Formula  Windsurfing Tip and  Techniques  by : Steve Sylvester 2007 Formula National Tour Champion

 

 #12--------------    Kit tuning - Harness line position and length.
 
Perhaps one of the most overlooked adjustments of a FW kit is the harness line length and position. I’ve come back from events where I’ve inadvertently changed my harness line position on the booms because I’ve used the boom on a different sail and gone out sailing forgetting that  I’d changed the harness line position, sometimes only very slightly. I’ve wondered what was wrong because nothing about the setup felt
balanced or comfortable and I finally realize that it’s the harness lines that weren’t tuned. The same goes for sailing other sailor’s rigs. Even if I adjust the mast height, I almost never feel comfortable  because their harness line setup is never identical to mine.
 
I have three FW sails, a boom for each sail and I’ll spend time experimenting with harness line positions for each sail. Once I’ve found  a comfortable setup that I feel maximizes performance, I’ll leave the harness lines pretty much at that setting for the season. I tend to sail with shorter harness lines than most people as I like to have the sail
canted slightly to windward when I’m powered. I also like to have the lines positioned on the booms very slightly aft of the balance point so if I let go of the booms, the mast will tend to move forward and away from me. Since I have an inclination to pinch anyway, this sets the rig up with a tendency to keep the kit heading slightly off rather than coming up and possibly stalling, which I think provides for a better VMG.
 
Sometimes when the wind is light and I’m going to be sailing a lot with not much outhaul and a draft forward sail, I’ll move the lines slightly forward. But most of the time I’ll just deal with a little bit of extra pull on the front hand. I also use adjustable lines. Again if it is very light and I want the sail more vertical, I’ll extend the lines. The same goes for going off the wind when it’s really windy. I’ll want to move the sail further away from my body to give me a little more insurance  against getting launched.

 
#11-----------------------------Kit tuning - Boom height

Boom height is very personal thing. I’ve seen top racers with boom as high as above their eyes and as low as just below their chin. There are a few things to consider when selecting a boom position. First, the higher the boom is on the mast the stiffer the mast will feel. Second, the further forward the mast position on the board the higher the boom can be carried comfortably. For me personally, I like the boom at least at eye level. It seems that with the boom that high I attain my best VMG up wind. What that is due to, I’m not sure. It may have something to do with the leverage I gain over the rig in addition to making the mast a bit stiffer. This setup works best when I’m reasonably powered with my harness lines at their shortest length. The fact that I tend to sail with the rig slightly canted to windward when I’m really powered may also affect how high I like my boom. I like the feeling of the board
being lifted, up on the fin, feeling light and sailing fast. In light winds, I’ll sail the rig more straight up with longer harness lines and a slightly lower boom.

There are other things that happen when you raise the boom. If the mast position is back far enough, it will make your front foot difficult to keep in the footstrap. When my boom is high and my mast is back on the board, I have to twist my front foot to try to lock it in the front footstrap so it won’t pull out. Also, with the front foot being light, most of the pressure of the rig is concentrated on the back of the board through your rear leg and foot and depending on the placement of the rear footstraps, directly in line with the fin. This tends to lighten up the front of the board and give you a better feel of what the fin is doing. Another thing that happens is that you’re more vulnerable to getting launched on the downwind runs. So my advice is that if you want to try raising your boom height, do it in small increments over a period of time and see if your performance is improved, especially in more wind. That way you’ll give yourself a chance to get used to it, to see if it’s working and worth the effort.

