To start, the sail is taken from its bag and rigged tightly securing the clew with the outhaul, much like stringing a bow. The downhaul may also be adjusted. Next, the board is launched and the sail assembly is attached by dropping the wooden plug into the mating hole in the board. At this point the sail assembly is floating flat on the surface of the water. The rider then mounts the board and stands straddling the universal joint (fig. 4). He grasps a lanyard which is attached to the mast/boom junction. A steady pull on this lanyard brings the sail out of the water into an erect position. The sail will weather-cock and the rider takes a position upwind of the mast. The rider then grasps the twin booms , with one hand on either side of the mast. The board is then rotated (twisted underfoot) to the desired direction using sail force for leverage. When the board is properly aligned the rider moves to one side of the mast and changes his grip on the sail assembly to what will become the windward boom. The mast is then dipped to windward, the sail is trimmed (by pulling on the downwind arm) and the board is under way. Once moving as mentioned above, the direction of the board is controlled by changing the dip angle of the mast. To come up into the wind, the mast is dipped off; to fall of the wind, the mast is dipped forward.
The tack is initiated by dipping the mast aft (Fig. 5). As the board comes up into the wind the sail is continually trimmed to provide a maximum of side forces. In this way the board will continue through the eye of the wind and the rider will find himself walking around forward of the mast step. At a certain point, when the board is headed in the proper new direction with respect to the wind, the rider steps fully around the mast and repositions his grip to the opposite boom. The new tack is begun by dipping the mast forward again and trimming the sail in the opposite direction.
The jibe is begun by dipping the mast forward, facing the board to fall off to a running position (fig.6). As this is done the rider walks slightly aft and to the center of the board until, when the board is running fully before the wind the rider is standing amidships facing forward. From this position the rider moves his grip around the mast to the opposite boom. This causes the sail first to weathercock and then fill on its opposite side to complete the jibe. Note that unlike conventional boats the sail itself never needs to jibe no matter what change of direction is called for.
A useful maneuver - called a power jibe - has been developed to change quickly from one tack to another under circumstances (close confines, rough water, etc.) where a regular tack is not advisable. This maneuver (Fig. 7) may be executed from any point of sailing by rotating the sail away from its trimmed position forcing it to be back-winded. This is done by moving the grip toward the mast and reaching around the front of the mast with one hand to grasp and pull the opposite boom. The back-winded sail quickly stops the board's forward progress and turns the bow of the board down and through the wind to the opposite tack.
It may be obvious at this point that windsurfing requires the development of certain unique skills. The learning period varies with the individual, of course, but a qualitative assessment of the difficulty of the sport indicates it to be a fair amount more difficult to learn than waterskiing or day sailing, but a bit easier then surfing and snow-skiing. (It could be that there are still many useful maneuvers of greater difficulty which are as yet undiscovered.)
As one would expect, sheltered waters with light winds are the best conditions to learn the fundamental maneuvers described above. Practicing these moves improves balance and board control so that eventually the rider can concentrate his attention on sail trim to get the most out of a given wind. When balance and control are mastered the rider may attempt windsurfing in stronger winds and less sheltered areas - including the open ocean. As one might imagine, the greatest thrills are to be gained under the more difficult conditions - up to a point, of course.
Next Page: Alternate Board Designs
