The title says it all. I use a 5.5 sail in not too windy conditions but i can stil use the rails to steer. I use a harness and am just getting into footstraps. I don't what else i can say... i can go pretty fast and i leave a long wake behind me...
Just do your best to answer this
-Beni
EDIT: its about 15 knots or something- i'm not very good at estimating
it's windy for me
If you haven't discovered catapults yet, it's probably not windy enough for you to be planing.
When your grin reaches from ear to ear, and you're absolutely sure that it will hurt if you crash, THEN you've discovered planing.
IMHO if your sail will pull you out of the water and you can water start easily, then the conditions are right to plane. If you feel the sail pulling you up and forward you are about to plane. If the sloshing noise dissapears you are planing.
If you are going fast does it matter what you call it ?
If your speed doubles in the space of one second, and it feels like the water is 'frozen', then you're planing.
If you slowly get up to your top speed, and the back corner of the board (where the flat bottom meets the deck) is under water, then you're not planing.
If you have to ask, you're not planing 
If you are learning,
When the YYyyyeeeeeeaaahhhhhaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh escapes your lips
Thanks for all the replies guys. From what i hear i guess i've already planed:
Ihave catapulted, just my harness held onto me (luckily)
-that kinda "yyeeeeaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" wouldn't be from planing...
i do speed up suddenly when i 'plane'
unfortunately im not sure what my bow wave is, but i can guess[i don't know though cause i don't klook at it]
i am just learning water starts but a 6.3 can pull me out of chest deep water and drag me for a second or two before it flings me forwards to the bow
EDIT: I meant to say i can beach start in chest deep water(sometimes)
i haven't passed elmo yet but i have kinda done the "yeargh!" thing, just in my head
i find my self flying across the water suddenl;y
------------------------------------
resistance is useless? ummmm, okay. thanks for the tip....
All this talk makes me want to go for a sail.
YYyyyeeeeeeaaahhhhhaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!
Getting onto the plane is hard work. The board is dragging one way and the sail is pulling in the other. When you are on the plane the board will drag in the water far less, as it is now skimming across the top, and there will be far less pull in the sail. Everything becomes easier, faster and subsequently much more fun.
I hate "slogging" (not planing), it is really hard work sometimes, especially downwind.
very interesting answers here.
my first planning was also resulted with very loud "yeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"
(than the catapult came )
but that is something to remember - first planning is probably the best moment
in every windsurfers mind, for what we are living for
Enjoy it in every min on the water, planning or not
Your planing when -
1 you think your going fast
2 and at the same time saying to yourself "I am AWETHOME"
3 And thinking "No one is better than me"
4 then finding the local sandbank you were told to look out for
5 Catapult
6 looking at the hole in your new $1000 neil Pryde Sail.
when you have done all these in order you now certified in "PLANING"
GCMOZ
this is the best explanation i ever saw on the web
@gold, if U ever planning to visit Croatia, call me, we must drink something
I got my shortboard planing for the first time properly today, you know you're planing when the noise goes from shhhhhhhhhhhh to whack whack to WHACK WHACK,but then theres ussually a massive splash afterwards.