# 10------------------------------ Kit tuning - Mast position

It’s important to experiment with mast track position on a FW board. Every board is different and I’ve found where the mast is placed can sometimes make a big difference in feel and performance. In trying to standardize measurement of mast track position between boards, I use the convention of measuring the distance between the center of the universal attachment and the center of the front fin screw. I think those two points on a board provides the most meaningful way to compare mast track measurements between with other boards and sailors. Applying that convention, I know from experience that for me, somewhere around 45 inches is a good place to start. That will vary some for each sailor because of body size, boom height and sail design. As I test, I’ll move the sail backward or forward in ½ inch increments depending if the board feels dead and stuck on the water or if I’m having trouble keeping the nose down and the board tracking in a level attitude. Once I’ve found  what I think is the best compromise for the sail size I’m using, I’ll note the mast position (I keep a notebook of these numbers and mark the position on the board). Then as I use different sail sizes, I’ll experiment moving the mast further forward or aft, again usually by ½” increments. The general rule of thumb is that the bigger the sail, the further back it is positioned on the board. Bigger sails weigh more and tend to settle the nose of the board and are often sailed with larger fins which have the same effect. Smaller sails weigh less and especially when combined with smaller fins tend to unsettle the nose of the board so moving the mast forward will counteract that trend.

#9----------------------Looking as far ahead as you can rather than focusing on what’s right in
front of you.

A technique used motor sports were one wants to maximize speed over a course or uneven terrain is to drive as far ahead as you can. A fast driver is looking and thinking at least two or three corners ahead and anticipating the upcoming road well in advance of it’s arrival. The same technique applies to racing windsurfers. The further you look and sail ahead of where you are, the faster you’ll go as you’ll be setting yourself up for what is ahead rather than just reacting to what’s directly in front of you. Sometimes I get almost mesmerized by the water coming up right in front of me and have to force myself to look well beyond. When I do, I can almost feel my speed increase. It’s as if I’ve already taken care of what’s immediate and no longer have to give it much attention. Because my main focus is on where I’m looking, I’m instinctively setting myself up for what’s coming . The gusts, the lulls, the chop, the course, other sailors - all the things I’ve been talking about – they’re anticipated and processed before they arrive and I pass by them. And the result is that it’s much easier to keep the kit driving at that optimal VMG.

# 8 -------------------------------------------Safety

One thing that I haven’t talked much about is safety. Though windsurfing is one of the safest sports around, especially considering the speed one’s body can attain, it still has dangers that sailors should be aware of. Probably the most dangerous thing you can do on a windsurfer is close with another windsrufer coming from the opposite direction on a collision course. If it’s windy, the closing speed can easily be over 60 mph. Most collisions can be avoided but the ones that aren’t usually happen when one sailor mirrors each avoidance movement made by the other. I call it ‘the dance’ and sometimes the only way to break out of ‘the dance’ is for one of the participants to stop making avoidance maneuvers. Technically it should be made by the person sailing on starboard tack, but the earlier thedance can be called off by either sailor, the better.

Another windsurfing danger is the sailor becoming separated from the board. The most obvious way for this to happen is if the board somehow becomes disconnected from the sail and is blown away by the wind faster than you can swim. Another way it happens is when it’s windy and you fall ending up some distance from the board. If a sail has cambers and ends up draft down with the clew into the wind, it can hold enough of the mast and leading edge of the sail above the water and in the wind to propel the board and sail downwind, again faster than you can swim. In either case, you’re left stranded with no flotation. I’ve had it happen both ways and it’s pretty scary. The most important thing to remember is to try to stay with the board at all costs. Also it’s a great reason not to sail alone or if you do,carry some sort of communication device that can be used while in the water. I’ve knownwindsurfers to carry signal flares and also a length of extra line somewhere on a harness can sometimes help temporarily fix breakdowns enough to get you back to shore.

  # 7 -----------------------------------------------Downwind in chop

Driving downwind in extreme conditions is almost always accompanied by large chop. Often you’re overpowered and keeping the board on the water becomes the biggest challenge as once the tail of the board loses contact with the water, you can lose the lift and directional control of the fin. In these extreme conditions, I like to get my rear foot more toward the center of the board and I use what is commonly called a center or ‘chicken’ strap. Bigger and more skilled sailors can often stay in the outside straps much longer, but if conditions become radical enough, I have yet to see a sailor who hasn’t been able to improve his or her downwind performance by the use of a center strap. First, it stabilizes the board so if and when it completely loses contact with the water, you can keep it going straight. Second, it changes your position relative to the sail, bringing you closer to it and effectively
lengthening your harness lines. It also takes less body movement to sheet the sail in and out so it makes that part of control less sensitive. To that end, I’ll also physically lengthen my harness lines if conditions become extreme enough, just to give myself more room before I get pulled over the front of the board. The downside of using a center strap is that you don’t have as much leverage to power up the sail as you do when you’re in the outside strap, but when conditions are extreme, I’m usually looking for less or more controllable power, not more.

