Why do I need to know this? Well, although you can probably windsurf by following the indications of an instructor, if you are going to try and learn how to windsurf on your own, understanding thow the sail words will save you a lot of trail and error and frustration and improve our technique so that you can get the most out of the sail enjoy the full range of what is possible in windsurfing especially in terms of speed, the powerjybe and the bottom turn.
How the windsurf sail works
The sail works like the wing of an aeroplane. Funny thing is that I have had students that had taken plane flying lessons have the workings of a wing explained as: “working the same as a sail”. So, let’s explain how a wing/sail works shall we?
Here is a video that explains thie workings of a wing nicely if you can keep up with the speed at which he speaks.
First, let’s pretend the sail is a rigid flat surface. The best comparisson I have is comparing it to sticking our hand out of the window of a car (if you have never done this, you didn’t have a childhood)
When we stick out hand out horizontally, the wind generated by the car hardly affects us.
If we now tilt our hand slightly so the little finger (trailing edge) is lower than the thumb (leading edge) the hand starts to get rise. In other words it generates an upwards force called lift.
However, there is a second force, a sideways force called drag. As we continue to tilt our hand, the lift reduces and the drag increases. Eventually there is going to be more drag than lift and the hand will just be blown sideways rather than up. The same occurs with our sail.
Naturally just a small angle of attack of the sail to the wind only offers very little surface for the wind to generate any sort of force on whereas too much surface (from a too large angle of attack) will result in too much drag. We want to find the sweet spot between getting the maximum lift and generating only as much drag as absolutely necessary.
Relative Wind
So now we know how important it is to find the best angle of attack of the sail to the wind. As we start to sail we only have to take into account the true wind.(blue arrow) As we start to move we start to feel another wind component which we will call the board wind (red arrow – in sailing it is called the boat speed).
If we combine these two wind components we get the wind we feel: the relative wind (green arrow). Depending on which course we are on and the speed we are going at we will get a different relative wind. Since our sail must be positioned at the perfect angle with respect to the relative wind, we must constantly be modifying the sails’ angle of attack to get the maximum speed the wind and sail can allow us.
Here is the relative wind as we build up speed..
And here is an example of how the relative wind varies at the same speed on different courses.
I hope now you get an idea how to get the most out of your sail. Now a small change in how the sail is built to get the most out of the wind.
Sail Profile
Now let’s look at the profile of a sail and the air flow along it.
Air Flow of a wind/sail – Courtesy of Wikipedia
As you can see, the curve of the sail causes the air particles on the lee side to have a longer way to go than the ones on the windward side.
According to Bernoulli’s Principle this difference in speed creates a difference in pressure, the top side (our leeward side) having less pressure and the underside (our upwind side) having more. Since the pressure acting on our side of the sail is greater than the pressure on the other side, lift is generated and we move forwards.
These two components of lift generation (angle of attack and sail shape) are what makes up move. Understanding this will help us get the most out of our sails in terms of speed and early planing.
I hope this has explained how your windsurfing sail works. For an fun video going through exactly this subject you can check out Surfertoday.com and their post “How does a Windsurfing Sail Work?” If you have any questions, feel free to let me know in the comments.
Carrying our windsurfing equipment can be one of the most annoying hassles of the sport if we don’t know how to do it right. Time and again I have seen people carry their windsurf gear in such inefficient ways that this aspect definitely deserves an article. Most of it is common sense but when you are used to a certain way of doing things or don’t adapt your carrying method to the type of equipment and the environment, you will certainly create a habit where you are going to waste a lot o energy in the process of getting your rigged gear to and from the water.
Sails
With enough wind
Above a certain wind speed this method is possible and even if we hardly have any wind, if we run or walk fast we can generate enough aparent wind to make this work.
