Windsurfing Kakis

[hoonsong]

Ha,

Just a random post. Anyone switched from club to short boards and having a hard time? Esp with other things that comes with it like harness and footstraps? I'm looking for some kakis to learn together cos I'm am! I usually sail on sunday afternoons.

I'm currently trying out the dakine seat harness. The first thing I did was lowering my boom aLOT... like all the way down so i can hook in. I think thats normal since I read that ppl do that with seat harnesses. Still trying to find the sweet spot for the harness lines though... more than often it doesnt feel right... like I am using unequal strength with my left and right arm, i'll try to move the lines towards the tired arm... but its different all the time and its hard to shift the harness lines while sailing. And there are times I get a sudden change in windstrength and I need to adjust my arms quickly to balance while hooked in... this is when the harness gets in the way and I'll get pulled by the sail into the water.

Well I will keep trying to adjust the harness lines position and length till I get it right but if there are any advice out it will be great! =) Btw what I learnt from ppl around the club is roughly explained in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b0jfXPO9_U

Song

[PlaneSailin]

Hi Song...about harness lines, it's a good thing u asked instead of suffering in silence...! (I can't see the video u posted a link to, btw, coz I'm using my phone)
anyway, your harness lines should be in a position where you can basically sail feeling balanced, without more pressure on one arm than on the other.  If there were no other variables, like choppy water etc., u should be able to lean back in the harness and sail with no hands!

Try this: unhooked,  hold the boom with one hand only. The sail will be out of control at first, but when u find a sweet spot where the rig stays more or less still, let that be where u centre your harness lines. U can do this on the beach first, then refine it on the water.

Harness line length: much shorter than u think! If u can hook in easily in light wind, they're too long.  It's an arcane art/science, kind of related to boom height; please ask one of the experienced sailors to help you get this set up right for you, as it really makes a big difference.  Ditto for rig tuning (downhaul/outhaul). If u just do these things randomly every time, you'll get nowhere, very slowly.  

Another thing, when the wind strength changes, u need to learn to sheet in or out to compensate, dance around the board a bit, and not get pulled into the water! It takes time. U can practice this on land too. But lately, with the NE, it's VERY gusty and shifty, so don't feel too bad if u keep falling in!

Cheers!

[timkhoo]

Hi Song,

Just a quick question... How long have you been windsurfing on a club board before you decided to switch to short board...?

Tim
SIN-4

[hoonsong]

PlaneSailin: Thanks for the advice! Will try the one hand thingy this coming sun =) And i think u r right about the harness lines. I can hook in at light winds, but when I start to go faster, I find myself leaning out too much and risk falling into the water or struggling to maintain the stance using too much arm power and rendering the harness useless. I did shorten it a little while sailing the last time but i think its not enuff. I saw this while doing some searching online on harness lines after reading what you wrote http://windsurfingmag.com/how-to/2008/04/02/correcting-harness-line-length/ Thanks! =)

timkhoo: I used the clubboard for about 2 years before finally deciding to take the plunge and get a 2nd hand shortboard.

[timkhoo]

Hi Song,

The reason i ask is because many windsurfers tend to very quickly jump from club boards to short boards without knowing the proper basics of using a harness and footstraps. This results in them not being able to fully understand and master the technique, and as a result, end up with less than optimal speed or handling of their equipment.

Since you are already on a short board, what i would advice is that you start by going with adjustable harness lines. Not the ones that are difficult to adjust on the fly, but those that can be quickly adjusted by pulling the lines in and out of the cleats. The most common brand around is "Advance Technologies". I assume you are well versed with the footstraps so i won't touch on that.

With adjustable harness lines, you will be able to lengthen and shorten your lines to suit varying wind conditions. More importantly, you can separate the boom height play from your harness line length. This is important as the boom height affects the performance and feel of your sail.

An important thing to note is also harness type. A seat harness promotes 'sitting' on your sail, which is alright if you are over-powered and hanging on to a big sail. A waist harness, however is more suited to a smaller sail especially if you are just starting to learn how to use the harness. This will prevent the early sitting on the sail and will force you to learn how to hike out and gain appropriate leverage over the sail and fin.

[PlaneSailin]

Wow, Tim knows his stuff  *impressed*

[hoonsong]

Hmm... I never thought we can use harness lines and footstraps on clubboards... thought we have to get our own equipment to use the those things. Even though there are footstraps on the club boards I never use them too... sooo... even on my shortboard I dun use them! *embarrassed* haha I am thinking of getting used to the harness before I start using the footstraps =P Hope there is nothing wrong with doing that.

Yup the harness lines I got are adjustable so its good. I cant remember the brand though.

My sail is 6.5 my board is JP Freeride 129. I got a dakine seat harness cos I thought it will be easier to start off with. Not sure if I will switch to a waist though. Unless there is a reason.

Thanks so much for all the advice =) Really appreciate it. I will have to try all that out on Sun and post my feedback. Hope the weather will be good. Hate to go all the way there (almost 2 hrs! of public transport) and not get to sail.

