beginner question: turning in higher winds

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1551

Windsurfing is a progression of skills. Each day on the water will help, if its 2 or 20 mph you must go out. Sounds like you got the bug. I have had it a very long time like most here. Without watching you turn we can not tell what you are doing wrong. Ask the most advanced guy at your spot for some advice. There are tons of video's for you to watch. BIG hint. Have a friend video your turns. What you think your doing wrong or right mostly likely is not what your doing. Watching your self in slow motion is very helpful on developing all your windsurfing skills. I'm going to get hammered by the non believers but, go someplace windy shallow and warm and take a week or so of lessons. Its fun. You will meet lots of like minded people. You will progress in a week more than you would in a year on your own. Focus on water starts, harness and straps and turns. Water starts are easy and open up endless destination, higher wind blasting and smaller faster boards and wave sailing. Most of all enjoy the ride that is windsurfing...

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

I'm entirely a non-planing jiber and nearly always on a long board. In my jibes the bearing off is initiated by bringing the boom head across the board so the windward slanted mast pressure begins pushing the nose downwind. If I remain sufficiently in control I move back on the board raising the nose further out of the water which helps to speed the turn. (I followed the same process on my formula board.) The amount of mast slant toward the stern & how far I step back depends on the strength of the wind.

If I start having balance issues I will switch to a rope jibe. Larger chop following the board will often lead me to make that switch early in the jibe.

If the daggerboard is down & I'm racing I try to bring up the daggerboard just before bringing the boom head across to windward.

snapster · Joined: 02 Feb 2008 Posts: 22

Goodwind · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 323 Location: On water

Since the wind is at your back, if you tilt the sail "windward", that is the same as tilting (pulling) back on your front arm. Sheeting out will kill everything. You can't complete planing gibe sheeting out. I would normally tilt the sail forward and roll the sail toward the back of the board while sheeting in with my back hand and oversheeting in very strong wind.

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3550

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588

Actually, the problem is trying to jibe in not enough winds. Like I pointed out earlier, if you're not fully planed up, you can't drop your inside rail to jibe. If you do, you actually move in the exact opposite direction, more upwind. That's because at sub-planing speed, your board will work off the curve of the board shape, or curve upwind if you drop the rail. Seems like things would work the other way, but not at sub-planing speeds. That's why in a pivot jibe you sink and use the outside rail. It's not all about sail handling, the board definitely comes into play too.

konajoe · Joined: 28 Feb 2010 Posts: 517

Hey snapster ! I think the reason you are getting such a big variety of answers is because folks don't know if you are using a centerboard or center fin when trying to turn down wind. So are you using a center fin or centerboard in the down position?

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

We also couldn't/can't tell whether you were asking about jibing or simply bearing off. It's becoming clear that we misinterpreted your question altogether.
To bear off with your daggerboard retracted, tilt the mast forward and downwind and sheet IN a bit. This drives the sail's center of effort forward of the board's center or lateral resistance, driving the nose downwind.

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

Re-read the guy's posts - he is talking about bearing off in moderate winds. He has sailed maybe 10 times and is not in the straps or harness. Obviously we are not talking about planing jibes here.

It is a beginner trying to get the board to bear off without being catapulted.

If he is using a board with a centerboard, he should kick the board up either partially or all the way (experiment). This will allow him to stand farther back on the board and still have it turn downwind.

sm