Speed Off the Line

When it's light, I can get right forward, but it was winter wind puffy up on my ear now and again, he the Youf a third of my age and probably a third more weight can get forward and still control any puffs, me, need to be at the wide point of the boat which is too far back, which is why I'm sat back there, not an excuse, a reason, I know you're supposed to be forward and the head in the boat bit was getting my plate back down.

Small light folk do have more to deal with, not that we're moaning, everything else writ here is very helpful...

Originally posted by fab100 , pumping the tiller to push the stern one way of the other (but read the rules, it's not allowed to cross the centre-line as you shake it for instance and also you have no rights if going backwards).

Thanks, interesting stuff, racing windsurfers with pumping allowed sitting on the line until just before the gun was the usual tactic, loads of PLF and you could hit warp speed in a couple of board lengths but back in the day when I was racing OKs and Herons the plan was to hit the line at full speed, close hauled and exactly on the gun. This was recommended by several of the pundits with various methods suggested to achieve it. (e.g. with 20 secs to go sailing away from the line for 8 seconds turning and making your final run). Hitting the line at speed is probably still the fastest way to start but is definitely a high risk strategy and not really an option on a crowded start line.

Edited by Sam.Spoons - 14 Dec 16 at 12:02pm

Originally posted by davidyacht Originally posted by pondlife1736 Informative thread this one, and hats off to igrf for putting up the video. The space to leeward thing always gets me, how do you defend it? Just when I think I've got a nice bit of room to accelerate into, somebody pops into it, forces me up and I get spat out the back. Any suggestions what I should be doing? I found the Shirley Robertson video particularly helpful.   Ref. The gap I think it depends on how competitive the start is, but you can try and make the space look uninviting by filling the space, heading down, easing the boom and so forth so the port tacker ignores your space.    This is rarely a problem at a club race and certainly was not an issue for Graeme's start.  I am pretty hopeless at it at championships, I think that I am the marshmallow, since there always seems to be a hotshot to windward!

Originally posted by Sam.Spoons Originally posted by Ardea I don't know you, but with my limited experience of windsurfing there is little to no on the water rig control so you might be behind the curve here.  Getting some pointers, or crewing/helming on a 2 person boat with someone who knows how to adjust a rig around the course could be helpful? Windsurf course racers (Raceboards, Formula Windsurfing, slalom etc) have used a comprehensive set of rig controls since pretty much the beginning so I'm sure GRF has plenty of experience that way. A windsurf rig has two main controls, outhaul and downhaul (which is the equivalent of a dinghy Cunningham). They work in much the same way too, the downhaul bends the mast and loosens the leech and the outhaul flattens the sail.