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Failure to launch

 
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mrerie



Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:23 pm    Post subject: Failure to launch Reply with quote

hello,
Newcomer here. Trying to teach myself to windsurf on Lake Erie, could uphaul pretty easily, but then always fell. Lack of wind you think? or rig malfunction/ 298 bic veloce 137l 5.0 maui sail. I had like a foot and a half of empty space between the bottom of sail and mast base. Using wrong size mast maybe? Let me know what you think.
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Bret



Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 149
Location: Up State New York

PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GbSXn37f5k
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kmarasco



Joined: 17 Jan 2000
Posts: 52

PostPosted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 2:45 am    Post subject: Re: Failure to launch Reply with quote

mrerie wrote:
hello,
Newcomer here. Trying to teach myself to windsurf on Lake Erie, could uphaul pretty easily, but then always fell. Lack of wind you think? or rig malfunction/ 298 bic veloce 137l 5.0 maui sail. I had like a foot and a half of empty space between the bottom of sail and mast base. Using wrong size mast maybe? Let me know what you think.

Hopefully Bret's video link will get you squared away on your rigging issues.

As for wind or lack thereof, do you have any idea how much wind there was when you were trying to learn? Did you feel any resistance in your sail? Was the water choppy or glassy? Don't know your weight, but 5.0 is probably an OK sail to learn with, but most days on Erie are lighter.

Where are you on Erie? If you can afford it and there is a shop nearby, I highly recommend getting some lessons. While you can certainly learn on your own, a knowledgeable instructor can be a tremendous help. If you have extra bucks, take a vacation to a place with more reliable winds to kick start your progress. You can always get skunked on a vacation, but it may be worth the chance. The outer banks is a great location to learn that is easily drivable from your vicinity. It has fairly consistent moderate winds and lots of shallow water with a sandy bottom on the sound side.

I can give you an example from my own experience of learning on my own back East. I did have one lesson on a huge battleship in 1981, but I learned short-boarding on my own. I got a new fancy WindWing sail in the 80's and kept breaking the camber inducers. I never understood that I did not have enough tension on my down-haul until I eventually moved to the Gorge and learned my lesson in a day of observation. While a foot and a half of mast at the bottom is a highly probable indicator of too long a mast, you may just need to crank the down-haul a lot more than you might expect. Check the sail for an indication of the recommended mast, which is often printed on many of todays sails.

I'm sure that you know this, but also remember that Erie is a shallow lake and can quickly change from relatively flat to very choppy in a short period of time. So keep an eye on the forecast and the sky.
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mrerie



Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:31 pm    Post subject: thanks Reply with quote

Thats for all the advice everyone! It's good to know that there are good people willing to help out with some advice! I'm on the Michigan part of lake erie right off the detroit river. Usually it is very windy there, but I think it was only about 5 knots that day with flat waters. I think my failure was due to a few things, including too advanced of a board for a beginner, lack of steady wind, improper rigging, and no instruction. I appreciate your advice and I'm thinking of finding a class to take. Thanx!!!
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