the bottom, or pinch upwind and tack.   Head back out using the same method as your first time.

Finishing:

When you have had enough and are ready for a break, approach the shore on the back side of the wave instead of riding the wave face all the way in. If you are on the face, it will take you all the way in until you run out of water and deposit you unceremoniously in a heap on the sand.  If you are on the back of the wave, you can simply step off when you get to knee deep water.  Don't drop the sail.  It will likely get pushed under by the next wave.  Now you have 3 options:

 1. Keep your front hand on the boom, close to the mast.  Grab your board by the back strap with your back hand.  Start to walk to shore and let the wind and water twist you around so that you are walking backwards out of the water, dragging the nose of the board.  Once you are on the beach, adjust your gear so that you can pick it up.

2.  If it is shallow enough to easily keep the sail above water, switch hand positions and walk out normally.

 3. Begin the same way as #1.  Instead of walking out backwards, put your head into the window of your sail, drop your front hand down the mast, lift rig up and rotate/twist it into the wind so that the wind hits the tack of your sail and the bottom of the board.  This will generate a little lift, but not enough to send your gear flying.  Walk  out with your gear on your head.  This is the quickest and most energy efficient way, but takes some practice.

What to do if you crash:

 In small waves, hang on to your gear and hold your breath.  The wave will tug you toward shore for a second or two, then it will have passed.  Get your bearings and look for the next wave.  Do you ha
ve time to water start?  If another wave is coming quickly, relax and accept that you are going for another trip through the rinse cycle.   If the water is shallow, make sure your mast tip doesn't get  pushed into the bottom.  This is where most masts will break.  When you get more than a couple of seconds, re-orient your gear and waterstart.

If you are having troubles getting up and out, try water starting coming back in.  This will be a little easier since the waves are pushing you in the direction you want to go instead of against you.

If you do lose hold of your gear, or the waves are too big to safely hold on through, tuck your chin to your chest and cover your face and head with your arms and hands in case your gear is close enough to you to give you some lovin.

Etiquette:

 In simplest terms, if you are sailing out, let the sailor who is riding a wave have lots of room to do what they want.   If you don't have much power or maneuverability, just be predictable, and the sailor will ride around you.  If you are looking for a wave to ride in, the first sailor on the wave claims it.  If someone else has the wave lined up, just slow down and wait for the next one.  It is great fun to share a wave with a buddy, but wait until you both are more experienced before you progress to that.

Why do it?

 I think wave sailing is a total blast.  I'm completely hooked.  I love the Gorge and bump and jump conditions, but ripping up a wave gives me an incredible feeling that keeps me searching for my next surf experience.  Yes, it does take some practice and yes, you will have some good wipe outs, but you will have an absolutely incredible time.  As your skills progress, so will the length and quality of your rides.  Once you get your first taste of the wave pushing you instead of the wind, I bet you get hooked too.

nose of the board.  Once you are on the beach, adjust your gear so that you can pick it up.

2.  If it is shallow enough to easily keep the sail above water, switch hand positions and walk out normally.

 3. Begin the same way as #1.  Instead of walking out backwards, put your head into the window of your sail, drop your front hand down the mast, lift rig up and rotate/twist it into the wind so that the wind hits the tack of your sail and the bottom of the board.  This will generate a little lift, but not enough to send your gear flying.  Walk  out with your gear on your head.  This is the quickest and most energy efficient way, but takes some practice.

What to do if you crash:

 In small waves, hang on to your gear and hold your breath.  The wave will tug you toward shore for a second or two, then it will have passed.  Get your bearings and look for the next wave.  Do you have time to water start?  If another wave is coming quickly, relax and accept that you are going for another trip through the rinse cycle.   If the water is shallow, make sure your mast tip doesn't get  pushed into the bottom.  This is where most masts will break.  When you get more than a couple of seconds, re-orient your gear and waterstart.

If you are having troubles getting up and out, try water starting coming back in.  This will be a little easier since the waves are pushing you in the direction you want to go instead of against you.

If you do lose hold of your gear, or the waves are too big to safely hold on through, tuck your chin to your chest and cover your face and head with your arms and hands in case your gear is close enough to you to give you some lovin.

Etiquette:

 In simplest terms, if you are sailing out, let the sailor who is riding a wave have lots of room to do what they want.   If you don't have much power or maneuverability, just be prredictable, and the sailor will ride around you.  If you are looking for a wave to ride in, the first sailor on the wave claims it.  If someone else has the wave lined up, just slow down and wait for the next one.  It is great fun to share a wave with a buddy, but wait until you both are more experienced before you progress to that.

Why do it?

 I think wave sailing is a total blast.  I'm completely hooked.  I love the Gorge and bump and jump conditions, but ripping up a wave gives me an incredible feeling that keeps me searching for my next surf experience.  Yes, it does take some practice and yes, you will have some good wipe outs, but you will have an absolutely incredible time.  As your skills progress, so will the length and quality of your rides.  Once you get your first taste of the wave pushing you instead of the wind, I bet you get hooked too.