Body drag

[dmosher]

Can anyone please provide me with some insight into how to de-board at speed so as to body drag? Once dragging, is there any special technique to getting back onto the board?
I have tried the reckless jump while henging onto the boom. Entertaining for onlookers, but does not give the requiered results.
Hope someone can help.

[pacspeed]

Good question mosher. Ive tried the same thing and end up going down like a sack of potatos. How do you make a smooth entry into the water? The re-entry to the board I imagine is alot like a no foot water start...anybody help?

[G.E.]

Body Drags are acually alot easyer than they look. The most importaint thing is to bend your arms as much as you can so your face is very close to the booms. If you can remember this it will be easyer to slide across the water longer. After you can slide a ways then you should start your bodydrag upwind. This makes it possible to get back on the board by barring off the wind during the drag.
So first you get good speed upwind in the straps, bend your arms and let the front foot drag and then the back foot, try to put all your weight into the booms and through the mast so your weight is mostly on the mast base. While your dragging bare off the wind, if you had enough speed you will get lifted back on, front foot first. You might get launched over the nose, because you were overpowered, or your knees might catch in the water and make you stop because you lost too much speed. Also try to extend your body so you drag on your toes, dont try to bend your knees or anything. Remember, if your overpowered try to drag farther and dont bare off as much. If your underpowered try to do a quicker drag and bare off the wind more. You can practice this move in light wind by doing bodydrag waterstarts.
The bodydrag is super easy to learn, it took me a week because I wasnt bending my arms enough, but once I learned to bend my arms it was easy. Good luck

[gemoore]

Gavins comments are right, but Ill elaborate a little.

You need to be well powered, and will have to experiment a little to see if you are heading too far upwind or downwind. If too far upwind, you wont maintain speed and will need to get right back on or youll schlogg to a stop. If too far downwind, youll probably be jerked over the handlebars. Learn on a durable board, or you may knock the nose off. Gavin is right that you want to have your arms bent, but you must not make the mistake of pulling with both arms (which is something we never do in windsurfing). Pulling with both arms stalls the sail and youll stop. Stay sheeted in, bending your back arm more than the front.

Once you get the drag part down, getting back on is not at all like a planing waterstart. Youre going to bring your front leg on first. Since youll be dragging a little bit on your side, facing the board, just lift your front knee to your chest and put your foot down - the board will be right there next to you. There will be a lot of tension in your abdominal muscles, like in a situp.

Good luck!

[djohel]

This is a little late, but I find that if I sheet in slightly while dragging I pop back up out of the water and just have to find the board with my feet. To start dragging, head downwind and start by dragging your front leg (knee on down), your other leg will follow. I agree with the rest on keeping your arms bent and your weight down on the boom and through the mast.