Also, as you drop down the backside of a large piece of chop, if the chop is steep and close enough together, there is the possibility of the nose of the board penetrating the backside of the next piece of chop rather than riding up over it. As the nose of the board reached the bottom of the trough and begins it’s journey up the backside of the next piece of chop, it begins to slow down and the natural tendency is for your weight and the sail to be thrown forward. So it’s important to anticipate that happening and to keep your weight and the sail back because if you do, very often even if the board doesn’t completely ride over the next piece of chop, it won’t bury itself so completely that it stops and you keep going without it.

#    6 ------------------------------------Downwind in lulls

In areas of decreased pressure or lulls, again the main focus is to spend as little time as possible in them. When going downwind and encountering a lull, you’ll want to alter your course and come up to keep flow over the sail and avoid its stalling. Again, just like encountering a lull upwind, look for telltale signs on the water by keeping an eye over your windward shoulder to see where pressure seems to be. If the lull is large enough, you might want to consider jibing off while there is still pressure to get going again. Jibing in the middle of a lull and to have to stand waiting for enough pressure to return to get going again is something you want to avoid.

# 5----------------------------------Downwind in gusty conditions

Driving a FW board downwind in gusty conditions is can be one of the most challenging you can do on a sailboard. In extreme conditions, downwind speeds of over 30 mph can be reached. If it’s gusty in those kind of conditions, the edge of maintaining control and not getting launched vs. driving the deepest angle can be explored, but it will require one’s full attention. In regards to an to an overall good downwind VMG, knowing when to exploit a gust for a deeper angle and being able to anticipate the end of the increased pressure is key. Keep in mind there will undoubtedly be some shift in direction of the wind both at the beginning and end of the gust for the reasons I discussed earlier. So when coming to the end of a gust, it’s possible there can be an additive effect of a decrease in pressure and wind direction change that can easily stall the sail. What you don’t want to do is lose flow attachment toward the end of the gust because aside from slowing down, it will require a radical course change to windward, to reattach flow and get the board driving again. The idea is to feel the pressure increase and drive the board deeper, but watching and always being ready, possibly testing with minor course changes to windward, feeling for the end of the gust. It’s far better to come up a little bit with speed toward the end of the gust than to slow down and perhaps stall by holding too deep an angle for too long. You can always use that speed to drive the board off again.

Also, I really try to avoid getting launched going downwind. So if I’m feeling uncomfortable with the intensity of the gusts and I think the chances of getting pulled over the front of the board are becoming too great, I’ll sail unhooked if necessary to avoid that situation

# 4  ------------------- Upwind techniques in choppy conditions – reading the water and going
over chop.

One of the most difficult things to do on a FW kit is to try and
maintain optimal VMG in very choppy conditions. Heavy chop is usually
accompanied by strong wind and that means you’ll probably be running one
of the smaller sails in you kit. In those conditions, you may want to
move the mast base further forward on the board – maybe an inch or so –
to give you a little more control over the nose. In any case, it’s hard
to keep the front of the board from flying off to leeward and keep the
fin attached to the water as you come off the crests. If the chop is
large and steep enough, you’ll have to slow down and sail a higher than
optimal course or risk getting totally airborne leaving the peaks. There
may be other approaches to dealing with big chop, but I try to maintain
as much of my optimal VMG speed as I can, anticipating how much my legs
can adsorb the peaks and troughs of the chop while keeping the board on
the water. I’ll do what is sometimes called ‘pre-jumping’ or unweighting
the board before reaching a peak and pushing down with my legs as I pass
over the top. I try to look ahead and ‘read’ the chop so I can slow down
or speed up trying to work my way around or over the largest pieces. I’m
always looking past the peaks for the flatter water in between sections
of chop where I can take advantage of calmer water to speed up again. As
with all these techniques, the fewer mistakes made and the closer to the
optimal VMG that is maintained will be the fastest.

