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Struggling Intermediate on the verge of giving up
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rgomez



Joined: 13 Dec 2012
Posts: 112

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 4:48 am    Post subject: Struggling Intermediate on the verge of giving up Reply with quote

Hey Guys,

Im a struggling intermediate windsurfer who has been windsurfing on weekends in India for the past year.

I have reached a stage where Im pretty comfortable with the basics like beachstarts, footstraps,harness..etc but Im dying to start planning...Unfortunately the average windspeed here is about 6-10knots and I have only got planning 2-3 times till now...and Im still waiting for windier days to waterstart.

Im wondering if my setup is holding me back or if i should just switch over to kiting which would be an easier and cheaper option given that I have to ship equipment from other countries which doubles the cost.

Anyways, I currently weigh 62kgs and Im using a 180L Funster board with a 5.5m rig with a 46cms rushwind fin....can anyone suggest a setup that will keep me planning.

Its also worth mentioning that the place where i sail not very choppy with no shorebreak.

Thanks.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 6:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

if the wind is primarily 6-10 knots, then you'd have to rig ginormous stuff to plane on any board. if you have similar winds as in florida, you will still have to have a 9.0 meter sail, 7.5, 6.2 and the 5.5 you already have.

i hear of monsoon periods and the like for good chunks of india. do you have a windy part of that cycle? do you participate in that?

what do i do for my wet season dry season type of conditions? long board wave sail when the wind is not planing conditions, and blast around with go fast stuff during westerlies. how far are you away from the legendary monsoon cycle? isn't there like a period where the wind is strong and the weather is dry in those parts of your country?

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rgomez



Joined: 13 Dec 2012
Posts: 112

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yea the Monsoon period is for around 4 months from June to Sept where we get high winds around 20-35 knots but the sea gets really choppy and not very safe..for an intermediate rider...But its probably the only alternative I may have.

I was wondering if formula gear may help....I see a few claims of planning in 8 knots with 9m rigs....Im not sure I wanna go that large though.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

gotta choose something. not safe is a relative term to your experience and willingness to learn and take some educated chances. high wind windsurfing is like a wheel, there's no beginning or ending point just jump aboard and get to doing it. more you do, the better you can become. do nothing, get nothing.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your options include at least these:
1. MUCH bigger gear (At 86 kg I'd want 12 meters at 6-10 kts).
2. A bigger board designed expressly for early planing.
3. Settling for a shorter season (the 20-35 kt monsoons). What makes your monsoon wind season dangerous ... debris? Lightning? Offshore ocean winds? The wind itself is something most advanced windsurfers would kill for; many refuse to even rig unless it's averaging at least 20 kts ... at which many would rig at least a 6.2 sq m sail.
4. A jet ski.
5. A BIIG kite.
6. Light-air freestyle. Your light breezes are GREAT for that, and the results and rewards of that can be spectacular. Google and watch some of that for eye-boggling possibilities.

Mike \m/
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techno900



Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

More horsepower (bigger sail). At your weight 62kg, something no bigger than 9.0m would be good. I don't know the specifics of your board, but it is probably heavy with a bottom design that isn't great for planing. A formula board is an option, but they are fragile and there are probably some better options between what you have and a formula board.

Keep in mind that in 0-5 knots of wind, you can always sail home on a windsurfer. On a kite, once it drops in the water with no or little wind, you have to swim home with all the gear. If there is enough wind to "fly" the kite, but you can't plane, then its a very slow body drag home - if you have the skills. Planing limits on a formula board and a big kite are about the same.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

yes the gear is holding you back, but more to it than that

being realistic Iam 68kg, in the winds posted I will not be planing on a 8.5m sail and either a Formula or 135L free ride board. In those winds nothing comes to mind that is a solution. nothing.

wind would need be something like 12--16 KNOTs for me.

An obvious semi solution is a larger sail, these probably would then result in the need for a longer mast and perhaps boom.
The board itself has a lot of wetted area , so would not be by any means a early planer.
The fin size would/could work, possibly upgrade to cleaner more efficient
design.

From the sounds of your post you are interested in riding, not wave, not freestyle, and I hope not kites or jetskis.

Good things come to those that wait...

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cgoudie1



Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 2597
Location: Killer Sturgeon Cove

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep, 6 to 10 Knots is just light wind. At 6 Knots too light to plane.
At 10 Knots, barely planable with some skill, a large planey board
(think 150 ltrs or more, with a planform designed for early planing),
a 9M sail minimum, and a 60 cm skeg. Or, an old long board like a
Fanatic Mega Cat, which is pretty fast sub planing. Or light wind freestyle.
But it sounds to me like you want to Kite anyway, so, get a 17-21M kite
and try that. My guess is that you won't like it much better, but the
gear hassle is lower.

Good luck,

-Craig
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d0uglass



Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You're lightweight, which is good, but you will still need to get a bigger sail than 5.5 to plane in less than 15 knots.

There's no need to go all the way to formula right away, though. First try a 7 or 8 meter squared sail on the Funster. The extra 1.5 - 2.5 m^2 of sail area will make a big difference.

Good luck!

-James

PS- I have a weight-based sail size calculator that can tell you approximately how big a sail you would need to plane in a given wind strength. The link is in my signature.

PPS- I used to kite. Kiting is nice if you have a good safe place to do it, and steady winds stronger than 10 knots. It's worse than windsurfing in unsteady winds dropping below 10 knots, though, because your kite will fall out of the sky and be difficult or impossible to get back up.

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cmoffett



Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try an 8.0 or 9.0 Sailworks Retro sail and a formula board with a 70 cm fin and rig the sail according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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