Mast Position While Sailing

[nosmas1]

Hi guys/gals, please help me understand what is going on. From what Ive read and been told, while sailing, the mast should be straight up and down or perpendicular to the water. However, I find to get the best speed (not planing) I need to lean the mast leeward and forward. Am I doing something or set up wrong and why is this happening. Using a GO board with a 2.7 Sailworks Trainer sail (long story). Im 175 lbs. sailing in about 15 mph winds. Thanks.

[spyder]

your mast is part of the steering of the board. Leaning the mast forward helps move the board downwind, and leaning backward moves the board upwind.

When you are planing, and hooked in (a goal!) then the mast will be raked back in your planing sailing stance. For now, you are not planing, so the mast takes on a steering function.

With your trainer sail, you are learning the basic turning, and balancing. Once you get this down, you will graduate to a larger sail that will get you planing, when you sheet in. As for your question, the proper position of the rig is basically upright to sail in a straight line, since you cant really sheet in to plane with such a small sail. As I mentioned the mast is used here as a turning function. As for your speed, you might get in a awkward sheeted out situation, where the board seems to be moving faster, but its a bad habit to get into. Dont worry about speed now.

[nosmas1]

Very good point! Thank you.

[nosmas1]

Blame my high school english teacher for my paragraph structure. Actually, Im so new at this Im at the stage where I dont know what I dont know. Sorry about the confusion.