clearing the clew on a 7.5

J64TWB · Joined: 24 Dec 2013 Posts: 1685

Any tips on water starting a 7.5? I am 140lbs and it’s a beast with my 130 liter board. Takes a huge effort to try and position it, clear the clew or walk down from the tip. Mostly I just uphaul it, but when overpowered that’s a nightmare as well. If there is not enough wind, another nightmare.

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1551

Turn your board in the direction you need to water start. Its doesn't matter what way you want to go. What ever direction that will make it easy to position your sail. Have the leading edge of the sail on the leeward side of the board with the clue pointing down wind. Pull the sail to the board and push the tail under the boom as near to the center of the boom as you can.
let the float of the board lift the sail out of the water. Keep a hand on the leading edge of the sail for two reasons. First to not allow to much wind under the sail. This will cause the sail to flip over. Second, if you have the board tail under the center of the boom you can pull down of the leading edge of the sail to help free the clue. Try this in waist deep water in order to get the idea. Happy sailing

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3550

Pretty much as NOVAAN described with a few differences. Your boom may be too high or your board too short to rest the boom on the tail.

https://vimeo.com/176803590

This is water starting a 6.6 but I use the same technique on a 7.5 or 8.2. I get the mast & board perpendicular to the wind then swim them upwind until the clew is floating near the surface. I grab the rear footstrap with my trailing arm & push the tail of the board under the water. I use my forearm as a lever to pop the clew out of the water. At 3 seconds you can see the tail of the board under water with the boom resting on my forearm. As I let the tail float back up I pull the rig into the wind-do not lift the rig up as you will bury the clew. Once the clew is flying it is pretty easy to water start.

Another option is to get an Easy Uphaul.

Coachg

gvogelsang · Joined: 09 Nov 1988 Posts: 435

Bluefish,

Water starting a big sail is all about placement. The mast needs to be close to perpendicular to the wind direction.

it also helps if you are wearing a pdf flotation. That will help you get the leading edge out of the water, and get some wind underneath the sail when you are trying to clear it.

You are 140, I am 200. When I try to clear my 8.5, I often need to submerge myself to lift the mast out of the water. It is a bummer to have to be under the water myself in order to lift the leading edge up, but that is just what I have to do. Perhaps at 140, a 6.5 would be a more effective sail in most marginal wind conditions for you?

IN very marginal wind conditions with my 8.5, I am on an old Formula board. In those conditions, I can uphaul, no problem.

justall · Joined: 30 Jul 2007 Posts: 442

I agree with the above. If still having trouble and desperate, here are a few other tips that help if you are not a purest and/or are OK applying some non-ideal habits:

1). If you are using a cambered sail, push the cams up, using your hand or foot, when you are in the water. This makes it easier for the wind to get under the sail as you position it.

2). If you are unable to practice as much as you'd like and just want to make the waterstart easier, a "waterstarter" (which is basically half a foam pool noodle velcroed around the clew) wrapped around the clew does make things easier.

3). Having your boom a bit lower so that you can position it so that it can rest on the tail of the board, helps the wind get under the sail, too, with less energy from you. But this generally means your boom will be non-optimal (too low) when sailing.

Again, not great habits, but they do help in the short term. Fyi ... Given most common winds in my area, my most used package is a 7.5 cammed sail with a 125L board.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 8:43 am Post subject:

Similar problems myself.
I think I'm larger than you , but not much. Due in part I no longer use 7.5, but 7.0.. The boom length effects my short arms..in clearing.
I wish I had a magic cure, somewhat the
Position is more critical, if the wind is not marginal things usuall work for me.
I wear a helmet and push up if close to fly the clew.

All the normal things one does just must be done with more precision.

Resting the clew on the tail helps

Ugly_Bird · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 335

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1551

Life jacket is a big help and really reduces the swimming effort while positioning your gear in deep water. I wear a two buckle short water ski vest
. Works well with a seat harness.

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3550

Good point on the PFD. I'm wearing a water ski vest in the video.

Coachg

alap · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 156

1. floaty pfd and the helmet
2. all the above works but also: board perpendicular to the wind, mast pointing upwind (a tad towards the tail). Lift the tip of the mast (this is the most physical, and in your case may require full submersion for couple seconds, this is where pfd helps the most).

When tip is cleared walk along the mast towards the boom paying attention to the clew. As you walk the mast may start pointing less upwind and the board may start pointing upwind - not a big deal. Important is to keep clew flying all the time. Staying under the sail as you walk is important (keeping your body on the side of the mast closer to the boom)

The moment you reach the boom and still fly the sail you can push on the mast and correct the board and sail position