Went out today and everyone was flying past me....I have been windsurfing for a while now ....is it just a matter of more practice or is there something im not doing...
Where do you start, many many factors are going to affect your speed. I would probably look at the gear everyone that is passing you is using. If you are using freeride gear and all the peeps passing you are on Slalomn gear then that's probably the reason. I would not be so hung up on being passed, there is always going to be someone faster than you, even if your a full on pro. If you want to go faster then maybe get some lessons , look for u tube vids on going faster. Trade your current gear for some faster gear. Just sail as fast as you want to not what other people are doing. That's kind of my thing anyway. Just have fun.
Grab a GPS, join a team, go sailing with a few of your team members and ask for tips.
You'll be surprised at how much you can pick up when you submerse yourself with other speeders
Trick to going fast is to have as little of the board as possible in the water, harness as much of the wind energy available to your body weight and convert it into forward motion with an efficient fin.
Optimising all these things involves myriad complex interacting factors, that vary with the individual, water condition and equipment used.
You can totally tangle your head trying to figure it all out, but after years on the water experience can help.
You can get Peter Hart's DVD 'Faster', it's a bit old but great watching, and very cheap. You can order from 'harty@peter-hart.com'
Tuning, tuning and tuning. Use the same gear and perfect your rigging and technique. And you need to be really powered up.
Maybe you are just sailing too comfortably? Are you on the verge of being overpowered, out of control, and pulled in?
If not, then up size your sail, sheet in, bear away, don't let the gust spill out of the back of the sail. Feel the power!!!
^+1
Micah Buzianis said exactly that in an article about going faster ...
in same article he "says":
1) get rid of uphaul (i am NOT sure how big a factor that is)
2) rig BIG - go overpowered
3) SIT for speed - seat harness
4) match up - get a training partner - to see which changes work and which do not
5) tension those battens - especially the bottom ones
6) push the rig away - long harness lines, underhanded front grip and lines positioned to push rig
7) get boom height right - shoulder to forehead range !!
8) lead, don't follow 
also mentions adjustable outhaul and mast base position experimentation
none of this means I am fast - just Micah 
Buddy up with another faster sailor for a few sessions. See what they're doing, get some tips on tuning the gear and stance.
the Gps is also a good tool for instant feedback. Sometimes you think your going fast but your gps will tell you the truE story :)
When I was playing with gear setup or my stance Id reset my gps max speed between runs so this way I coud tell right away if the change has made a positive difference. Now with some experience under my belt (or should I say harness) I do it more by feel.
All advice above is good and will help you go faster, but I can't believe that no one has mentioned the basics...
Get your feet out on the rails & push against the fin (move straps to outer settings).
Put all of your weight on your boom and rake your sail back to close it off against your board (this does depend on sail shape), but don't lean the sail toward the wind too much as although it will provide lift, it reduces the area of sail to the wind.
Twist body forward and hold a strong stance making sure you are sheeted in as much as you can...you'll soon feel 'overdrive' kick in.
Select to expand quoteSailhack said...
All advice above is good and will help you go faster, but I can't believe that no one has mentioned the basics...
I can't believe that no one has said ' more down haul' !!
First time me and my fellow windsurfers 5 of us coming from a different island in the Philippines going to another island where there were more sailors of different nationalities, we were amazed and felt the fun meaning; why is everyone so much faster, have more energy, more callouses , darker, sailing overpowered, downhauled like crazy, used the biggest sails with the smallest of fins and do gybes and accelerate like hotrods.. We really thought we were good sailors so we kept on going back year after year and look up what the better sailors were doing and using and sooner than we thought we were at the same level .. maybe everyone experiences this for SURE! good luck on how you do your learning curve it will depend on your water time and determination regards
Or alternatively, to avoid the feeling of people flying past you, is to do what I do and sail by yourself. Problem solved
I've been trying to work this out for a while too.
The big thing for me has been learning not to back off for a gust. Get your rig set up right, rig big, not for comfort, and then learn to keep your weight in the harness. Keep the rig in position and push the power through your feet through the gusts. It sounds silly, but this I have found is what was/still is what makes the fast sailors fast, and keeps/kept me from catching them. A gust should equal more speed, not a scary moment.
Weight plays a role too. the "well built" people can hold down a bigger rig than us lighter sailors. There's no contest in it when someone sails past holding down a 8.6 comfortably, when you're overpowered on a 7.0.
To summarize, rig big, drink a cup of concrete before sailing.
Select to expand quoteda vecta said...
Or alternatively, to avoid the feeling of people flying past you, is to do what I do and sail by yourself. Problem solved
Second that
Select to expand quoteSubsonic said..
Keep the rig in position and push the power through your feet through the gusts. It sounds silly, but this I have found is what was/still is what makes the fast sailors fast, and keeps/kept me from catching them. A gust should equal more speed, not a scary moment.
