Small board and sail gybing

Hi all
I'm having problems with gybing my small board and sail...a foilX / SC and typically a 5m
I am ok with gybing on my large foil board stbd 150 and 8m, as I've been programmed into doing the feet first, sail flip second from slalom sailing.

However I'm trying to move into the flip sail first, then feet technique, as it stabilises the board through the gybe exit.

it seems as I'm flipping the sail it's too far in front of me and as I sheet in it's trying to pull me over the front of the board.

Any advice on tips or techniques would be welcome.
Hopefully I'm not too old to reprogram the muscle memory

Thanks in advance

Two tips:

1) I always find the sail flip less de-stabilizing if I over sheet a lot before going into the gybe (think foot of sail on your inside leg). This gets harder if you are over powered and then I just let the sail flag out.

2) Halfway through the gybe I move my back foot further to the outside of the rail to keep the board turning

As UTC said you are effectively sailing switch at the end of the gybe. I have been trying to practice getting into switch while riding along and it is a very similar feel to coming out of the gybe so practicing that could help.

To get into switch the easiest might be to come off the foil first and then weight the back leg to pop the board again

PS: as you are low on speed at the end of the gybe you will need to increase back foot pressure to keep flying. This is the main reason why I like to have things set up with a heavy front foot for regular riding, so that you can shift weight back when you are dropping off the foil

simonp123,
Gybing around the sail rather than flipping it really resonates with me. That is a great way to describe it. The feeling of just carving while the sail is so light is just amazing and surfy. You're right that this sail handling technique only works when the true wind is greater than your board speed. However its possible to successfully sail out of the gybe switch stance even in light air. The sail handling is different, it is more of a slice and flip move like Sam Ross demonstrates rather than let it flag out and carve.

Thanks, some useful tips and insights there.

my board and foil seems pretty well balanced. I have it set up, so that I've got front foot pressure and can keep on the foil when I move my rear foot slightly forward and sideways to initiate the turn.

My thoughts
I'm trying the advice by really extending the gybing arc, so everything is very stable and steady. So my speed maybe falling, which as I flip the sail, it is starting to load up again.

I've been trying to keep my front arm really straight to keep the rig away from me.
Does the rig have to be leaned into the turn at a greater angle than the board or similar to the board?
Is the rig flip a simple rotation or more complicated slice and flip? Or is this dependant on the load generated?
As the rig rotates, is it rotating around the mast or around a point on the boom, as happens with the larger sails?

Could I be using too large a sail?
I've been using a 5m with the Starboard SC in gusty winds up to 20mph but flat water.
Unfortunately the wind has been really unstable since I've been out. So I've needed a suitable sail to get out from the beach in 5mph, but as the clouds came over, the wind has ramped up.
so options
1. Take a smaller sail, and rig it so it's got enough power to get off the beach?
2 rig the 5m flatter?
3. Wait until the conditions are better...that's not going to happen !

I've getting the feeling when it's appropriate to use rig first or feet first.
The occasions when I've started to come out switch from the gybe, definitely feels the right way to progress, as the board feels so much more stable.

However, just as that stability switches on through the exit, the problems happen.
Could it also be that I need to rotate a little more through my waist, in the switch position , or place my feet a little differently to make it easier?
In the photos, Emily or Tony don't appear to be twisting, but face directly down the board.

Anyway I think I need to commit to practice a bit more early on in a session, as my natural reaction is to revert back to my old tried and tested foot first gybe.

Thanks Rod

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RuddeBos said..
Thanks, some useful tips and insights there.

my board and foil seems pretty well balanced. I have it set up, so that I've got front foot pressure and can keep on the foil when I move my rear foot slightly forward and sideways to initiate the turn.

My thoughts
I'm trying the advice by really extending the gybing arc, so everything is very stable and steady. So my speed maybe falling, which as I flip the sail, it is starting to load up again.

I've been trying to keep my front arm really straight to keep the rig away from me.
Does the rig have to be leaned into the turn at a greater angle than the board or similar to the board?
Is the rig flip a simple rotation or more complicated slice and flip? Or is this dependant on the load generated?
As the rig rotates, is it rotating around the mast or around a point on the boom, as happens with the larger sails?

Could I be using too large a sail?
I've been using a 5m with the Starboard SC in gusty winds up to 20mph but flat water.
Unfortunately the wind has been really unstable since I've been out. So I've needed a suitable sail to get out from the beach in 5mph, but as the clouds came over, the wind has ramped up.
so options
1. Take a smaller sail, and rig it so it's got enough power to get off the beach?
2 rig the 5m flatter?
3. Wait until the conditions are better...that's not going to happen !

I've getting the feeling when it's appropriate to use rig first or feet first.
The occasions when I've started to come out switch from the gybe, definitely feels the right way to progress, as the board feels so much more stable.

However, just as that stability switches on through the exit, the problems happen.
Could it also be that I need to rotate a little more through my waist, in the switch position , or place my feet a little differently to make it easier?
In the photos, Emily or Tony don't appear to be twisting, but face directly down the board.

Anyway I think I need to commit to practice a bit more early on in a session, as my natural reaction is to revert back to my old tried and tested foot first gybe.

Thanks Rod

This may help - we posted it here last year

Easiest First Foiling Gybe

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Faff said..

Paducah said..