We can position the sail holding the lower end of the mast and the boom close to the mast or over our heads with one hand on the mast (or boom close to the mast) and the boom. In both of these methods it is important that we keep in mind that tge wind is to do ALL the work. We only need to position the sail correctly relative to the wind. In fact, we literally only need to use TWO FINGERS to carry the sail in wind. If we need more than that, we are doing something wrong. Important to keep in mind is that the mast needs to be on the wind side with the mast foot being slightly more upwind than the boom, and slightly (5 cm, 2 in) more elevated.
With little to no wind
When we have very little wind we won’t have any help from the elements to lift the sail. However, as I mentioned earlier, we can create our own wind by walking fast or running.
Over the head
As with the method with wind, we can balance the sail over our head. One hand will be on the mast and the other in the sail with a flat hand so as to hold it with the maximum surface of the hand. The smaller the hand surface, the more we damage the sail.
DO NOT pull the sail down onto your head!
Our heads have a pretty small surface due to its round shape. The weight of the sail alone laying on top of our heads shouldn’t damage it. However, it we pull the sail down, it’s tge same as if we were standing on it when laying on the ground. At some point it will deform the plastic/cloth/monofilm of the sail.
Big Boards – One person
Daggerboard
If you are strong enough you can lift the board under your arm by grabbing hold of the daggerboard or the daggerboard slot. Just make sure you keep the board on the lee side (downwind of your body) as this way the board is not pressing against you and you can let it swing away from your body, especially useful in the gusts.
(Board on the lee side)
Picture
Over the head
If we need to go upwind we can carry the board on our head (going across the wind or downwind like this can be tricky).
Remember, the board is heavy and has a large surface which means you can easily hurt yourself and others if you lose control of it due to the wind knocking it out of your hands.
Picture
Big Boards – Two people
Large boards are easy to carry between two people since the weight is distributed. The best method is for one person to grab the fin (the board positioned so that the fin is pointing away from the body) and the second person carrying the bow. As mentioned before, it is best if the board is carried on the lee side of the body to make up for the wind pushing the board. Also, when walking in line with the wind, the end with the fin (stern) should be pointing windward.
Buggy
If you are privileged enough to have access to one of these, be sure to use it. It makes your life so much easier. Strap the boards on so that the eind doesn’t blow them off and hurt you or someone else in the process.
Small Boards
Although small boards are lighter and easier to carry than beginner boards, there are indeed ways to carry them that are impracticable and make life hard on us. Here are the methods of how to carry them correctly.
Fin to wind
Before we begin with all the ways, one thing to keep in mind is to always carry the board with the fin end pointing to the wind. This is the position that the board turns to naturally if we carry it at its centre of gravity. It may seem common sense to avoid using energy to fight the wind but I see this a lot on the beach.
Board on the lee side
The other thing to keep in mind is to carry the board on the lee side of our body. This way the wind doesn’t push us sideways but rather we can let the board be lifted by the wind and thereby be less heavy.
Under the arm
Nowadays, with the boards being wider and shorter rather than long and slender, this option of carrying the board in the same fashion as a regular sure board is not always possible.
One footstrap
Grab the lower footstrap and have the other on rest on your forearm. This keeps the board vertical.
Footstrap + mastfoot
Again, keep in mind not to fight against the wind.
Board and Sail Combination
Footstrap + Boom
This is the method I find the best and recommend. It is the one where we have the most control over the gear and so the safest. It is also the one that requires the least energy.
Footstrap + Boom (low wind alternative)
Although it looks similar to the previous one, it is prone to lack of control because the board can start to flap about over the arm holding the footstrap. HOwever, with low wind it is a lilttle easier to carry the gear if it is heavy.
Over the head back footstrap and mast
This consists of holding the mast underneath the boom, leaning the sail on top of your head and the other hand holding the back footstrap. The only time this one is practical is when we have to walk directly upwind. However, even then I recommend the first option as we will always have more control over our gear.
I have seen other methods of carrying the gear but to me they are not the way to go as they are cumbersome and offer less control. If you have any other methods to add, please let me know in the comments.
