teaching an old girl new tricks...

[Laura&Joe]

Thanks for all the input. There is so much contradictry information out there, its no wonder I have had trouble.

Here is what worked for me. Yes isobras is right. Getting hooked in makes a huge difference. The second thing I learned is to sail down wind while trying to do it. I have been petrified of that because I always got tossed. Guess what! that problem is solved by sailing on a smaller sail.

I also learned that I need to bring my behind in and lean back. With the weight on the mast base (from being hooked in) I can take the weight off the front foot and slide it into the strap. By doing this I was able to get into the front foot strap every time.

I still need to get into the back footstrap with out upsetting the board. I have strong motivation to keep trying though, because with all the downwind sailing I have a long walk back to where I started.

We're coming down again this weekend so I can practice some more.

See you on the river.

[isobras]

[tweeky]

Laura, sounds like you are doing great... we might be entering into a long running debate, BFF, FFF... just a few guys that really feel going "Back Foot First" or "Front Foot First" is absolutely critical.

The reality is to go with whatever works for you... if you are having success going FFF, stick with it. But, if you find yourself riding just in the front strap, and going so "fast" that you're too afraid to move your foot to the back strap, then don't be afraid to try going back foot first. You probably already know this, but if you lose your balance and fall, particularly if you find yourself getting yarded by the sail, hang on to the boom. It may feel like you are going to crash really hard, but in reality it won't be that bad, and hanging on to the boom will ensure you don't get hit by the mast as you fall.

You'll notice I put "fast" in quotation marks. That's because when you get one foot in the straps, but start speeding up, the board can get really bouncy because your foot pressure and weight isn't distributed properly yet to keep the board stable in the chop. For this reason, I really recommend that you try to get into both straps as quickly as possible. I've seen lots of beginners that just get lit up, and are then too afraid to start moving their feet around for fear of "going over the bars". As soon as you start to feel the board come up on a plane, get into those straps... you will probably upset the trim of the board a bit as you learn to do this, but the moment you're in the straps, you'll be able to correct it and then the ride will be really sweet. If I were you, assuming there is enough wind to plane, I'd set the goal of getting in both straps every single time, no matter what it takes. When getting in the straps is second nature, the faster you'll progress in you're riding.

[RocRobster]

for what it's worth, I got a new board and it was much more difficult to get into the straps than the others, so I moved the straps as forward as possible and it made all the difference in the world. After I get to know it better, I'll start moving them back until I find where I like them the best...
But at least for now it is a piece of cake to get in them...

[johnl]

Laura,

I was going to send you a PM to give you some help, but every time I try it says you don't exist (despite me clicking on the PM message next to your name)....

[flaherty]

I had the same problem recently ,trying to pm someone. Send an email about this.

[Laura&Joe]

Yippee! I did it!!! I got so it happened so fast It didn't matter which foot went it. I LOVE windsurfing!! I'm not ready for Swell City or Mary Hill yet, but I'm going to keep working on improving rather than being content to struggle along.

I will never sail on my husbands gear again. "Use a bigger board" he said. "It's not windy enough." I couldn't keep the thing on the water. Forget about footstraps. I couldn't find them. By the time I brought my board down to the water, it was time for a smaller sail. My board isn't that much smaller, I'll just stick with it, thank-you very much.

It is soooo much more fun being on the water rather than in the water. See you on the water.
Laura

[ascott72]

You were sinking the tail of the board and/or tilting the sail back causing the board to head up wind. Very common mistakes at that stage. I happen to have a good friend struggling with the exact same issue right now. (You know who you are )

I almost always hook into my harness right away and reach my back foot into the straps. This helps me get leverage over the sail while avoiding getting catapulted. But I keep my weight forward into the center of the board, either through the front leg or downward mast pressure exerted through the boom. Then once I start sheeting in and accelerating, it is easier to shift my weight back and get both feet in the straps.

Racers and some other folks advocate for front foot in the straps first but I find establishing control, especially in the gusty and choppy conditions of the Gorge, to be much easier with the back foot first.

Good luck.

[isobras]

That's flat out wrong, Ascott. It is absolutely a horrible, incorrect, stifling, impossible, foolish, barrier-producing technique that must be banned from the water and the internet. You are one sorry excuse for a human being for fomenting such universally bad and unworkable advice. Everyone must do it my way.

Or so Jingerbritsen has stated regarding my comments like yours about that technique, which I’ve used with great success hundreds of thousands of times in every condition imaginable.

Mike \OO/

[updraft]

ascott said


****
I almost always hook into my harness right away and reach my back foot into the straps. This helps me get leverage over the sail while avoiding getting catapulted. But I keep my weight forward into the center of the board, either through the front leg or downward mast pressure exerted through the boom. Then once I start sheeting in and accelerating, it is easier to shift my weight back and get both feet in the straps.

Racers and some other folks advocate for front foot in the straps first but I find establishing control, especially in the gusty and choppy conditions of the Gorge, to be much easier with the back foot first.
****

The only time I find I can use the harness and front foot strap only is in light and steady winds.

That aint the gorge.

I always lock in rear strap before hooking into the harness. It's a safety issue. Years ago, hooking in only without footstraps in gusty 0-30 at the Event Site, got me a smack down on the boom and 2 cracked ribs. Harness and front strap only provides minimal control in gusts, with the likelihood of getting pitched teakettle over head. Rear foot gives maximal leverage against gusts, and the possibility of unhooking harness, if it becomes necessary.

The sequence I find safest and affords greatest control is: rear footstrap, then harness, then front footstrap.