Helping with waterstart/clearing the sail

GURGLETROUSERS · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Posts: 2643

Because everything is NOT moving along together!

In effect, strong wind and chop opposing the current PUSHES the board and rig back against the current enough to sink the clew down vertically under the water.(Assuming that the mast is lying at 90 degrees to the wind and current.)

It is then often easier to just let it sink and assist the push so that the clew can pop back up on the upwind side. A quick lift of the boom end and flip (in the wind) of the rig while quickly grabbing and lifting the boom before it does the same sinking action again, and you are up and away!

Quite often happens.

manuel · Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1158

http://windsurfing.lepicture.com/tips-and-tricks/

Tell me if you have any more questions after watching this one...

Pushing tail below the foot of the sail (note: not the boom) and orienting slightly upwind would be the two main things to do. Pull on mast sideways until the clew rises sufficiently to slide tail under.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

GT, Manuel --

I see nothing here any different from the last few scores (probably hundreds) of posts on these topics (current sinking clews, resting booms on tails). After hundreds of thousands of waterstarts, I remain completely unconvinced by the experience, logic, OR (let alone AND) physics of both topics as presented in this forum, with the possible exception of Schweitzer's illuminating contribution. Anyone who likes doing things the harder ways (or who's in a hurry because of crashing surf) is welcome to continue doing so. The rest of you might want to try all the options (what a concept!) and decide for yourselves.

I merely appreciated energy-conserving techniques in my younger and healthy years, but as I get ever older and lamer, they become not just session-extending but necessary.

One of my first indicators of tiring in a given session is the increasing effort required to yank/knife the rig out of the water towards the wind. Years ago I could still do it throughout a 4-hour session or after sunset on a long day of wind. It now becomes noticeably challenging within a short session. Same sail, same conditions, but less power available, so now I rely even more on using my head and physics instead of brute force. I'm in no hurry any more.

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1551

Lots of good input. I would add that you should water start in the direction that is easy to set up. I see people at my local spot fall on the far side of the lake and spend several minutes arranging the gear so that they can sail back to the launch side of the lake. Some of the time it would have been much easier to get the gear set up and water start in the original direction and turn once up.

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1551

learning a clue first water start can be useful also...

PeconicPuffin · Joined: 07 Jun 2004 Posts: 1830

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

westender · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 1288 Location: Portland / Gorge

Hell ya. I never fall in.

GURGLETROUSERS · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Posts: 2643

Hell ya Westender - some of us have weird wiring of our brains! (Windsurfers plural that is, not that I happen to have two of them! Laughing

)

I sometimes used to stand on the pier at one of our surfing beaches, and think. The notion of falling in among all that swell and and surf put me in a panic, yet with board in hand, and shoe-horned into a wetsuit, I always felt what could feel more natural? (Some used to jump off the end of the pier to save having to break out from the beach, till one poor lad timed it badly and was smashed against a pillar, breaking his hip. He was very lucky that others already in the water got him back in, and called an ambulance.)

Anyway, that was then, and as a windsurfer I've toned it down a bit, but there is nothing I've seen or read about folk that makes me think any of them are entirely reasonable!!