#3  ----------------------Upwind techniques - Gliding through the lulls

Your ability to minimize the time spent in areas of decreased wind
pressure or lulls on a race course will improve your overall
performance. It really helps if you can anticipate that your are coming
into a lull. Often it can be seen on the surface of the water as a
smooth area. If there are sailors ahead of you sometimes you’ll see them
slow down or change angle. If the lull is large enough with a
significant drop in pressure, you might consider tacking to try and
avoid it. But often it’s a just temporary decrease in pressure that
you’ll want to pass through as quickly as possible. So when you’re
driving upwind and you see evidence on the water that you’re coming to a
lull or begin to feel the pressure in the sail begin to drop, be ready
to counter the resulting drop in speed by footing off slightly. This
keeps the air moving across the sail attached and generating lift while
also minimizing the amount of time spent in the lull, getting you to the
good pressure again so you can resume your optimal VMG.

# 2  -----------------------  Upwind techniques - Gusty conditions  

 
Sailing upwind in gusty conditions takes concentration and anticipation. The goal is to try to keep your kit sailing at the most efficient combination of angle and speed while dealing with the variance in direction and intensity of wind pressure. There has been a lot written about how gusts head you or lift you depending whether you’re in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. I won’t go into that more than to say in the Northern Hemisphere the gustst end to head you on starboard tack and lift you on port tack. In the Southern Hemisphere it’s the opposite, port tack gets headed and starboard gets lifted. Keeping that in mind, when you’re sailing on port tack in San Francisco Bay, the gusts will  tend to speed you up and on starboard tack, they tend to slow you down. As soon as you can see or feel a pressure change, you should be ready or beginning to alter your course slightly. On port, as you feel the pressure build and your speed increase, head up slightly. On starboard, as you feel your speed decrease as the pressure increases, head off slightly. The idea is to try to maintain that optimal speed vs angle. Then as the pressure begins to decrease with the passing of the gust, your speed will begin to change again so start to make the appropriate course changes to bring you back to your optimal speed vs angle. Your ability to anticipate and make these changes as smoothly as possible in concert with the gusts will translate to better performance throughout the course. Since I do most of my sailing in the Northern hemisphere, the most common thing I see local sailors do in gusty conditions is foot off on port and slow down on starboard.

In the last tip, I talked about speed vs angle. There is a sailing term used to describe this, it’s called Velocity Made Good or VMG. The term takes into account any variable, wind strength, direction, current, etc.  that can affect your speed and angle toward a distant point on the water. Essentially it’s a measure of how efficiently you’re traveling over the bottom ofthe body of water toward some fixed point on the horizon. So from now on, I’ll refer to the optimal speed vs angle and  the optimal VMG.

#1  ----------------------- Sailing a FW board is like sailing a slalom board. This isn’t surprising  because that’s how it all started. Ten years ago, the current trend toward ultra wide boards was just beginning and a wide course slalom board was just under 24” wide, narrow compared to the 40“ width of current FW boards.  The only real difference between a slalom board and a  FW board is that the FW board is stable enough to accommodate a larger fin and sail but the sailing technique remains the same. Reaching is the game either upwind or downwind. As you generate either positive or negative angle from a beam reach, your overall speed will decrease. The trick is to find the optimal trade off between speed and angle for your body size and sailing style. Generally taller, heavier sailors go for more speed than angle and shorter, lighter sailors go for more angle than speed. To really work on the basics, it helps to have a sailing partner to experiment with. Find out what happens when you increase your angle. As you sail higher (upwind) or lower (downwind) at slower speeds, did you gain or lose at the tack or jibe points? After a while, you’ll  begin to get a sense of what that optimal speed vs angle is that will carry you to your upwind or downwind destination the quickest.  Stay tuned for more