I have a few questions

[waiting4wind]

Normally I'll just lurk about the forums and gather tidbits of info here and there, but I don't always find it easy to find answers this way. First off I guess I could say im intermediate as I have skipped learning to gybe until i get a helmut, got hit on the head twice from the mast while attempting. Aside from that I can handle most anything florida throws at me. I am self taught from a book by the way. Anyways heres a list of my questions:

1) I sail overpowered quite often, I'm in college and poor so I only have a 6.6 and 8.5(ezzy infinities), although I have grown quite used to it and am comfortable with it. Does sailing overpowered hurt orverall performance?. Meaning does it actually make you slower, Ive noticed I put excess pressure on the fin, Is this due to be overpowered or just sloppy technique. Will this harm my learning curve in the future.

2)How do you prevent spin outs while trying to go up wind. conditions would be 18-23mph winds, 2-4ft chop, 6.6 sail, 33cm fin, 95ltr f2 air. Do i commit my weight to my front foot, back foot, the sail, a mix, or is it something else.

3) Are there lifepreservers out there made for windsurfing. I wear a waist harness and I would think it to be hard to try to hook in with a vest there. I am also fearfull that a life vest might pin me under the sail under water. Would an impact vest be a better option? Do they provide ample floatation? I ask because I don't think I have ever noticed anyone with a life vest on.

I might have more later but I gotta go back to studying
thanks in advance

[rswabsin]

Making use with what you have in a variety of wind conditions is basically how we all started and this meant sailing way overpowered for many including me. Sailing overpowered is going to slow your learning of many basic skills like carving jibes, chop hopping etc. If you're really overpowered it will also slow your board speed and handling so , yes it can hurt performance on the water when compared to using a more appropriatley sized sail for the wind conditions. A common result is frequent fin spin out such as you're experiencing. You can try moving the universal a bit more forward in the mast track to help compensate for the overpowered sail and reduce spin outs. Also, try increasing the sail's down haul and outhaul by an additional inch or two. This will loosen up the leech (trailing edge of the sail) to help spill some of the excess wind and flatten the sail's profile. But all these suggestions only work up to a point after which you're just plain overpowered and out of control and this will slow the learning curve. Anyway. enjoy what you have and when time /money is available, maybe pick up a 5.5 sized sail for the windier days. You've got years of sailing ahead of you and before you know it, you'll have a garage full of sails and other gear.

Rob

[jingebritsen]

3. Trust your swimming abilities more than a PFD. If you are sketchy at swimming, work to become a better one. Do controlled drills of being stuick under a sail.

2. Adjust your sail flatter with down and out haul tensions. Learn to pull your back foot under your butt when the spin first happens.

1. Sailing over powered can make you find better techniques if you keep working on those discoveries. One that is counter intuitive: sheet in harder during gusts pressing down through the boom to apply more mast foot pressure. Yes, jumping becomes more difficult once you reach a certain level of juice, but can you extend that range as your experience builds?

[bred2shred]

To address your questions:

1) Is sailing overpowered faster or slower? It depends. The fastest sailors and racers sail overpowered. This allows them to have more power than they need so that they're never underpowerd. They're able to manage the excess power while still keeping the board and rig balanced and in proper trim. If sailing overpowered forces you to slow down to maintain control or if you can't keep things in proper trim, then of course its not fast. But learning to sail overpowered in conjunction with proper rig tuning techniques is really helpful and will make you a better and faster sailor. You'll be able to get more range out of your gear. So definitely push your gear to the edge, but realize that there is a limit where things go from overpowered to just plain silly.

2) Spinout can be a tricky one. Keep in mind that spin out happens to everyone occasionally. It can be caused by chop allowing air to get to the fin, weed on the fin, landing a jump wrong, or just poor technique. If it happens to you a lot, it is probably a tuning imbalance causing too much back foot pressure, or you just need more time on the water. Many times, good sailors can feel the onset of spinout (the back foot gets a little "squishy") and correct for it before the fin fully spins out. I would make sure your board and rig are properly tuned (especially if sailing overpowered). This means proper downhaul and outhaul settings, boom height between shoulder and mouth height (depending on board width), harness lines positioned for approximately equal load on both hands (in the gusts!) and mast base/footstraps for approximately equal load on both feet.

3) I don't know if there are US Coast Guard approved life jackets specific for windsurfing. Kayaking life jackets work well with seat harnesses. If you're particularly tall, you may be able to use one with a waist harness. I recently started using a Prolimit float jacket in gnarly conditions or when sailing alone. It's not as much flotation as a USCG jacket, but it's plenty for me and it works pretty well with a waist harness.

