I am seeking some advice re planing and staying up-wind.
I have just moved down from a learner’s style board to a jp x-cite 120. I can get the board planing (harness/foot-straps etc) but always end up way down wind.
Today I was sailing at Golden Beach, Caloundra in a SE that was running with the tide. The guys there were sailing out and back and largely returning to the same spot on the beach (despite the strong tide). I on the other hand, kept on ending up at least 100-150 metres down the beach from where I started. It was like I could only get planing if I faced the board down wind and then I was having a lot of trouble trying to hold a line that was further up-wind.
Any suggestions re technique and/or set-up (harness lines, foot strap positions)??
I am getting sick of spending most of my session – dragging my gear back up the beach.
Pump to get onto plane, then pinch up into the wind, rig slightly back and maybe bit less power down, use your feet/legs to flatten board out and push off the fin to carve up into the wind to point upwind.
Turn your head to where you want to go, look forward and at an object on the horizon/beach where you need/want to point to, your body/sailing direction will follow your heads direction as your body will align with this.
Only just getting this down properly myself, but there is some tips, hope they help
The other better sailors will add some more
Lean towards the nose of the board more.
I don't know why it works, but it really and truly does.
if you are having to keep pointing downwind to stay on the plane, then sounds like you were a bit underpowered. its pretty tough to make ground upwind if you are sailing underpowered. maybe you need to rig a little bigger?
other then that, try reading this www.guycribb.com/userfiles/documents/cranking%20upwind.pdf
and if the wind is light and gusty, like it is most of the time here, what I do is slog upwind in the lulls until the wind comes through, helps make up a little ground. plus i can slog upwind pretty much as fast as i can sail upwind fulling planing lol 
push off fin and get head and shoulders forward as if you are trying to look around the front of the mast and "pinch upwind" - steer board upwind a bit then straighten back your line (snaking a bit)
Probably not a real good way to describe it but its working ok for me after many "WALKS OF SHAME" back up to the takeoff point.
Swing your hips forward feels like you are almost looking around the front of the mast.
Lift your windward rail
you could always try a bigger fin, that's the only thing that gets you upwind when planing.
As mentioned earlier, if you're underpowered and underfined, you'll get upwind better if you drop off the plane, (if your board is floaty enough, doesn't work with sinkers), then you can engage most of the windward rail as well as the fin.
Oversheeting also doesn't help, puts more side ways force on the fin.
The slower you're going the more you have to sheet out and lean forward to get upwind.
If well powered, you can sheet in and even lean back a bit, going fast increases the fins lift, the faster you're going the more upwind you can point, (to a certain extent)
Its just a case of keeping at it, we all had the same problem when we started, you're constantly asking questions and wondering if its your gear but in the end it's like everthing else in life , practice practice and a bit more practice. The wonderfull thing about windsurfing is that you never stop learning. Cheers keep at it Bob
ps its always harder if there is a side drift, you have to go fast enough to negate the effect.
Yep, more wind, bigger fin, less tidal curent.
Pretty difficult to align these factors at Golden beach.
Your'e not the only one who has dramas at Golden beach.
This is the main reason I get the ****s when sailing there.
If you sail there on the run-in tide you won't have a problem getting back to the start point. It will be choppy though.
We drove to Golden beach on Sunday. Found tide ripping out, Se 8-15kn & flukey. Couldn't get on the plane with 110L & 7.5m & realised it wasn't getting any better - especially with the sandbanks getting shallower.
Packed up & drove to Queens beach, Redcliffe. Found a solid 20kn. Rigged 5.4 & ripped it up until sundown.
IMHO there are heaps better places to sail on the north side which aren't as affected by tide.