[hoonsong]

Windsurfed last sun evening... realized my harness line is already the shortest so I shifted my boom up a notch. Find it harder to hook in in light winds but find it more comfortable in strong winds when I step back and sheet in. However I kinda get overpowered on one occasion and got thrown off the board on the sail... =P

Unfortunately I am sailing downwind alot with the harness... and I had to keep tacking and sailing upwind to get back to where I started. I cant seem to sail upwind with the harness (is that normal?) so I did not really use it for more than half the time while sailing.

And while I was carrying my sail back on my head it tore at the seams! arghh! I only just replaced some of its panels half a year ago! I gave Richard a look at the damage and he thinks its time I buy a new sail... I have to agree with him... sigh.

[timkhoo]

Hi Song,

1) Your boom height should vary according to wind conditions. In stronger, less manageable winds, it should be between your chest and chin level. In lighter winds, it should be anywhere from your neck to your eye level. There are extremes of course. Some IMCO and RSX windsurfers sail with their booms at eye level when the winds are light. The higher your boom is, the stiffer the top of your mast (from the boom to the tip of the mast), which gives the mast less room to twist off, resulting in more power in your sail for lighter winds. With a lower boom, the mast has more room to flex and twist to bleed off the power for stronger winds.

2) Harness line lengths should really vary according to your sailing stance and wind conditions. In terms of sailing stance, avoid sitting on your sail, first of all. By that, i mean avoid hooking in and putting your full weight downwards onto your seat harness, and onto the boom. As i mentioned earlier, the best way to avoid this bad habit is to use a waist harness to start off. Some ppl end up in a "h" position with their butts almost touching the water because their harness lines are so long coupled with the fact that they have made it a practice to keep sitting on their sail.

For harness line length, i normally go with "as short as possible". Then again i use adjustable harness lines. What i do is to have my lines just long enough to get hooked in with ease, then once i'm on the plane i quickly shorten my harness lines to a much shorter length where i have adequate leverage over the sail while trying to keep it as upright as possible. The lines should not be so short to the extent that i am so near to the upright sail that if a gust suddenly comes, i have no room to spare to let the sail pull away from me without catapulting me. It's kinda hard to explain this... Takes some trying out. The lines should be at the length that you can slightly bend your arms when hooked in and holding the boom.

3) A shortboard is normally coupled with a short fin and hence that makes going upwind difficult, unless you are on a full plane. By a full plane i mean that you are fully powered and can point your board in whatever direction you want without coming off the plane. When you are fully powered up, you should be able to easily point your board upwind and pinch it upwind by pushing hard on the fin. If you push too hard, the fin might lose 'bite' on the water and spin out. At the fine point just before the fin spins out, you should find that you are going upwind nicely.

One way to push upwind is to 'close the gap', which is to sheet in and 'mast-back' your sail to try to get the foot of the sail to be in line and touch the board. Of course, different sails have different cuttings so not all sails will be able to do that. Key thing, of course, is to fully sheet-in and mast-back as much as possible to have the power in the sail directly above the fin so that you can put pressure on it, and force the board upwind. If your board rails towards the leeward side as you do this, you are getting it right.

Beyond this, all i can say is that the longer your fin is, the easier it is to get onto a plane and of course, the easier to go upwind. That's why Formula boards have 70cm fins. Being in or out of the harness has nothing to do with going upwind except if you are in the harness when you're not fully planing, and as a result, pull your sail down over you and closing the angle of the sail relative to the wind, allowing less wind to power your sail. Another explanation is that your harness lines are too far back on your sail (You will feel more pressure on your front hand than back hand) and hence your sail pulls you downwind when planing.

4) Lots of people tend to carry the sail on their head and this results in the sail tearing at the seams or on the monofilm itself. You are not alone. I have experienced this even on brand new sails which i have used for less than a year. It's just wear and tear. But there are other ways of carrying the sail that will reduce the chance of this occurrence. One way is to carry it by your side with the foot of the sail facing forward, one hand lifting the mast (which is parallel to the ground) and the other hand holding the boom to stabilize the sail. The other way is to just carry the sail via the boom, lifting it up by your side and letting the sail body rest your arms and shoulders.

Tim
SIN-4

[timkhoo]

Check out the way this guy hikes out on the plane. Quite good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjkZfIOlh18

Tim
SIN-4

[weng]

Check out the way this guy hikes out on the plane. Quite good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjkZfIOlh18

Tim
SIN-4

Yeah but with water that flat, anyone can do it

[timkhoo]

Anyone can do it, but not everyone does.
Hiking this way can be done in strong winds and choppy water. And even on a big formula board.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEzjyPeOANo&feature=related

Check out the way this guy hikes out on the plane. Quite good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjkZfIOlh18

Tim
SIN-4

Yeah but with water that flat, anyone can do it

[hoonsong]

Woah thanks for the tips! Alot to digest I will go with 3 and 4 first. Will talk abt 1 and 2 another day. Tired from work =P

3. OK this is going to sound stupid. How do I know whether am I on or off a plane? I know technically if the only thing that is in contact with the water is the fin means I am on a plane but how would I know when I am sailing? I only assume I am on a plane when I commit my weight to the sail and I can feel the sail fully powered and I am going damn fast. Is that correct?

