Hoping for some feedback from the wise speedsters on here
Probably fair to say my style lacks finesse. I tend to just get out there and do it - if I want to go fast I grit my teeth harder.
same goes with my rig setup - back is fast, so back she goes. However, what I've been finding is that at 36+ knots even fairly small chop is very unsettling, I feel like I'm on the edge of disaster because I struggle to hold the board flat. One theory I have is my FO Weedster 28cm has too much flex, but perhaps it's no worse then anyone else's? Now I'm thinking I've overdone the "back" thing, maybe I need to put ithe rig forward a little to flatten the board out (side to side). Also, maybe I should get the boom higher to achieve the same effect. I used to have the boom lower in high winds to help control the rig, but lately board control seems to be my limiting factor.
Any words of wisdom appreciated.
Cheers
Rob (aka. Stretch)
Relax,
Lean back into the harness
Point your front foot
Lighten the weight on your back foot
Let the board find it's own way (don't force the board)
Let out a big "Yyyyyeeeeeeehhhhaaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhhh" so as Huey thinks you either have no fear or you are a mad basket
Thanks Elmo. I will transform my scream of terror to one of lunacy!!!
My back foot is usually pretty loaded up, so will work on that - perhaps my comment on rig placement will help achieve that
Speed sailing is windsurfing at its most accurate.
To go fast you have to be in perfect balance and control.
Anything that upsets your balance will slow you down, either through wobbles, bounces, spin-out or worst of all, a general lack of confidence.
Sideways wobbles could be caused by too big a fin, too wide a board or a lack of mast-foot pressure.
As I have improved over the last few years my favourite fin has gone down from 45cm to 35cm to 32cm for the same 7.0m sail. As you go faster you simply need less fin. As to the width of the board, assuming you can't make it thiner, about the only thing you can do is move your foot-straps to the outside positions, which you should already have done if your keen on going fast.
Now, about the mast foot location. All things being equal (including control), having the mast further back should give you more speed, as less board in the water will in general give you less drag. HOWEVER, beyond the balance point it can actually slow you down. Imagine your board is a seesaw, and your sail is a small child sitting on the nose. As you sit on the see-saw it starts to go down (back foot) until you bottom out. When your sailboard bottoms out, the nose rises up, gets air underneath making it wobbly, and throws spray forwards slowing you down.
So if you "get your wobble on" try moving the mast base forward 1cm at a time. Small changes can have a profound effect on slalom/speed gear! To continue the analogy, it would be like pushing the child further away from the centre so that their light weight can better balance your heavy weight.
The other trick you can try is moving your back footstraps forward one notch. This makes your back foot pressure lighter, giving a potentially flatter ride.
Experiment a bit until you find what feels right. And don't discount boom height and harness line length as they are all important.
So how do you know you've got it right? Well obviously using your GPS to measure your speed is one way. Racing against your mates is another. When sailing solo, I have come to think you can tell how well balanced (or not) you are by how your board trim handles accidental air time. If your perfectly in balance, the board should sail through the air perfectly horizontal with almost no adjustment needed. I haven't confirmed this with anyone, but a few times I've felt really well balanced I've had some amazingly graceful glides over chop.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Berowne, good advice and gels well with my thoughts. I'll definitely experiment more, in particular with mast track and boom height positioning to find that sweet spot between speed/control.
Nice photo too!