^^^Agree with this - definitely not silly.
Select to expand quoteSubsonic said..
Weight plays a role too. the "well built" people can hold down a bigger rig than us lighter sailors.
As a "well built" person...I'll second that, although a lighter sailer with a good technique, setup & not afraid to harness the gusts provides a real challenge.
Select to expand quoteda vecta said..
Or alternatively, to avoid the feeling of people flying past you, is to do what I do and sail by yourself. Problem solved
I'm often the fastest sailor around midweek ..shh I won't mention I'm the only.. 
way more fun to sail with others. Follow them and try to trim the way they do. Might have to ask them to slow down so you can follow or ask them for tips. Trim sail mast foot position etc.
I did the first few Ledge to Lancelins, always seemed to be tussling with the same guy of similar standard to me. The frustrating thing was I was faster than him on starboard tack and he was faster than me on port tack. No adjustment I made would make a difference. Fortunately for me the race end on starboard tack. :)
Select to expand quoteAgrid said..
I did the first few Ledge to Lancelins, always seemed to be tussling with the same guy of similar standard to me. The frustrating thing was I was faster than him on starboard tack and he was faster than me on port tack. No adjustment I made would make a difference. Fortunately for me the race end on starboard tack. :)
Could have been the mast base you were using Agrid - you should buy a new one
Select to expand quotesausage said..Agrid said..
I did the first few Ledge to Lancelins, always seemed to be tussling with the same guy of similar standard to me. The frustrating thing was I was faster than him on starboard tack and he was faster than me on port tack. No adjustment I made would make a difference. Fortunately for me the race end on starboard tack. :)
Could have been the mast base you were using Agrid
He He He.
Are we sure it wasn't the extension. 
Select to expand quotepowersloshin said..
You can get Peter Hart's DVD 'Faster', it's a bit old but great watching, and very cheap. You can order from 'harty@peter-hart.com'
I ordered Peter's DVD and he responded personally to my email (he said he will try and get it here before Burrum Windfest). How nice is that
Dont be scared to bear away. Bear off and get up to speed, then head back up wind once you are going flat out. As mentioned before, rig big, full downhaul, long harness lines, straps out and back, sheet on, bear away with foot steering tilting board away, keep down pressure on the back foot. Get the mast base in the right place, 3cm will make it feel like a different board. Sail lots. Sail in rough water. Sail diamonds rather than reaching back and forth, ie sail 120 to 135 degrees downwind, then sail upwind the gybe, then downwind, then upwind, this will get you used to getting up to speed before trying to sail up wind. If someone is passing you, bear off and sheet on. Pump like crazy, dont let them pass. If you havent sailed like this yet, then give it a try. If you can sail like this for 10 minutes first time, go back to the beach and rig up with an extra m of sail. First time you sail with a big enough sail you just wont last. Dont worry, after a few times you will get it, before long the 9.7 feels like the old 7.8, then when its howling the 7.8 will feel like wave gear. The pros can sail like that all day, but us mere mortals cant. but we can manage a few runs. Gives us all something to aim for. Good luck and sail fast
Select to expand quotesausage said..Agrid said..
I did the first few Ledge to Lancelins, always seemed to be tussling with the same guy of similar standard to me. The frustrating thing was I was faster than him on starboard tack and he was faster than me on port tack. No adjustment I made would make a difference. Fortunately for me the race end on starboard tack. :)
Could have been the mast base you were using Agrid - you should buy a new one
Snags, can you recommend a good shop?
I would suggest there is nothing wrong with your techniques or equipment. Lets use car racing as an example. If you are leading the pack, everybody is trying desperately to overtake you.
Similarly, while you are on the water, people behind you would probably do the same. They take it as a challenge to pass you. In doing so, they probably optimize their stance, even bear away to gain more speed. In reality, they can't hold on to such optimal stance for very long.
I know of a mate who hated being passed. As soon as he sees someone is about to pass him, he bears away to gain more speed.
By all means improve on your techniques, but please don't worry about being overtaken. It is time on the water, and the fact that you are enjoying the sport that really count. Also, there are other matters that are equally, if not more interesting and satisfying. A good gybe comes to mind.
The back foot is on the accelerator. Push down on it until the board is flat.
Hands should be light on the boom. Light = fast.
Now look; the board is flat left to right, but is it flat fore and aft? Do you need to move the mast base forward or backward (easy)? Or the foot straps (fn hard)?
How's the sail? Is it powered, or is it driving? Comfortable; smiling? Adjust the harness lines (easy peasy). Then adjust the downhaul (more important), then the outhaul (easy). Get one of those North extensions with the lever; can adjust while on the plane(!/no ****).
Can you push on the fin, to accelerate, to drive? It should accelerate when pushed against. Fins are best bang-for-buck. Like a prime lens.
Once everything is trimmed so it is light, and comfortable, and "driving" .... well, that's as fast as your gear will go.