If you're sailing powered up in the footstraps and harness, you're ready to work on jibing. If you're having trouble, you should try to talk to someone who knows the move. Being able to jibe will make your sailing 100% more enjoyable.

sm

[coachg]

1) Yes & no depending on what you are trying to do as others have noted. Too much fin pressure could also be too large a fin.

2) Sit in you harness more when sailing in chop. Relax your legs going up the chop face and extend them going down the backside of the chop. Your legs act like pistons moving up and down.

3) Yes, here is the link to a PFD that works for a waist harness.

http://www.isthmussailboards.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SQWPFD

It works great and has a nice zippered pouch for keys.


Coachg

[isobars]

I can commiserate with self-taught sailors; I was on my own for 8-10 years, and it mires our progress in cold molasses. At least you have access to instructional videos and the internet, which should help considerably.

I can think of no better way to expand your basic windsurfing skills -- straps, harness, control, confidence, balance, reactions, gust management, speed, jumping, arguably even water starting and jibing -- than sailing somewhat overpowered. Not absolutely hammered into submission, but much more powered than necessary to just plane.

Avoiding and recovering from spinout certainly depend on technique, but first make sure the fin has no nicks you can feel, is rock-solid in your fin box, and is not too small, and that your downhaul is proper (inadequate downhaul lets the draft drift aft -- say that fast thee times -- to overload the fin). When pinching upwind, raise the upwind rail a bit to shove the lee rail into the water a bit to help drive the board upwind. You shouldn't spin out if your whole leeward rail is acting like a curbstone to prevent sideslip.

Any non-expert -- or any expert with a head worth protecting -- is well-advised to wear a helmet. Protech $40, Wilson batter's helmet (my favorite) $25, thrift shop $5 if you're lucky. Eliminating (justifiable) concerns about your teeth, nose, eyes, skull, eardrums, and life will give you more confidence, which is a necessary ally for learning to jibe and sail overpowered. A helmet with a visor (on reason I like the batter's helmet) or over a baseball cap will help keep that brutal Florida sun off your head, face, and eye lens.

I ALWAYS use and VERY strongly recommend some sort of low-profile, form-fitting rib protection with modest flotation. Mine keeps my air hole above the water, allows me to swim straight down as far as I want, protects my rib cage and liver/kidneys from impact, gives me extra confidence in every scenario (e.g., flat-out speed and jibes, maxxed-out vertical jumps with complete abandon, hooked-in crashes due to having too much fun, collisions, deep overpowered downwind runs), and increases my TOW by preventing injury, saving energy, and incresing my confidence in sailing in too much wind. Many, maybe most, people here wear a vest of some sort; I've owned at least 15 (I'd send you one free if I hadn't donated them months ago). My favorite by far is DaKine's Matrix Impact Vest, but they are expensive.

Mike \m/

[U2U2U2]

For questions ::
1
2
just re-read what bred2shred wrote

3 PFD The Neil Pryde high hook is the best I have used, it goes on first then your waist harness, had a cutout slot for your harness hook.

http://www.neilprydewaterwear.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=127&Itemid=9&node=0

For spin out you could try a slightly larger fin as well, lots of technique here, mast foot further forward, longer harness lines, higher boom, footstrap position........ and the beat goes on

[show]

I wear an Obrien waterski vest. I'm tall and it fits over my waist harness very comfortably. It's not super floaty, and acts as impact protection also. I am below 50% on my jibes so this flotation makes the waterstarts easier.

The life vest is not an issue under the sail.
The scary thing is getting tossed when hooked in, adding half a rotation and ending up under the sail hooked in with a twist in the harness lines.
SERIOUS PANIC. My take away was to get a hand to the harness hook and release the harness line every time I hit the water

[jingebritsen]

I'm not much on dogmas, but my pet peeve is seeing people in the surf or on a gusty flat water day hooking in before being in the foot straps. That's when "getting slammed and remaining hooked" turns into that very panic situation. On rough days or going out through the surf, make it a habit to be very circumspect on hooking in with out already being at least in the front strap and at least semi-planing. The likelihood of getting the hooked slam diminishes about 10,000%.

BTW, I've seen and heard people talking about getting in the back strap first in in places where the wind hammers. To Do so in more humble environs nearly always ends in a big mope. Seen several bring that habit along from a very windy venue, and become very part time in their sailing attitude. Most just end up quitting.

Cheers.

[keycocker]

A coast guard approved jacket holds your head up and makes it difficult to swim for your gear or dive under a wave. This can get you hurt in wave sailng. I use those Oneil ski vests that are seen a lot in the Gorge.They fit tight like a thick wetsuit and can actually keep you warmer and help swimming and waterstarting. Mine costs over a $100 though.