The waterstart: portal to the small volume boards. The manoeuvre that separates the men from the boys, real windsurfers from the newbies, the dedicated from the dabblers…. The waterstart is THE manoeuvre you need to get a hang of to truly enjoy the sport of windsurfing.
If we remember my post on the beachstart, I mention that the beachstart is 95% technique and 5% wind. The waterstart is 80% technique and 20% wind. This means that we can still do a waterstart easily even if the wind drops. However, I have seen so many people unable to sail back to shore when the wind dropped just because their waterstart technique was useless. Therefore I recommend that everybody read this even if they know how to do the waterstart.
The technique of the waterstart is very similiar to that of the beachstart. Basically you can think of the waterstart as a beachstart without touching the ground. Therefore I recommend getting the beachstart technique sorted out before you tackle the waterstart.
Pulling the sail out of the water
I wrote a separate article on how to get the sail out of the water for the waterstart and positioning the gear to save time and energy. You can read up on it now and come back to this post later or finish this one first. For now the main piece of information I want to to take away is that you make sure you keep the sail flat on the water surface to avoid the end of the boom sticking in the water and undoing all your progress of getting the sail to hover out of the water.
Now to the actual waterstart:
We position the board similar to the beachstart, beam reach or slightly more downwind for more sail surface (if there is little wind). We get the board into this position with the same pushing/pulling on the mastfoot as the beachstart only that we need the keep our body more tense as we don’t have a ground to use as fixed point.To get and maintain the board in place we can hold the boom or mast with the front hand and the back footstrap with the back hand.
With these two contact points we can lever the board into place. We can either move on to the next step immediately if we have enough wind or, if we don’t have enough wind, wait for a gust strong enough to lift us out.here is what comes next: Once we have the gear laid out correctly we put the back foot on the board. If there is enough wind we can put both feet on the board which will give us greater control. However, if we use only one foot we can use the other leg to swim upwards and help us get on.
A very important note, when you put your foot on the board DO NOT push the board away from you. You want to lay the foot on the centerline of the board and pull it towards you if anything. Pushing the board away with the back foot will cause the board to turn into the wind and leave us luffed up so far that we no longer have any wind lifting us.
So: lay the back foot on the centerline of the board and push with your front hand onto the mastfoot through the mast. As soon as the foot is on the back hand goes from the back footstrap to the boom (if you didn’t have there already). Once there do not immediately pull down. What you want to do is pull the back hand upwards towards the mast top. Basically over your head. Our intention is to keep the boom horizontal throughout the whole procedure.
As you do this you want to bend your knees and lean your shoulders forwards so that your chest is touching your knees. What this does is in essence position the sail as vertical as possible while bringing your weight centre as low and close over the board as possible. The result is as much sail surface available to the wind to lift us up and the minimum resistance of your bodyweight to pull us down.
Do not sabotage yourself
As soon as we start to get lifted out it is important to avoid two things:
– Bend the front arm
– Lunge forwards with our hips
Both of these will sabotage our efforts and make us fall backwards into the water again. Try to keep this in mind:we want the sail to lift us out of the water with the wind. We DON’T want to pull ourselves up as we would doing pull-ups.
Once our body’s weight centre is over the board we must start to open the sail again to avoid being catapulted over the other side.
And to top it all off we need to keep the boards position steady throughout the whole procedure. As you can see, it is quite a complex maneouvre indeed and one that takes a while to be mastered. I would definitely recommend getting an instructor to guide you for the first two hours as keeping all of these things in mind is nearly impossible… Also, it will stop you from taking up bad habits (especially the front arm and hip lunging thing).
So, to recap:
– Board on beam reach or slightly downwind
– Wait for wind gust if not enough constant wind
– Foot resting on the board, not pushing the board away
– Front arm straight and leaning the mast forward
– Bend knees
– Shoulders forward
– Let the sail lift us up and NOT pull ourselves up
– Open the sail in time
– Maintain board direction steady throughout all manoeuvre
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.
