myiW Current Conditions and Forecasts Community Forums Buy and Sell Services
 
Hi guest · myAccount · Log in
 SearchSearch   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   RegisterRegister 
Let's improve our small board quick tack aka fast tack
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
coachg



Joined: 10 Sep 2000
Posts: 3546

PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Manuel,

In the first tack you obviously use backwinding to get around but in all the others you do not. You obviously have great balance as can be seen in all your other tacks where you do not back wind & can be seen delicately balancing on your board until the nose is far enough off the wind to sail away. I think what
ctuna is saying is that technique would be very difficult for the average Joe especially in choppy water.

The technique of sailing as close to the wind as you can, going around the mast early while the board is still moving & finishing with back winded sailing is easier for the average Joe because there is less time balancing on submerging U-Boat waiting for enough blast to get going again. The lighter the wind the easier it is to rely on backwinded sailing.

Other ways to work up wind on a U-Boat if not enough wind for planing is to never tack, just alternate pinching upwind between regular & backwinded sailing. Also in very light wind when tacking if I don't need to continue up wind a Helitack is far easier to do on a U-Boat for me than a regular tack as I can steer the board through the wind onto a broad reach before flipping the sail to clew first sailing. On the Helitack the foot change is done between the mast base & front footstraps so much floatier part of the board.

As you noted, more than one way to skin a cat.

Coachg
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
manuel



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1158

PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 12:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes I do backwind a little, mostly to fight the darn swell and current going on trying to swallow my board. It can feel so strong, it's amazing. Also, it looks like I didn't lean the sail far enough back before switching, this would have helped relieve some pressure off of the nose. One problem when I lean the sail back is that the camera goes underwater and we don't see anything Very Happy !

I do heli-tacks all the time except in extreme light winds because there's not enough wind to fight the swell and current, and I haven't figured out a way to rotate the board without wind. So I prefer these types of tacks which rely solely on balance and not on wind strength.

It's also faster so if we are heading out and need to tack to catch a swell or if we won't make it over and prefer to turn around. My wave buddies do it all the time. They also do it in ankle deep water when playing in the shorebreak. Gotta be pretty confident about your skills Smile !

_________________
*NEW* - Manu's Windsurfing Blog, The STORE!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
philodog



Joined: 28 Apr 2000
Posts: 209

PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 2:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"...and I haven't figured out a way to rotate the board without wind. "

Just oversheet the sail so the clew is on your side of the board. A little push with your rear foot and the nose of the board will go past 12 oclock then you can bring the rig forward and backwind.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 4:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fast tacking a really small board is easiest when it's blowing 35+
_________________
www.aerotechsails.com
www.exocet-original.com
www.iwindsurf.com
http://www.epicgearusa.com/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ctuna



Joined: 27 Jun 1995
Posts: 1125
Location: Santa Cruz Ca

PostPosted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

At 220 lbs tacking is not easy for me and it got harder
when the boards went really short to the point that I quit
trying to Tack for a number of years. But Andy shamed me into
start trying it again so I did . Grabbing the sail with the mast
and keeping it back is essential for me to counter balance
the weight of me the board and the sail Grabbing at the mast
first has a number of advantages. You can keep the sail further
back and your arms don't get entangled also the sail will luff
to the apparent wind making it seem neutral. Also learning to
backwind helped a great deal as I can save a sunken nose most
of the time now. Trictionairy says they prefer that Hand to Hand
technique as it uses less movements but for me its hard to not
put input into the sail with the hand that grabs the other side of
the boom and that disturbs the sail balance.
I would agree that any way to turn that avoids going around the mast
is easier for a big guy but you pretty much have to do it to make
progress.
The smallest stuff I ride is a 106 freewave and usually a 4.7 or maybe
4.2 while this is a boat for some of you its a semi sinker for me .
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
manuel



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1158

PostPosted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You're right keeping the sail back is key and holding the mast before switching helps with this a lot. This is especially true when switching between close reach and close hauled, with therefore some good wind. If switching into the the wind then with the speed loss, it's not as important I feel, since the board will become more tilty and wobbly, stabilizing the gear becomes more critical after the switch.

