Helping with waterstart/clearing the sail

[jingebritsen]

minute 5:00 as well

[ss59]

If you are coming off upwind of the board with the sail, don't let go of the boom, hold the rig high so it doesn't go into the water and waterstart as you hit the water/re-surface - much easier to do on small short boomed sails.
If you do let go - ignore the board, work up the mast to get to the head and lift the tip asap - again easy on small sails. If the clew is diving its because the mast has come across the wind and all the kit is being blown downwind, pull the sail from above the boom parallel to the water upwind to clear the clew then upwards to let it fly.

I'd only consider uphauling a small board if the sail fell downwind with the clew pointing to the rear of the board in conditions that would make clew first waterstarting slower - but that is pretty rare.

Its worth thinking through the 4(?) possible waterstart scenarios and having a plan for each one.

[grantmac017]

I don't think you can reduce waterstarts to any sort of formula. Too many variables and sometimes creativity is the best approach.
Yesterday I had several that started with a push from the end of the boom. Very atypical but extremely effective in choppy swell when you end up downwind of the kit and the clew will sink before you can get to the mast side. Once the sail is flat on the water it will stay there a while.
Sometimes letting the sail roll then flipping it from the clew is better than desperately fighting to keep it from rolling.

Biggest thing for me in <6m weather is if I feel like I'm fighting the sail then I'm not understanding the forces at work. Even a mast dead downward turtle can be resolved with some patience and thought.

[isobars]

[isobars]

[isobars]

[dhmark]

With certain odd countercurrents, it can be hard to clear the sail in waist deep water.

[techno900]

Wind, swell and chop create quite a force, pushing the board and sail across the water, sinking the sail on the downwind side, or bringing it to the surface if you can get it to the upwind side of the board. No current, just opposing forces.

It can be quite frustrating when you just about have the sail cleared when trying to pull the mast/boom over the tail of the board, but the forces pushing the rig downwind prevent you from clearing the last foot or two of the clew, and it eventually goes under the board.

[cgoudie1]

That makes sense Mike, but all I can verify is that it has
happened to me and only in stronger currents with opposing wind
(which isn't germane to the stronger deeper theory)

-Craig

[isobars]