Faff said..
Why does the sail flip so slowly on a foil? I've been mostly using a 4.0 and half the time I almost have to push it around. I don't think I had ever been back winded in a gybe before I started foiling.

Because of the foil's ability to glide in lower wind or depowered. On a normal board, you'd have fallen off a plane well before that. The lower drag of the foil allows it to keep on going around.

If you keep getting backwinded - and I'm assuming with a 4.0 there's a decent amount of wind so we aren't talking about making a 7.5 go around in 8 kts - try to jibe in the gusts or at least well powered. For a lot of people (this may not be you) when you start jibing, going downwind powered up is not a pleasant thought so you wait for a time of less pressure on the sail. What actually happens is that as soon as you start to go downwind in powered up conditions, the pressure releases off the sail and you can make it around much more easily.

17 knots. I thought it's the opposite - you go slower than the wind and the sail rotates easily. I do go off the wind and try to have a "big arc". I don't oversheet and try to keep the mast upright.

My brain is mush tonight. If any part of my post seems relevant, that's great. Otherwise, let's consign it to the dust bin. Sorry.

Select to expand quote

RuddeBos said..

My thoughts
I'm trying the advice by really extending the gybing arc, so everything is very stable and steady. So my speed maybe falling, which as I flip the sail, it is starting to load up again.

I've been trying to keep my front arm really straight to keep the rig away from me.
Does the rig have to be leaned into the turn at a greater angle than the board or similar to the board?
Is the rig flip a simple rotation or more complicated slice and flip? Or is this dependant on the load generated?
As the rig rotates, is it rotating around the mast or around a point on the boom, as happens with the larger sails?

Could I be using too large a sail?
I've been using a 5m with the Starboard SC in gusty winds up to 20mph but flat water.
Unfortunately the wind has been really unstable since I've been out. So I've needed a suitable sail to get out from the beach in 5mph, but as the clouds came over, the wind has ramped up.
so options
1. Take a smaller sail, and rig it so it's got enough power to get off the beach?
2 rig the 5m flatter?
3. Wait until the conditions are better...that's not going to happen !

I've getting the feeling when it's appropriate to use rig first or feet first.
The occasions when I've started to come out switch from the gybe, definitely feels the right way to progress, as the board feels so much more stable.

However, just as that stability switches on through the exit, the problems happen.
Could it also be that I need to rotate a little more through my waist, in the switch position , or place my feet a little differently to make it easier?
In the photos, Emily or Tony don't appear to be twisting, but face directly down the board.

Anyway I think I need to commit to practice a bit more early on in a session, as my natural reaction is to revert back to my old tried and tested foot first gybe.

Thanks Rod

I wouldn't go overboard on extending the gybing arc. The main thing is committing fully to the gybe and carving a nice arc so that the sail will come back into the right place. In Azymuth's video above I think Simon is using a more advanced technique to go faster where he holds onto the rig longer and has a definite flip. That's faster and better in lighter winds but I think it's better to start with gybing around a flagged out sail. The board and rig should be rotating at about the same speed through the gybe in opposite directions. The rotation of the rig is around your front hand which is next to the mast.

As UTC says, for a second or two you should feel like you are just surfing the foil and there's no propulsion from the rig.

This isn't a great example as I'm a bit underpowered going into the gybe but you can see how slowly a tiny sail is rotating through the gybe:

www.instagram.com/p/CK7ATWEFCDX/

A 5m sail is ok to learn but a 3.7 in 20 knots would be easier! The bigger the sail, the slower the rotation. You might have to give the boom a push with your back hand before releasing in lighter winds with bigger sails.

Don't let the rig get too far away from you as it's more difficult to control when the power comes back on. Even in Tony Logosz showboat gybe above he has his elbow bent and Emily Ridgway has the mast no more than a foot away from her body. When learning try to keep the mast right in front of your nose (say 12 inches away) all the way through the gybe. This will make sure that you lean the mast with your body into the gybe. Also when the power comes back on you can extend your arms to soak up the power. If they are already straight the power will throw you off balance.

Rigging the sail flatter might help as the battens will rotate more easily and the power will come back in more gently.

Sailing switch does require a lot of body twist which you slowly get used to and become more supple. Try reducing the angle by bringing you back foot slightly forward and onto the rail. You can also wriggle you front foot out of the strap a bit. This allows your body to face the front of the board a bit more rather than to windward.

In 17kts I'd be well powered on a 4.5, and fine on a 4.0 (77kg).

My tops tips for gybing:

1. RIG FORWARD - straight front arm, mast leaning toward the nose of the board

2. When the sail starts going light (broad reach), move the backhand up to the harness lines and sheet the sail right out, so that the clew is almost pointing at the nose of the board. Rather than letting go, the backhand stays on in case the apparent wind is from ahead. If it is from ahead the sail is gently lying on the apparent wind.

3. Once through dead downwind flip the sail. Because the clew is already pointing near the nose it has much less far to travel.

2+3 get round two problems. The first is that the apparent wind could either be behind you or ahead of you when dead downwind, so you need a technique that works in both scenarios. This works in both cases. Unlike a regular windsurf gybe, you don't need the power from the sail.

It also means that if the apparent wind is ahead of you, the rig has far less far to travel (tip 2) and doesn't generate its own apparent wind during the flip.

The rig flagging out downwind works, but only if you're going slower than the wind, so building a technique around that will mean little success on lighter wind days, or when gybing down swell.