Failure to Launch

mrerie · Joined: 05 Jun 2009 Posts: 4

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.

sailingjoe · Joined: 06 Aug 2008 Posts: 1087

You have to keep trying. It isn't easy to balance board and sail at first. Try to find a larger board. Then grit your teeth and build up your muscles up-hauling. If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again.

johnson_brian_j · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:26 am Post subject: Re: Failure to Launch

Sounds like a wrong size mast to me. Then the boom cutout is probably a foot and a half too high, too. The sail will have way too much leverage over you, and also the mast has the wrong bend curve.

At least you know your problems aren't just you. Anyone would have trouble sailing an arrangement like that.

d0uglass · Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:59 am Post subject:

Mr. Erie,

The odds are definitely stacked against you because-

1. You're trying to learn on a 137 liter shortboard, which is very unstable because it has insufficient flotation and width, and no daggerboard. It's nearly impossible to learn on a shortboard like that.

2. Your sail is horribly rigged. Check the specs on the sailbag or foot of the sail- it should tell what the luff length / mast length should be. If the mast you have is longer than the specified mast for the sail, and there is no adjustable head cap on the top of the sail, then you can't use them together. Also, make sure the mast base extension is at the right setting (probably as short as it can get) and that you are using sufficient downhaul tension. It really takes a lot of tension on the downhaul line to rig a modern sail; more than you can apply with your bare hands, usually.

3. Trying to teach yourself just doesn't work out, usually. Windsurfing is very non-intuitive at first, and you can waste a lot of time getting nowhere if you don't get a lesson. Try linking up with a local club or group. Also, check this post, in which I've put a lot of advice and FAQs for beginners:

http://jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2008/02/top-16-windsurfing-questions-answered.html

Good luck!

-James

mrerie · Joined: 05 Jun 2009 Posts: 4

Thanks for all the great advice everyone! It's nice to know there are good people out there that are willing to take the time to post some advice for a new guy. Thanx again!!!

outcast · Joined: 04 May 2004 Posts: 2724

imho you can learn without lessons if you want just much more painful.
lessons should be free, and readily available!!!

keep a low center of gravity for you and the sail

bet you the water was choppy.

a round little bay with flat water will have flukey wind, but less likely to fall

DelCarpenter · Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 499 Location: Cedar Falls, IA

If you are on the western end of Lake Erie contact Scott Haas at the following: http://www.amoka.com/index.html
He can provide lessons. Lessons aren't free but they give you more return on your money than anything else you can buy in windsurfing. Even if you aren't on his end of the lake, he may be able to help you get connected to windsurfers who sail near you.

Some good online help is available at the following link:
http://www.star-board.com/
The "Windsurfing Academy" at that link has helpful videos. Also under "Forums" there is the forum entitled "Windsurfing School". Roger Jackson there is a wonderful resource for answering questions.

If you take lessons on a wide enough board like a Bic Nova or a Starboard Start or Rio or a Mistral Prodigy maybe you can learn to windsurf in an hour or an afternoon. But those boards are 35 to 40 inches wide. Balancing on them is quite easy compared with the tippiness of a 293 Veloce that is about 25-28 inches wide at the widest point. In the link above for Star-Board click on "Products", look at the Starboard Rio and compare its shape with the shape of the 298 Veloce. Think about how much more quickly you can learn to windsurf on a board designed just for that.

Depending on your weight, in winds of 15 mph the 137 ltr Bic Veloce might be just the right board for you, after you learn to windsurf. Right now trying to learn on that board is like tying one hand behind your back. And trying to learn without a decent teacher around is like tying your other hand behind your back. When none of the windsurfing boards were wider than 28 inches windsurfing had the worst learning curve of any sport, even with lessons.

Welcome to windsurfing. It is worth all the pain and effort, but I hope you take lessons so you can avoid nearly all of the pain.

cagjr21150 · Joined: 04 Apr 2005 Posts: 303

The Learners guide to windsurfing will help all who have an interest to learn http://sites.google.com/site/learnersguidetowindsurfing/Home

bred2shred · Joined: 02 May 2000 Posts: 989 Location: Jersey Shore

d0uglass is right on track. You've basically stacked everything against yourself. At 137 Liters, your board is too small unless you're a small person (maybe 115lb or less) or you already have a strong sailing background. Also your rig isn't set up correctly at all. There's no way you should have 1 1/2 feet of space between the bottom of the mast and the tack of the sail. And you're trying to teach yourself a very non-intuitive sport. Again, if you have a sailing background, maybe you can learn on your own. Without knowing how to sail, it's highly unlikely you will be successful without at least a basic lesson.

Windsurfing is a very accessible and easy sport for most people to learn at a basic level (almost all beginners can be up and sailing around on their first day). But you really need the proper equipment and at least some basic instruction to be successful.

sm

tom9167 · Joined: 02 Jul 2008 Posts: 24

you do need some reasonable flotation to give yourself the platform for advancement.

good advice from the others!