As for sheeting in the sail till its clew touch almost touch the board. I've seen ppl do it on a long board and looks like there were learning forward with the hands pushing the sail to the back. Is that correct? It doesnt look like a position I can do while hooked in when my body is so near the sail and my hands are so far up the boom near the mast.

This one looks hooked in http://yachtpals.com/windsurfing-sailboarding-4133 but this one look more like me going upwind damn http://www.windsurfing.sailingcourse.com/steering-the-board.htm

Hey I just realized in the 1st video you provided from 1:06 to 1:22... on numerous occassions I can see he used his weight to sheet in more (back almost touching the water!) and the clew of his sail is almost touching the board, and his feet is pushing against the board (thats railing leeway right?). Is that what u mean?
 
Oh and does positioning the mast foot matter in whether I can easily go upwind or not? Cos I heard some ppl say it does but I don't quite understand why.

4. Hmm I can visualise the first way of carrying the sail cos I only do that after I wash in the sailing club where there is little or no wind. However outside when I am exposed to the wind won't it be difficult since the method does not use the wind to offload the sail's weight. And correct me if I am wrong I cannot walk perdendicular to the wind since doing that will either blow the sail towards or away from me.

As for the 2nd way I cant quite visualise it =( but no worries I will observe more when I go windsurf next time.

This is the only picture I find online of a person carrying a sail not using the head as support (last picture):
http://www.windsurfing.sailingcourse.com/lauching_and_stopping.htm

[timkhoo]

Ok... lets see...

When you're on a plane, it doesn't mean that just the fin is in contact with the water. Of course, the stern of the board is still touching the water but for sure the bow lifts off. And yes, you will go much faster. You will also feel a certain loss of control of the board and that's where the footstraps come in, to help you hold the board down onto the water and steer it with your feet.

You can almost always commit your full weight onto the sail even when you're not planing. The wind just has to be strong enough. Again, I hope when you mean committing your weight, it doesn't mean literally sitting on the sail. What you should be feeling is that the sail is fully powered up and will start pulling you forward, which in turn translate to you pushing the board forward with your feet. At this point, when the board starts to plane, you no longer feel the pulling (throw-you-forward) effect from the sail on your arms. This is because the board has now accelerated and is moving at the same speed as the board. This is planing.

Next, lets be clear on the sail foot grinding the board and hiking position. The guys doing it on the longboard will sheet in their sails hard and 'close the gap' because they are powering up their daggerboard to push the board onto a leeward rail. The longboard, with it's sharp square side rails, will assist the board to climb higher upwind. When fully sheeted in, with the sailor's feet in the side beating straps, and heading upwind in LIGHT winds, a long board has the tendency of turning too far into the wind and as such lose speed and stall. By leaning forwards, the sailor actually moves excess weight necessary in pressuring the daggerboard (for upwind climbing), and moves it forwards so as to create a center of gravity that is no longer at the daggerboard, but more towards the mastfoot. This balances up the board and prevents it from going too high into the wind. Notice that when the winds are STRONG, the sailor no longer needs to lean forward as the sheer strength of the wind attempts to pull the board away from the wind.

For a shortboard and formula board, the only time one leans forward is when the wind is dying and you still want to pressure the scagg (fin) to keep planing while keeping the sail as upright as possible to catch the wind. When you are powered up, you should be putting pressure on the fin via your back leg and standing straight up and not leaning forwards. What you are trying to do is effectively put the draft of the sail over the fin. In the video, when the sailor leans back using his weight, this is probably because the winds are gusty and picked up here and there. What he does by leaning backwards in the gusts is to put more lateral pressure on the fin which powers the fin up more and gives the board more speed.

Mast foot position is a lengthy issue if you are using a longboard which has a long movable mast track. But that's a story for another day. For a shortboard and formula board, the mast track position determines how high the nose of your board rides up when you plane. Remember that the sail lifts the board and drives it forward when powered up. Too much wetted surface on the bottom of the board will increase drag hence you shift the mast track backwards to lift the nose more. If your mast track is too far back, it is slightly harder to get onto the plane and when the wind picks up, you might have your board lifting too much and might even end up 'fin walking' as there is not enough pressure on the mastfoot to keep the bow of the board in the water. You have to find the right balance. Going upwind on a shortboard has close to nothing to do with the mast foot position. But it does have a HUGE impact if you are on a longboard.

As for carrying the sail sideways, you will have the sail leaning onto you in the wind for both methods but it's better than letting it sit on your head where there's only 1 focused pressure point.

Tim
SIN-4

[PlaneSailin]

Tim, you are a walking (or should I say sailing) windsurfing encyclopedia; I take my hat off to you!

Just one thing, about leaning forward...a more experienced sailor (I dare not name names) told me to lean quite far forward, especially in the gusts, as a way of sheeting in the sail. This lets you use your weight to sheet in, without the risk of being pulled over - because your weight is forward, the force pulling against you is trying to pull you backward, instead of straight across or forward. It seems to work. It gives you a springy kind of resistance to gusts without the feeling that you might get thrown. And I've noticed other sailors doing the same thing. Works for me, anyway, if I feel overpowered and it's choppy...