How annoying is it? Just off the plane, awesome wind forecast for the next few days and your hands and feet are covered in open blisters from that first 3 hour session! It is a nightmare for anyone who has been left stoked from a first session on the water but left the hands covered in blisters because they haven´t had the time to adapt to the extreme sport. And the forecast looks like the wind will die down in a few days … What are we to do?
We can choose to do one of three things:
Suck it up
The first is to fight through the pain and just keep going with the mindset that “it will have time to heal in the lull after the storm”. While this is a valid option for a masochist or anyone seeing the pain as a reasonable price to pay for a session (guilty!), it doesn’t solve the problem. If anything it makes it worse and takes away from enjoying the session.
Return of the Mummy
The second option is to tape our hands covering the blisters. This is by far the most preferred option as it covers the wound to a certain extent, protecting it from direct contact with the boom. Without the constant friction on the boom, the lack of contact with the sand and salt water, the wounds have a chance at getting better. They probably won’t heal, but they also won’t get much worse. Sure it’s not the most stylish option to reenact the Return of the Mummy, but to a certain extent it works. It can be a hassle to apply and depending on the affected area and our gripping style, the tape might not last too long. Usually it is difficult to apply the tape in a way that it doesn’t roll up or peel off with little more than making a fist a couple of times. I might make a post in the future dedicated to the technique that works the best.
Let it Heal
The last alternative is to actually take a break from windsurfing and letting the wounds heal. Naturally we are not talking about just waiting passively. We want to get back into the water as fast as possible!
Aloe Vera
By far my favorite approach. This plant works wonders. Depending on the severity of the wounds, the healing process will take maybe a day or two, and when they are cured it will be with tougher skin, ready for hardcore action. It is also good for scrapes and scratches.
Applying this will most likely allow you to hit the water after a break of one day, maybe even less if you leave it overnight and apply it again in the morning. The biggest downside is that it’s basically goo, and it stains the clothes easily (and maybe permanently …) so you have to make sure the area is covered. It also smells funny…
Either way, if we stick at it, it will be like curing the aching body after a workout session at the gym and we will get used to the friction of the boom and end up with callouses. But that is something you must put into alignment with your level of femininity or metro-sexuality.
If you know any other ways to deal with callouses let me know in the comments.
Some people have been told to put the front foot on the board when doing the beachstart and the waterstart but I find this an akward thing to do as we will be positioining the board with our hips turned so that we are facing the same direction as the board and once we are on the board we will be facing the same way. Tha back foot is going to be closer to the board and all we have to do is lift it to one side and on to the board. If we want to put the front foot on you have to move the body facing the back of the board or move the leg across the front of our body. It makes no sense.
Pulling out the sail to start windsurfing is for beginners. Real windsurfers do a beachstart by just stepping onto the board from knee-deep water and gliding away. However, it isn’t as easy to learn as it looks. Anyone who has given it a try for the first time will have noticed that there is more to just putting your foot on the board and getting up (although it actually is just that once you know the technique).
The beachstart, like the waterstart is predominantly technique. The beachstart (when done correctly) consists of 95% technique and 5% wind. The 5% is actually just so that the sail doesn’t weigh us down. The main components in terms of technique are the same for the beachstart as for the waterstart so it is important to get the beachstart technique right to avoid creating bad habits which will later have much more negative impact when we move on to the waterstart.
So let’s get to it. First off let me describe the beachstart as simply stepping onto the board the same way we would get on to a high step: by putting our foot on the centre of the board and leaning our shoulders forward so that our body’s weight centre is over the board and then push ourselves up with the leg. As you can see, in theory we don’t need wind in the sail to do this. That being said, let’s break the theory down a little bit more.
Board Position
First of all, board position. Before we try to get on the board we must have the board set up on the correct course. It should be somewhere close to the beam reach (90º to the wind) or sightly more downwind. The reason for this is that if the board is pointing too far upwind the wind will be acting against us. Then again, if the board is pointing too far downwind we can have too much power in the sail so that we can no longer hold it or get catapulted over the front.
Board control
In order to get he board into the correct position we must learn to control the board through the sail. The control of the board for the beachstart and waterstart are different to how we steer while windsurfing. In this case we need to use pressure on the mastfoot through our sail control to position the board correctly rather than lean the sail forwards and backwards. Let me explain.
