Forums > Windsurfing General

Guess, practice makes windsurfing perfect...

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Created by dioma > 9 months ago, 29 Apr 2009
dioma
VIC, 59 posts
29 Apr 2009 7:54PM
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Hi everyone. I am as a begginer as it gets, with most credit, that I've watched "Beginner to winner" as well as ytube and whatever I could get my eyes on . Would it be sensible to get the feeling of 'sail handling/offsetting/balancing' on the beach and if it is the case, what precisely we looking for.
Thanks, Dmitri.

nebbian
WA, 6277 posts
29 Apr 2009 7:26PM
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Sure - spend ten minutes or so on the beach getting a feel for how to control the rig so you can lean back against the pull.

Learn how sheeting in makes the sail pull more, and sheeting out makes it pull less.

Then go on the water

decrepit
WA, 12761 posts
29 Apr 2009 7:43PM
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And remember to do it both ways!
Forget "right hand/foot", "left hand/foot":.
Learn to think "back hand/foot", "front hand/foot"

Learning to handle the rig on the beach first, is especially good, if you're going to learn water/beach starting first.
If you're going the uphaul method, it's not so important as you'll be starting in lighter winds.

swoosh
QLD, 1928 posts
29 Apr 2009 9:57PM
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hm i should rig up and practise sailing backwinded on the beach... not getting far trying it on the water.

Leman
VIC, 672 posts
29 Apr 2009 10:46PM
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decrepit said...
Learning to handle the rig on the beach first, is especially good, if you're going to learn water/beach starting first.
If you're going the uphaul method, it's not so important as you'll be starting in lighter winds.


Do people actually go straight into learning beach/water starts without learning to uphaul? Sounds challenging.

decrepit
WA, 12761 posts
29 Apr 2009 8:57PM
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Leman said...


Do people actually go straight into learning beach/water starts without learning to uphaul? Sounds challenging.


Sure do, but as you say it's more challenging, takes the right personality, instruction and conditions.
It can be a much quicker process, I taught a young guy a while ago and he was in the Harness and blasting around, trying to gybe after a few sessions.
Probably best for wave sailors who're almost always going to be on gear too small to uphaul anyway.

If you're going to be sailing uphaulable gear you may as learn to do it.
But if you aren't, it just wastes time learning unnecessary stuff, on gear too big for the waves.
Whereas you can learn to waterstart on your future low wind wave board.

Leman
VIC, 672 posts
29 Apr 2009 11:01PM
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Hmm didn't even think of people learning straight on small boards, guess then it makes perfect sense and could save a lot of cash on beginner gear.

Bayblaster
VIC, 122 posts
29 Apr 2009 11:30PM
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I'd say learning how to sail on a full sinking wave board is virtually impossible for beginners. :)
Basically get a quick feel for the rig on the sand then try uphauling or beach starting in light wind. It comes slowly but once you have it you'll spend less time in the water and more time on top of it. Water starts arent something a complete begineer can pull off plus uphauling is the only way your going to get going in light breeze's.
Good luck.

dioma
VIC, 59 posts
29 Apr 2009 11:30PM
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Thanks guys.
First, I thought about an 'immitation' of waterstart to reduce struggle when it will come to real thing.
Secondly, to try different size sails to compare pull and get feeling what's to little, what's too much (if it is relevant).

decrepit
WA, 12761 posts
29 Apr 2009 9:43PM
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Bayblaster said...

I'd say learning how to sail on a full sinking wave board is virtually impossible for beginners. :)
>>>>>>




Agreed, but I didn't say a full sinking wave board, I said a light wind wave board, in other words big enough to float the sailor in 10kts. Or at least 20litres more than your weight in kg.
And as I said I had a raw beginner learning to carve gybe in a few weeks.
Admittedly he was a natural, and really surprised me with his quick progress.

decrepit
WA, 12761 posts
29 Apr 2009 10:06PM
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dioma said...

Thanks guys.
First, I thought about an 'immitation' of waterstart to reduce struggle when it will come to real thing.
Secondly, to try different size sails to compare pull and get feeling what's to little, what's too much (if it is relevant).



Yep, you can lie along side the board, and push the sail into the air and get it to pull you on the board.

Best way to start, is in light wind, don't try and get up on the board first off, just body drag, with back foot on the board around the back strap. (I actually put foot in strap, but not every bost gets on with this)
and concentrate on keeping across the wind. If you go downwind too far the sail will want to throw you over the front, if you go too far upwind the sail will loose all power.

DO This in BOTH directions!!!!!!

To do this you don't need much wind, once you get confident of maintaining your line, then you can try
pulling your back foot towards you, and push the sail up as high as you can.
All the time concentrating on maintaining the across the wind course.
NOTE this is counter to the body's natural reaction, it wants to push with the foot and pull with the hand, doing this will never succeed!!!!!

If you have enough sail power, big enough sail, strong enough wind, you will start to come out of the water, once your weight is over your back foot and the board is underneath you can then push down on the back foot and bring the front foot onto the board.
If you have too much wind power it's going to make things harder, best to start when there is just enough.

Learning sail control is the main thing, in well powered conditions there is little margin for error, lightly powered is more forgiving.

Don't expect immediate success, do expect to look like an idiot for a while, take no offence/notice of anybody laughing at you.

If you want to sail on you're first lesson, then learn to uphaul on a big wide board.
If you want to get into the waves as soon as possible, try the water start first. But if you get too frustrated with lack of progress, don't give up, get some lessons.

Leman
VIC, 672 posts
30 Apr 2009 12:18AM
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Yeah I believe decrepit. It would be crazy hard to teach yourself but with a competent sailor training you, no reason a talented person couldn't progress like that. Realistically most of us are self taught, so not so fast.

Dioma: A common mistake I see with people just learning to windsurf is bad feet placement. In very light winds you will want to mostly sail and uphaul with both feet evenly spaced on each side of the mast. As the wind gets stronger you will automatically begin to move further back on the board to get more leverage. Forget your board even has footstraps (if it does) until you get to planing speeds. I once saw someone try to uphaul a sail on a longboard with their feet in the footstraps.

Good sailing.

dioma
VIC, 59 posts
30 Apr 2009 12:29AM
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Huge thanks guys. I feel I am at the right place.



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"Guess, practice makes windsurfing perfect..." started by dioma