Your not committing to your harness lines enough.. If you can sail along one handed your on the right track. Try just using a small amount of grip - even just fingertips to hang on the boom and commit more

red said...

Your not committing to your harness lines enough.. If you can sail along one handed your on the right track. Try just using a small amount of grip - even just fingertips to hang on the boom and commit more
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I remember reading in a mag about being able to play the piano on the boom with your fingers while speeding along - if you can't do that then put more weight on the harness. That said, I occasionaly go over a piece of chop and go to put weight on harness only to find myself unhooked.

I felt like I was commited but obviously I am not fully. I do find myself with bent arms and pulling the sail over me. Guess I have a little more work to do on my technique yet.
I must admit, I do remember Red telling me to commit more not long after I first got into the footstraps.

So a 155lt Go in 20 knots and chop is going to be a little bouncy :) If you're confident sailing in that kind of wind in the straps on that board, you'll probably find something smaller a revelation.

The Go does bounce a little at that speed. Heaps of fun though . And I am working on getting a smaller board soon.

Thanks for all the advice guys

Coincidentally this was the feature photo when I read this thread:



Go out in some light-marginal wind and practise sailing no hands. Aim for 80% of the time just using the harness and using your hands only to correct for gusts etc.

dont forget to have your harness lines in the right spot aswell! if they are a bit wrong the as soon as you let go of one hand then your gonna go over the front hooked in , or if there to far forward u will just slow down.

to make sure ur lines are in the right spot, get a piece of elastic stretchy rope stuff cut it 1 meter long , tie a hook to each end.
1/3 the way along ( 33cms ) zip a zip tye onto it that spot ( 33cms)

hook the front ( the end the zip tie is closer too ) onto the boom head and hook the other end onto the clew eyelet.

then move the rear harness line to the zip tie and the front one , 1 fists width forward of the rear line.

viola!
all set

Ahh yes this is true,

BUT! if you make the rope up , u wont have to think and do math ( unless u like maths? ) before your sesh and u can get it just right for all sails

Im only new and am having trouble getting into the harness (seat) What would be the best size lines to be using. Im 6 foot. It just seems the lines are too short to get in. Any suggestions - I need all the help I can get - but loving it.

Coming out in any type of clothing is difficult.
But as long as you have support from your fellow windsurfers you'll be fine.

I am a staunch advocate that longer is faster! Always have been.
At 185cm I run about 34 to 36 inch lines [sorry about the measurement unit switching but its horses for courses]. I am not ape like [some may beg to differ]!
Many faster will differ, but by adjusting your stance to long lines the rig will be more vertical and presumably efficient.
In the conditions that I sail in this works. And yes - the lines pop out of the harness hook at times - particularly when going deep into a choppy speeed run. But I am a harness enigma in that my hook opens upwards! 28 years of habit is hard to break!
Hope this adds some value.

Thanks for the tips. Just need some strong steady wind. Had a crack today but was very gusty. (1st day on new board) Nailed first beach start - havent tried since a wally about 21 years ago. Couldnt get a waterstart but got close and was stuffed. Got plaining in a few gusts but only short lived and didnt have confidence/opportunity to really try to get into the harness. Board felt so light up on plane. That being said, I know have 12 foot arms from hanging onto boom.

I was conscious of boom height which was shoulder height and lines about a third down the boom. Hopefully steady stringer wind will assist.

Im wondering if a waist harness would be a better option to begin with instead of a seat. Any suggestions.

i have my lines 1/3rd of the boom as mentioned in earlyer in this thread ,
i find when im fully powered up i need to pull with my front hand to keep the sail trimmed right.i dont think i have even come out of the lines like this. you also need to fully commit to the harness and keep the weight on the hook .

Waist

cos theyre easyer to hook in and out

and it supports my lower back , which used to get sore.

Chest harnesses are best. I used to have a really nice Da Kine one but I lost it. So I have to use a seat harness that I don't really like coz I don't like the look of it and the hook is too low.

I lengthened my harness lines to 30 inches last time I was out and felt a lot more comfortable in the harness. Although there wasnt a lot of chop etc. as winds were lighter.
I am not sure that as I am using a seat harness and am not exactly tall (about 165cm) whether I may benefit from even longer lines.
I have been practicing sailing one handed in the lighter winds when I am in the harness so that I make sure I am fully commited. I still have yet to master the ability to detect lulls in the wind and found myself falling backward when the wind abruptly stopped. Does this just come from experience and 'feel' of the rig or is there a trick to this? I find myself starting to pull on the boom as the wind decreases just to try to stop myself from falling in which just tends to pull the rig over me instead of pulling me upright.

nobody said...
Rig feel does come from experience. Sounds like you need to learn to reactively oversheet and adjust you weight by moving mainly your hips closer to the sail in lulls. Although it is much better to watch the wind, you should be able to sail without watching the wind when you get more experience.

Agree with the first half of the comment, that more experience lets you know about your rig feel.

And that when your in a lull/rig-depowers best thing is to shove your pelvis in toward centreline of board (looks a bit like an air humping!)

But disagree with the last bit, your should always be watching for puffs and lulls, more information= faster/better sailing. I am a relative newby to windsurfing, but have sailed alot. I'm just getting past this hitting the drink backwards stuff, as I sail in a very gusty and lull-y river and learning the craft.

OceanBlue64 - dunno how much wind reading knowledge you have, but as a general tip:

-Gusts dark/ripply water, watch those bullets ripping past
-Lulls - less dark and less ripply, more shiny water (sometimes just 'plainer' looking patch of water)

You do need to have a reactive oversheeting ability to stop hitting the drink backwards, but its much better to have a prevention then a cure, as in, know what winds is coming so not to get in this position.

Yes, you can probably sail along fine most times not watching, but not very well (is this what you meant nobody?). Most experts also mention that looking forward/towards wind makes your stance better.