Waterstart - tips on flying a big sail ?

[dirt]

So, looking for a little coaching here. I had issues flying my 7.5 Gaastra sail (on a 50% fiberspar mast w/ aluminum boom) the other day. Was in heavy enough wind (15-20 kts) but in large chop so clearing the clew was a hassle unless I swam it upwind a bit to get all the water off the sail and flew it high and quickly to clear the clew. I typically fly the sail using my off hand to extend the board length and resting the boom on that forearm while I grasp the mast above the boom and fly it into the wind. But it seemed even then that on every other attempt my clew caught the water (like my arm just wasn't long enough) and sank - so I had to reposition, reswim upwind, etc...Kind of tiring....

So, any tips for doing this more easily or with a higher degree of success? And how do people fly 10 or 11m sails in light wind if I'm struggling with 7.5 as a 6' 4" sailor? Would getting lighter mast/boom help? or less wide sails? Arrrrgh. Thanks!

[jfeehan]

without seeing you do it, it's a bit hard to comment.

when i fly a sail i am sweeping into the wind (horizontally), more than i am lifting or pushing it upward.

if you just try to push the mast up, the clew will go down, and you will have trouble clearing the sail.

i find that this is especially the case with bigger sails.

once i have swept the sail into the wind, and it is flying, or nearly flying, with the clew free, then, i can think about getting it higher.

i don't use the hand-on-the-tail technique - it doesn't seem necessary to me.

with really big sails, like 9.0 and bigger, i mostly only waterstart if i fall into a position where the sail is already easy to fly. if there is much repositioning needed, i often just uphaul - it's faster and easier.

[coachg]

Wear a PFD, impact vest or similar floatation device. They save a lot of energy.

Go all the way to the tip of the mast & work your way down towards the boom.

Normal mistake with large sails is lifting the mast too high before the clew is cleared so swim up wind until clew is cleared before raising mast to the wind.

Plan your falls better. Keep the clew flying & learn to waterstart clew first.

I'm 5'10 & have no problem waterstarting a wide luff 10 meter in 20 mph winds if and only if I am wearing my PFD.

Coachg

[sl55]

Agree with coachg re PFD. I mostly use a 9.5 cambered sail and even a light PFD (I use a NeilPryde one) helps tremendously. Do not waste energy and never lift the mast up until the clue is almost on the surface.
Using tha board's tail is a good trick, but remember to sweep the mast into the wind over your head before lifting it up. A 7.5 sail feels really small after using 9.5 I am also 6'4" BTW.

[techno900]

I think the issue here is how to fly the sail if it has fallen downwind of the board.

The arm on the board to provide a platform for the boom so you can fly the sail is the best option. I think "dirts" issue here is DRIFT. Once you have the boom on your arm and the mast/leading edge is dry, you have to keep the mast low and use your legs to kick back toward the clew to overcome the board drift so you can leverage the clew out of the water.

If the clew and the sail are being blown downwind over/through the water, you will never get the clew out. You have to at least stop the drift and if possible, move the entire rig upwind through the water which will make clearing the sail much easier.

A good "egg beater" kick used in water polo or synchronized swimming is essential to make this work.

The other option is to get on the board, uphaul the rig and pull it over to the windward side. Then do as suggested above to fly the rig.

Time is essential to any water start. The quicker you begin working on flying the rig the easier it will be because less water will be in the luff sleeve.

With "big rigs" they typically are on large boards so if the rig is downwind, you just uphaul. If the rig falls upwind, time is of the essence if you want to fly the rig by lifting the tip of the mast and working your way to the board. Most formula sails are pretty good a sealing out the water from the giant luff sleeve, but only for a short time (30 seconds??). If you wait too long, you will not be able to lift the mast tip and fly the rig.

Your best option at this point is to uphaul and flip the rig to the downwind side and uphaul again.

[johnson_brian_j]

Some clew floatation also helps. For my "big" sail (my 7.0) I have installed lengths of pool noodles on both sides of the clew end of the boom. It's easy to just slide them on to the tail piece because the diameter of each "arm" of the tail piece is the same as the diameter of the hole through the pool noodle. You may think it looks funny, but it is actually very effective and adds zero weight.

[PeconicPuffin]

JFeehan's answer ("when i fly a sail i am sweeping into the wind (horizontally), more than i am lifting or pushing it upward") is the single most important piece of the puzzle in my experience. Followed by CoachG's triple play of floatation vest, planning your falls/learn CF waterstart, and if all else fails, swimming out to the mast tip.

[pirireis]

PFD is godsent. Especially one with pockets that takes your small items. But overall it really helps the waterstart energy savings.

[speedysailor]

Buy a Waterstarter. It'll be the best use of $25 you have ever had.

[morwind4me]

PFD is a good rec. I also start at the very tip of the mast and fly that first, then walk/swim down toward the boom.