We always want to control the board through the sail. There should be no need to touch the board with our hands… ever. The only time we touch the board is when we put our foot on it. To make the board turn downwind we must push with the mast hand towards the mast foot. When we want the board to turn upwind we must pull the mast to the wind (or towards us as we are going to be standing upwind). We can also use the back hand as a lever if we push in the opposite direction than the front hand (pushing to the mast foot or pulling towards the mast top, always without adding wind power to the sail).
An important note: Do not pull down with the back hand when controlling the board as it will make the board try to sail away or pull the sail down backwards. Use two fingers. We only want to make sure the wind comes under the sail pulling it up slightly and not heaving us up uncontrollably or pushing us down.
So much for the board positioning, which is what I have found to be the most challenging part of the beachstart due to waves and current. Although if you are learning this in flat and clam water you might find it easier. For those wanting to learn how to beachstart in waves and sail through breaking waves I will write a post on that in the future.
Doing the Beachstart
Now it is time for the actual getting up on the board. As I mentioned earlier, the beachstart is like getting up on a high step. In order to achieve this maneouvre there are three main components in our body position that we must apply.
1. We must stand close to the board. It is easier to get on the board if the distance of our weight displacement is 40cm rather than 80cm
2. Now we put our back foot on the board. Some people have been told to put the front foot on the board but I explain why this is wrong in another post.
3. Keep the front arm straight. This one is absolutely crucial. By all means avoid bending your arm as doing so will greatly hinder your progress. Read more about this in my post The Golden Rule Of Windsurfing.
4. Lean forward. Get your body over the board. This is another aspect you want to get right. Avoid trying to get on by thrusting your hips forward over the board. The only this this will do is to leave your shoulders (and therefore much of your weight centre) upwind of the board. This is good when we are sailing and want to counter the pull of the sail. However, for the beachstart we WANT to be pulled forwards by the sail and onto the board.
So to recap:
– Board 90º to the wind – Step on like on a high step – Stand close to the board – Front arm straight – Back foot on centreline of the board – Shoulders forward keeping the boom horizontal – Close sail only as much as necessary – Normal windsurfing stance
Before heading into the water and giving all this a shot I would first practice all this on a simulator. The simulator is not going to move around as much (if it does it is usually because you are pulling too much with the back hand when positioning yourself). It allows you to get a feeling for what the motion should look and feel like. This allows you to be able to be familiar with the final component of the beachstart already so that all you have to focus on is the board control.
That is all for the beachstart for now. Please let me know in the comments if this post is useful to you, if you have any questions or if you think it is missing anything.
Once we have figured out how to use the harness properly, we will have had more than a few catapults and silly lunges over the lee side due to not hooking out in time and not having anything to stop us from flying over forwards. It is time to learn how to use the footstraps.
Be it to avoid getting pulled off the board or to keep the board under control when jumping off a wave, the footstraps are a crucial component to windsurfing with speed.
A prerequisite to using the footstraps usually is knowing how to plane when windsurfing. The main difficulty we are faced with is the actual position of the footstraps on the board. They are much further back than our basic windsurfing stance. This means we have to learn how to sail with our feet towards the back of the board and compensating for the weight at the back with the sail position and pressure on the mast foot (I will get to that in a moment) and for this it is easier if we know how to plane.
The sail pressure point further back and the centre of gravity further back cause the board to slow down and shoot into the wind.
Up until now we have gotten used to a certain body position that feels comfortable for the ideal sail position. Now we must get used to a new body posture that has the feet more towards the back.
How to learn to use the footstraps
My recommendation is to start off with no footstraps and get used to sailing with your feet gradually further back until you are able to sail as comfortable as possible with your feet where the footstraps would be without losing control (like having the board shoot into the wind).
How to stop the board from turning into the wind with the feet in the footstraps?
This is a question I get asked a lot and a problem I need to correct very often. Think of it this way. As we move our feet back we tend to keep our body position with regard to the board the same as always. However, this means that we are bringing the sail to the back of the board. This means that not only are we moving our weight further back (which causes the back of the board to sink more and thereby cause more resistance and slow us down) but moving the sail back which causes the board to luff up. These two components cause the board to turn into the wind uncontrollably.
