In the setup phases of the Kono, Burner, and Culo (which are all pretty similar, at least for the first half) there is a requirement to duck the sail, and end up still planing and in the straps on the 'wrong' side of the sail, either in switch stance, or having already turned.
Does anyone have any experience doing the 'fully lit duck' that they can share? I think I will make this my next challenge. It seems to me that there must be some finesse/tricks involved in tipping the rig directly into the wind while planing and ducking simultaneously.http://www.continentseven.com/windsurfmove880.html
You're not wrong 3 5s. That's the hard part of the duck tack. Its notoriously difficult to get consistently. I plan to learn it one day - have started trying the rig flip in light winds with little success to date but indications are promising. The recommendation that I got (don't remember where) was to go out on a big board with a smallish (6.0 max) camless sail in a light wind and smooth water. You can practice it on dry land too (recommended).
Standing switch footed out of straps and close to mast foot you have to drop/push the rig directly into the apparent wind and as soon as the clew is past your face you throw it down and back as hard as you can. If all goes well the sail will hover down there for a mo and then blow back up. You can help it up by pushing down on it with the back hand.
It doesn't look like the sort of move that will be learned in the first session! I will have to get out on the Start again and see if I can figure it out in light conditions. Succeeding while planing will be another story I'm sure! I can helitack reasonably consistently, so that might help.
The duck tack could be a good option in waves too? Would make a change from emergency flare jibes anyway!
step one is to head downwind at max speed so the rig is weightless, you would be "fully lit" speed wise but not power wise. But as with anything like this, if you can't do it in 10 knots on a big board first, you're going to struggle!
Theres now some footage of Tonky Frans doing one of those Kono's on Continent Seven. It's a bit closer and you you can see the foot switch manouvre really clearly. These guys make that stuff look easy but in reality it's pretty different.
Agreed with last poster.
> head downwind at max speed so the rig is weightless
But not too much. Some 45 degrees. Experiment with angle right after flipping feet, don't wait too long with reversed feet.
> you would be "fully lit" speed wise but not power wise
Agreed too. The rig becomes weightless. I rake the rig aft a bit too, seem to complete the weightlessness of the rig. It just floats there for a while. It's hardly visible in the clip you have, but he does it a bit. But definitely not forward.
Also: bent the front knee (the one nearest the mast), and lean back your upper body, as in the video. Many make the mistake of keeping the body too straight and stiff.
Make sure the rig is not too low, and the rig's clew not too low or long. Rig too low = more difficult to duck, you need then to really rake the body back to clear the foot of the sail. Rig too long = center of effort further from mast, makes hand switching to other side more difficult to control.
> if you can't do it in 10 knots on a big board first, you're going to struggle!
Partly disagreed: I find the feeling quite different in lower winds. The rig floats less, it becomes more of a balance thing.
Cheers,
P.
