CLOSE
Sign up to get news on contests, pro events, new products and special offers.
luke
Feel like you’re getting left behind while everyone else speeds along? In this windsurfing how to, we’ll share some tips to help you catch up — and then blast ahead of the pack.
1. Sheet in Your Sail … Right
Sound obvious? It isn’t. You’d be surprised how many sailors aren’t sheeting in as much as they should be for maximum speed. Signs you might not be sheeting in enough? Harness lines are spread apart, which puts the front hand too far forward and prevents you from extending the arms and legs to put more pressure over the board. Another big one: leaving an open gap between your board and sail. That spills power — you want every ounce you can get. Close that gap, and pour on the speed.
2. Push Your Sail
Learn the powerful rig-control technique of front-hand control. Use your harness connection as a fulcrum and lead your rig-control actions with your front hand. Pushing away with your front hand becomes sheeting in with your back hand, while pulling in with your front hand becomes sheeting out with your back. It sounds counterintuitive, but this technique separates sheeting angle control from hiking out (rig leverage) and counterbalances the two actions into opposing forces. Push with your front hand to load the rig and lean back. Pull with your front hand to de-power and un-weight the rig. — Bruce Peterson
3. Find Flat Water
Aiming for top GPS speeds? Three words: location, location, location. Flat water means more control, and thus faster speeds. Your ideal speed strip backs water deep enough to sail in up to a breakwater of sorts — a jetty, a sandbar or your custom-made chop blocker. It’s also at a deep angle to the wind — 120 degrees is good, letting you bear off for maximum speed. So get on Google Maps, explore those hidden sandbars and push your limits. Just make sure there’s enough room to jibe.
4. Fix Your Board Trim
There’s a pretty simple rule for board trim — flatter is faster. This applies to side-to-side as well as nose-to-tail. Nose-to-tail is the most difficult to trim. Slow sailors tend to sail with less mast foot pressure, which lets the nose ride high and reduces control. The easiest fix is to raise the boom and lean well forward (and outboard). This flattens the nose and gets the board under control, letting you handle gusts by kicking it into top gear rather than sheeting out.
5. Get in the Front … First
If you’re looking for speed on the race course, nothing is as crucial as getting a good start. Starts are all about timing — knowing where the start sequence is and hitting the line at full speed just as the flag goes up. The advantages of a good start are two-fold. In addition to being first over the line, you’ll also have the benefit of clean air and smoother water that hasn’t been disrupted by other sailors.
6. Jibe With Speed
A fast jibe takes commitment. Start by moving your back hand farther back on the boom. Bend your knees and get low as you step onto the inside rail with your back foot. Oversheet the sail to keep the foot from dragging and drive you into the turn with speed. Pull down on the boom with your front hand to keep the rail of the board from bouncing. Get your body weight into the turn; use bent legs to push the board into the water. Carve hard initially and then open up the radius of the turn to retain speed. Once the board passes through downwind, step forward with your inside carving foot to flatten off the board to keep up speed. Flip the sail and step back onto your new reach. — Bruce Peterson
Photo: Fabio Staropoli
Tags: windsurfing how to
Loading ...
How crummy for Bruce that you don't use a Sailworks sail in the photo for this article.
Bill,
The original article in the mag had two shots of Bruce, including one full-page shot of him on his Sailworks race sail. I'll see if we can get up a gallery of the other shots from that article.