Just as a reminder in the video, I show a light to medium wind version. When really powered up to overpowered, I'd recommend holding the mast first to have maximum control over the rig, switch before the wind, and head into the wind until the plane is lost. Then sheet in, bow and arrow, and hold on Smile !!!
Tacking is usually a bonus when powered up because we can easily shoot upwind unless trying to get out in an onshore spot or after drifting down for various reasons, etc.

_________________
*NEW* - Manu's Windsurfing Blog, The STORE!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ctuna



Joined: 27 Jun 1995
Posts: 1125
Location: Santa Cruz Ca

PostPosted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 10:12 pm    Post subject: And still more tacking info. Reply with quote

http://www.jemhall.com/technique/item/carve-tack.html
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PeconicPuffin



Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 1830

PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 7:26 am    Post subject: Re: And still more tacking info. Reply with quote

ctuna wrote:
http://www.jemhall.com/technique/item/carve-tack.html


Lots of good material there.

It's good to remember that it's not possible to go around the mast too early. You're in the freestyle zone if you do it on a beam reach, but going an hour or two before 12 when tacking gives you both something to lean on (via backwinding) and a more stable board as you've got more speed.

I prefer grabbing the boom rather than going hand to hand because it gets my body lower, which is better for making jibes when the water surface is challenging.

_________________
Michael
http://www.peconicpuffin.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

manuel wrote:
mostly to fight the darn swell and current going on trying to swallow my board. ... not enough wind to fight the swell and current, and I haven't figured out a way to rotate the board without wind. So I prefer these types of tacks which rely solely on balance and not on wind strength.!

1. Why use sinkers in those conditions?

2. When jibing in deep lulls (I'm barely moving so I don't lose any noticeable ground), I initiate the turn any of several ways using board and sail, then at roughly the halfway point where a stall threatens, I do the same thing wth the sail that I always do: Throw, Throw, Grab, and Go. i.e., I spin the sail HARD around its cg. That and Newton's law of motion -- For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction -- VERY quickly complete the jibe of both sail and board. As the sail spins one way and the board pivots HARD (emphasis because the counteraction is very pronounced) the other way in reaction, I switch feet simultaneously in the air, landing with feet, hands, board, and rig right where they should be for the ensuing broad reach. Those three actions take me in the blink of an eye from a broad slogging reach on the jibe entry tack to a broad slogging exit reach on the new tack. It works very reliably on boards from 65 to 110 liters and sails from 3.2 to 6.8. The sail is milking what little power is available from the lull through the entire turn except for the fraction of a second it takes to spin the sail. No sinking, very little loss of ground, and very easy once accustomed to throwing (as opposed to manhandling) the boom and rig from one tack to the other.

I guess that's why I quit tacking in general and specifically "air-tacking" (leaping around the mast from one side of the board to the other) when I quit sailing longboards ... shorter boards => less rotational inertia => less need to go around the mast).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ctuna



Joined: 27 Jun 1995
Posts: 1125
Location: Santa Cruz Ca

PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmm well Freestylers go around the mast at any time.(while planning)
Part of getting to the next level is going around the mast
while planning at any angle.(well most angles)
If your on a small board an you loose speed or start slogging
everything gets much harder.
There has to be some wind after all its called windsurfing.
Yeah you can do a pivot jibe and its safer in low winds as you
don't have to go around the front but it you want to progress
going around the front is a must.


Last edited by ctuna on Mon Sep 04, 2017 4:35 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  Next
Page 2 of 8

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum

myiW | Weather | Community | Membership | Support | Log in
like us on facebook
© Copyright 1999-2007 WeatherFlow, Inc Contact Us Ad Marketplace

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group