So, what to do? We can do two things. The first is to consciously lean the sail forward. This is a motion we are already used to but it also has a disadvantage, it means we have to lean forward, putting a lot of weight on our front foot, meaning we are more prone to getting catapulted. Also, this technique is hard to apply if we are hooked in the harness.
So let’s look at the second option. We must apply pressure on the mast foot. It may sound strange but keep reading. The idea is to push/pull downwards with our front arm in line of the mast towards the board. What this does is cause the board to receive a sideways force on the front which keeps it on course. This method doesn’t require the sail to be leant so far forward that we lose control and it helps keep the board flatter on the water so we don’t create so much resistance.
Think of it as trying to get your front arm elbow to the mastfoot while holding on to the boom.
Now comes the actual getting into the footstraps. I have a theory that differs a little from what is usually taught. Most people are shown to put the front foot into the strap first and then the back foot. I agree with this … when sailing on flat water.
However, when we are sailing in waves or choppy water, my recommendation is to put the back foot in the footstrap first and then the front one. I will write a future post describing why but for now I will just say that the back foot in the footstrap is the one that stops us from doing a catapult.
Putting the back foot in the footstrap is not so difficult and so the change in body position will not be too big other than standing with a wider stance. The difficult part is putting the front foot is the strap as it is usually the one we are pushing into the board with and that is stopping us from being pulled over forwards. The trick is to push down and onto the mast foot with the front hand as we lift up the front foot to make up for the missing pressure of the foot.
That’s all I have on windsurfing with the footstraps. Let me know your thoughts.
My previous post on harness sailing focussed soley on the practical aspect of using the harness lines. In this post I want to give a little more insight on how to put the harness lines in the correct position.
The whole idea behind using the harness is that we relieve our arms of having to hold on. This means the harness lines should be set up so that we can technically windsurf without holding the sail with our hands. How do we do this?
Remember in my post on steering that we have a general pressure point of the sail. If our harness lines are set up to be in line with this point, we don’t need any other correcting forces (holding on with our hands). This is the reason why some people sail with their harness line clips right next to each other rather than 10-15 centimetres (4-6 inches) apart.
Some people like to put the harness lines slightly forward of the pressure point, others prefer to put them slightly behind. This depends on if they are sailing overpowered or if the wind is gusty, etc. In the end we don’t want to sail with one hand but without hands so I say, take the two minutes time to position them correctly. Here is a very insightful article by Guy Cribb on where the harness lines should be. I don’t completely agree since I believe that one should not need any hand to hold the sail. The hands in my opinion should be only for control.
How do we adjust the lines?
The best and most accurate way to determine the position of the harness lines is to connect the sail to the board and set it up upright on the shore, as close to the waterline as possible (so the wind is as similar to what we get on the water as it gets). Set the boom in the correct position and hook into the harness lines.
DO NOT stand on the board when you do this. Stand next to it.
I have seen so many people adjust the harness line position standing on the board with the fin sticking in the sand taking all the weight of the windsurfer and all the load of the sideways force from the sail. The fin can snap. Apart from this “minor” material consequence, the position is awkward and not too accurate.
The ideal would be to use a simulator as it is flat on the ground (like it will be on the water) and we can set up the harness lines in relation to how our body will be positioned on the board. As I mentioned before, this is not the case for when we stand on the board with the fin, so DON’T DO IT!
The correct way to position the harness lines on the beach
How long do the harness lines have to be?
This question is the subject of a lot of debate. Some say they have to be as long as the elbow to the wrist. Others include the whole forearm. I say the harness line length varies depending on the sail. For small sails (3.4 to 4.7) where we will be sailing a little bit more agile and the sail reacts quicker, the lines should be short (I like to have 22 cm) and for large sails (anything above 5.7) they should be longer (mine are 26 or 28 cm) so that we can really lean into the wind since we are not going to be doing much more than sailing back and forth on relatively flat water.
In the end much of it is up to your preferrence and before you go for a specific length just because someone told you to, try out a few different lengths in different winds/different sail sizes to find out what suits you best.
