Spin Out?

[mikemcd]

Hi Guys its your friendly neighborhood wind forecaster and wanna be windsurfer...

I was at Fogland in RI yesterday and experienced something that I only rarely had trouble with previously.. spin out.

I am a big guy.. 6 foot about 220 pounds and Im sailing a 200 liter Eray (wide board) with a 9.5 and 7.5 sail. Winds went from 14 up to about 23 by late in the day.

What I found was it didnt matter what sail I had on, I would get into harness, get into the straps then when the wind would get a gust the board would slide sideways like it was on ice.

I think I am progressing in my skills as I am finally getting more comfortable in the straps and trying to push off with my feet to get more of my weight off the board. I am assuming this is part of the problem.

I did change skegs to weed fin that was wider than the stock skeg that came from Fanatic. This had the same results.. more spinout. It also seemed to only happen on one tack, maybe because I was trying to go into the wind??

Anyway.. Im interested in your thoughts on what I can do to stop this as it is quite unnerving to go so fast and suddenly loose control and resistance.

Im thinking I need a wider skeg but maybe there is something with the sail or technique that Im doing wrong?

Thanks in advance for any tips.

-Matt

Matt Corey
Meteorologist, etc.
iWindsurf.com

[carl]

Matt,
I think you need to switch to a much smaller sail (and maybe smaller board too) when the wind picks up that much. I dont know much about the Eray other than I dont think its designed for 23mph winds. Im 200lbs and I would be on a 5.5-6.0 and a much smaller board in these winds. More downhaul and outhaul will help some but I think at your level a much smaller sail would definatly help the most, I would suggest 5.5-6.0. (and sign up for waterstart lessons so you can get a smaller board too).
The formula guys make it work in these winds because the boards, fins and race sails were designed to sail in higher wind, and they are experienced sailors.

[chernando]

Hi Matt,

Carls right, try smaller stuff. When things start to pickup, remember to push on your toes, keep the windward rail up a bit too. If youre on your heels, youll probably blow out the fin when it leaves chop and goes into the air. Another thing is, when spinout is beginning, you can feel the fin losing lift...kind of like a car slowly losing grip on ice. When you feel this, immediately hang from the boom and pull your feet back under your butt. This will hopefully re-align where both you and your board are going....and get the fin working again.

[shitan]

Hi there!
Here what causes spining out:
- too big sail
- too high boom
- too small fin or too big fin
- too wide board in too hi-wind
- over leaning out towards the water
- over pushing on the heals instead of using toes
- over heading towards the wind or off the wind
- mast track too far back when using bigger sails .....
Try diffrent boards and see if you still have the same problem, some boards are just a pain in the @ss so may be the Eray is one of those. After all youll get better and youll enjoy spinnig out time to time
Cheers,Shitan

[Rondeauboy]

This will probably sound kind of funny, but, try wet sanding the graphics/lettering on the sides of the fin. The graphics could very well be raised up just enough to alter the waters flow past the fin.

Was the tack you were spinning out on the opposite of the side of the fin with the graphics on?

Sanding the graphics down is a very popular past-time of the sailors at our local spot.

Good luck!

[mikemcd]

Thanks for the advise guys. I think I was doing all of the above bad things.... the worst was definitely pushing on my heals as I was trying to get more weight off the board and down on the boom. I dont think there was any writing on the skegs I have.

I do actually have a 145 liter board that I have been too chicken to use much because I love the stability and easy planing of the Eray. Will be in Hatteras in 3 weeks so hopefully will try to use my little board as much as possible.

Again thanks for the help,

Matt

Meteorologist, etc.
iWindsurf.com

[coachg]

Hi Matt,

Not much to add here that hasnt been covered other than your comment about it happening on only one tack. Im guessing the wind at your locationg moves at a diagonal direction to the swells. We have the same situation here at Sherman Island, and I run into it in Kailua, Hi. When the wind is diagonal to the swells, on one tack you will be forced to hit the swells head on, so your board speed is having a train wreck with the swells speed. On the other tack, you and the swells are moving in the same direction, so there is less force on the impact with the swell, plus it is easier to sail in and around the swells, thus avoiding the slight air that causes the spin out. I think you will find it also easier to get on a plane and into the straps when you are moving with the swells.


CoachG

[Windlover]

I agree with smaller gear and pointing the toes. Try to keep the board flat.

In line with CoachG, you were probably trying to beat too close to the wind on the side you are spinning out on. Try going offwind just a bit on that tack and make up the difference on the other tack.

[watermonkey]

Yesterday was exactly that trainwreck for me, though on port tack at Coyote. On starboard (heading back in), I have way less trouble with it and can occasionally ride the fin right at the edge of spinout. But heading out, Ill spinout probably every 100yds, pretty much every day I sail. Bearing off to ride less directly into the chop means not staying upwind...and begging for another exit at the marina. I know I dont have my full weight in the harness in that direction, but I think I have a bit of viscious cycle going on: cant keep the nose down because Im not fully weighted in the harness, and cant commit to the harness because the nose is pitching up and down. I know *what* Im supposed to be doing, but I cant seem to get there.

I see plenty of people pointing higher and presumably not spinning out - are they carrying so much speed theyre just knifing through the chop?