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luke
In this windsurfing how to, learn how to do a heli-tack, one of the most common first freestyle moves. Once dialed, the heli-tack can also be a more consistent way of tacking smaller windsurfing boards. It’s different from the upwind 360 in that you sail away on a new tack.
Carve upwind and oversheet
Initiate by oversheeting and carving hard into the wind, with most of your weight in the rig and on your front foot, bringing the nose through dead upwind.
Initiate backwinded sailing
Guide the rig in front of you with your mast hand to initiate the backwind. Keep your knees bent, back straight and back hand back to maintain control over the rig. Don’t rush; get comfortable at this point before moving on.
Follow the sail
Twist your body toward your back hand while guiding the rig through the wind with your front hand. Do not push with your back hand!
Sail clew first
Lean back against the power in the clew-first position. Regain control of the rig clew first before flipping the sail. This is helped by keeping your back hand back.
Flip the rig
Just like the end of a step jibe and a sail 360, now slide your mast hand toward the mast, flip the sail — looking ahead and not at the rig — and sail away.
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