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upwind on wide board
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surfpeppers



Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:00 am    Post subject: upwind on wide board Reply with quote

With 10 kts and a 210 wide board I have difficulties to go upwind. I have a 6.5 sail and a center fin. Any clues?
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speedysailor



Joined: 11 Sep 2007
Posts: 841

PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Get a bigger sail, bigger fin, and practice.
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pueno



Joined: 03 Mar 2007
Posts: 2807

PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

seedysailor wrote:
...bigger sail, bigger fin...


There it is again ------ an obsession with big fins.
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d0uglass



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

PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Practice. Try to get some forward momentum, then gradually turn upwind and find the maximum upwind angle that you can go and still maintain your forward momentum. Make sure the sail is fully sheeted in, but not "oversheeted", which will cause you to stall.

When you turn around, try not to take too long, and make sure that you are going upwind as much as possible both when you are leaving shore and when you are coming back to shore.
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speedysailor



Joined: 11 Sep 2007
Posts: 841

PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Once you start sinking your rail regularly, the fin won't be important. However, once you are planing, the fin must carry the load. However, you have to have a 12 meter sail to even think about planing in 10 kts.
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scooper



Joined: 28 May 1987
Posts: 537
Location: Massachusettes

PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That set up should sail very tight to the wind. You won't plane but you should be able to go way upwind. Maybe try sailing with someone else and follow their tack, look at their stance, see how far you can lean the sail to the tail of the board without losing your wind, experiment.
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surfpeppers



Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was thinking of getting a bigger sail. Any recommendations what make/model? Most of the time we have around 8-10 kts.
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d0uglass



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

PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You need a very big sail to be fully powered in 8-10 knots. Check the online sail calculator at http://www.vims.edu/general/sailpaddle/SailCalculator.xls .

Of course, it shouldn't take such a big sail just to be able to go upwind in non-planing mode, so I suspect you are having an issue with technique or tuning that you need to resolve by practicing or talking with other windsurfers.

If you do eventually decide you want a bigger sail, I think about 2 msq bigger than your current sail would be a good spacing. An Ezzy Freeride 8.5 would be a safe bet. (Google it).
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scooper



Joined: 28 May 1987
Posts: 537
Location: Massachusettes

PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I definately wouldn't get a bigger sail just to go upwind. I use a 6.2 on 123 liters in 10-15 mph and go upwind slowly but surely, and your daggerbaord should give you an advantage. If you aren't going upwind it's from your technique.

There are 2 schools of thought on light wind sailing-

1; Main goal is to plane, need huge sail, big board and fin to handle sail. Planing in flat water with light winds feels like cheating nature. The water is flat, no chop. It's fun.

2; Main goal is to improve sail handling and learn new maneuvers, no need to plane. Big sails are very heavy, hard to handle, hard to uphaul, and make learning new moves almost impossible. Use a 6.2 or smaller and work on non-planing freestyle moves, or go exploring. Non-planing conditions can be fun too.

I prefer #2 but I know some that prefer #1. Big sails can be physicaly tiring (good workout) but I feel like I can't do anything interesting with them. I think I get a better challenge and learn more by using a 6.2 or 5.2 and practising duck jibes, backside sailing etc. Basicly, I'm not a back and forth sailor. But I sail pretty often. If I only sailed occasionaly, or was just learning, I might be perfectly happy with back and forth sailing.

If you do get a larger sail, just make sure that you can uphaul it in the conditions that you will be sailing in.

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kajTEK



Joined: 08 May 2008
Posts: 33

PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

d0uglass wrote:

If you do eventually decide you want a bigger sail, I think about 2 msq bigger than your current sail would be a good spacing. An Ezzy Freeride 8.5 would be a safe bet. (Google it).


dude.. yes.. I bought an 8.5 Freeride as an upgrade from my 6.5Ezzy Lite and MAN what a freaking Difference! I love it. .and that sail BEGs to go upwind.. Im riding that 8.5 freeride on my 2007 Mistral Prodigy board( just got a old Mistral Shredder board for free im gonna try it out with) and I can even ride it when its blowing 25-30mph.. (im 6'3'½ 200lbs) that 8.5 freeride is WAY more controlable even in 25-30 winds than my 6.5 lite..
its unbelievable.. how much smoother the rider and better the control is on an 8.5 freeride in 25mph winds than that 6.5 lite in the same winds..the 6.5 gets thrashed and gets all squirley while the 8.5 is super smooth!


ahh yes as mentioned the 8.5 sail is HEAVIER and makes it very tought and tiring to mover it around.. definatly the downside of a bigger sail..

and I DON'T advise to run an 8.5 sil in 25-30 wind.. its just for me and my size/weight and comfort zone (i get cleaner speed and better control on my freeride8.5 then my 6.5 lite in those winds)


Last edited by kajTEK on Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:01 pm; edited 1 time in total
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