beginner question: turning in higher winds

[snapster]

Hey, I'm new to the sport. I finally had some good, stronger steady wind yesterday, and it was a real blast; got going really fast, and despite falling in every time I tried to tack or gybe, I was grinning.
Anyway, although I can turn the usual way with the rig in lower winds, I'm having some trouble turning in higher winds; I can kind of head up, but I'm having trouble bearing off and pointing more downwind. Here's how I can best describe my trouble: to bear off, I'm trying to bring the rig forwards. In order to do that, I have to shift my hands back on the boom towards the clew. But when I do that, it's kind of like I'm forced to sheet in, and it pulls harder than I want. And it seems awkward to simultaneously tip the mast forward, and sheet out, because then I have to lean over forward really far...
Any advice? It's fun to blast back and forth on a beam reach, but I figure I should be able to turn
FYI I'm using a big 11' exocet windsup board, and a 5.5m sail.
Any advice?

[jingebritsen]

push down on the boom. commonly called mast foot pressure. key to lots in windsurfing,

[Sailboarder]

I guess you are not planning.

It may be easier to tack instead. Bring the sail back, the nose will turn upwind and tack as usual.

It will be hard to gybe if you are sheeting out before attempting to turn. If you are already sheeting in, it is also possible to oversheet, once the wind comes from the back, to depower the sail. Make sure you don't overdo it to avoid getting the wind in the other side of the sail.

[U2U2U2]

2008 beginner 3 posts.

[gvogelsang]

Tell us a little about yourself. Weight, height, how often you sail.

In strong winds on a longboard (11" Exocet Windsup) it will be hard to jibe if you are way over powered. It will be easier to pinch up into the wind and tack that beast of a board.

Jibing is a good bit easier if you are on a short board (125 lts or less). but to get there, you need to be able to waterstart, and know how to sail in the straps and the harness.

[snapster]

I'm 150 lbs, 6' tall, and I only recently started sailing. I've probably gone a total of 10 times, all of which have been on a lake, and this time was in the "ocean", but really a fairly protected bay, but which gets much smoother wind than the damn lake.
I'm not sure what the winds were; I'd guess 13 mph, but that's just a guess. I have a 5.5m sail. I'm not using a harness or straps yet, nor can I waterstart...I want to get out there and practice beach-starting, though.

[swchandler]

To be able to carve a gybe like you would a surfboard dropping the inside rail in a bottom turn, you need planing speed. If you don't have that speed going into the turn, you have to instead use the outside rail of the board to pivot the jibe. The whole sail presentation, and the use of it is entirely different to make things work. Like Sailboarder mentioned, it is often easier to tack instead, especially as a beginning windsurfer on a longer and wider board.

[coachg]

Tilt the mast windward & forward, not just forward. That way you will have better leverage over the mast.

Coachg

[wynsurfer]

There are a lot of good instructional videos on youtube. Here is one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHhiaW9Iwc4

[cgoudie1]

I must point out that proficiency in this sport has a similar learning curve to
snow skiing, and even as a mutant of extremely advanced coordination, you
are still going to require a couple of seasons of practice before you are
consistently hitting planning jibes. After 10 days, a pivot jibe is probably
possible, but a tack is much more likely to bring successful results.

Not trying to dampen your enthusiasm, go full out every time you're out,
the sport lends itself to that, but don't expect jetski progress.

-Craig