OK I've had about half a dozen proper, planing, committed, full speed attempts, and all of them end up the same way:

On a 5m wavesail, 80 litre waveboard, well powered up (20-25 knots windspeed), I hit the ramp doing 90 degrees to the wind, look back, sheet in, and the sail gets ripped out of my hands.

The last time I landed upside down with my feet still in the straps, watching the sail doing rotations without me. I've done the remko method of wymaroo's, non-planing rotations and boardless rotations in light wind, no problems there. But I'm stuck when it comes to doing it full-scale

Any ideas? Do it hooked in? Bear off more so there's less apparent wind? Manacle myself to the boom? Htfu?

Help?

I don't even have the stones to attempt a fwd loop, I would like to be able to loop and I am deeply ashamed, I think about it all the time but when it comes time to give it a crack I just get crap myself like a 'girlie man'

Oh, if the sail gets ripped out of your hands, maybe it's too far forward, shouldn't you angle the mast back a bit more before rotating, so that the wind spins both you and the sail? And I think I remember Haircut said, pull yer feet up to yer bum...

I know more about flying the space shuttle than I know about looping, but what the hey...

Get your back hand further back - and look back more!!! You really want to be looking at or behind the clew - not just a glance, hold your head there! If you see the sail rotating away from you then you're not looking back! simple as that! then you'll have them. It helps to have someone sail behind you and then when you go for it just look at them and don't take your eyes off them. You might think you're looking back - but I guarentee you're not - and don't forget to get the back hand right back!

Good luck & have fun!

Just landed my first proper loops - turns out that I was taking off too much across the wind.

At the last second I turn from a broad reach to REALLY downwind and jump....

The moment I started taking off super downwind I started getting them...

For reference, I'm doing them off the flat, which might make a difference.

I saw Windaddict pull some loops off mentone beach this summer. The kid has the right idea he might not be able to sail away from them, but they look good any way.

For me i am still trying to work out how to do the dale cook jump

On Ya Nebbs. You're not just a pretty face.

Make sure your getting up high above your board then bear away, sheet in and tuck your self up as if doing a normal summersault to rotate fast unwinding to slow down here are a few pics my mrs managed to get a week ago with the new camera

Not sure why your rig is being ripped out of your hands though i have noticed that alot of people using the look at the clew technique sometimes forget that you also need quite an agressive pull on your back hand to get things started loops tend to hurt the most when you don't fully commit.I am currently learning doubles and have found that reaching as far back on the boom really speeds up your rotation and helps you automatically tuck up and over the board which helps for more controlled landings also the further downwind you go the slower and flater the rotation for flat water spin loops this is required to get enough speed and flick to get around although out in waves you will want a much more upwind angle to launch otherwise you will land to forward on your gear and go over the front. Just remember speed is your friend its all about commitment,DON'T THINK FEEL!

Thank you all for the advice and encouragement, it really helps

I was thinking about it today on the water (flat river, no good for loop attempts) and was thinking that perhaps it's because I keep my thumb above the boom, so I'm still in monkey-grip (all fingers going over the boom). This can't be all that strong, next time I'm psyched up I'll try putting my thumb underneath the boom, to get a proper strong hold of the thing.

And move my hand back like I'm about to do a duck gybe, and yes, REALLY look back (thanks Fletch )

Will let you know how it goes. Where would we be without seabreeze?

nebbian said...

Thank you all for the advice and encouragement, it really helps

I was thinking about it today on the water (flat river, no good for loop attempts) and was thinking that perhaps it's because I keep my thumb above the boom, so I'm still in monkey-grip (all fingers going over the boom). This can't be all that strong, next time I'm psyched up I'll try putting my thumb underneath the boom, to get a proper strong hold of the thing.

And move my hand back like I'm about to do a duck gybe, and yes, REALLY look back (thanks Fletch )

Will let you know how it goes. Where would we be without seabreeze?

Nebs going for style points the one thumbed looper.

my tips:
go fast on a reach but not outta control fast
spot ramp
move hand back and unhook
jump and make sure you tuck back leg up.
point downwind
look back as you sheet in.
try and throw a bit more horizontal at first.
enjoy the sensation
fist pump
back rub
voltaren/rum

Impact vests and life jackets offer great protection when learning loops. My first session without one left me with lots of bruising even with a wetsuit.
Since i've started wearing the vest no dramas at all!
It takes the fear of pain away!

Gestalt said...

hey nebs,

you should see notwals loop attempts. he has invented a new move, i'm coining it the helicopter.

he sails along (on flat water at speed) then takes his feet out of the straps and does a loop without the board. so he and rig flip around. he is almost doing a full 360. would be impressive if he gets his feet back in the straps.

sprung

That'd be something. Fly all the way around and get the feet back in the straps - a new rig and crew 360

NotWal said...

CJW said...

I think one of the key factors with flat water loops is the take off angle. You really do need to take off further off the breeze, say 120 degrees, this gives the loop a much flatter rotation, where taking off across the wind gives a much more 'end over' rotation. Everything else is par for the course.

What about how far you throw the sail across before you sheet in. Does that make a difference viv a vis horizontal/vertical spin?

Yeah I think it achieves a similar thing as when you do that and sheet in it naturally pulls the rig/board downwind. I know I myself found that technique difficult to develop at first, hence, 'cheating' a bit by laying off the wind.