THE SWEET SPOT
A strong ‘sweet spot’ allows you to hold position without wasting too much energy and gives you the strongest position and best chance to spot your opportunity to then get up and away, i.e. a gust if the wind is lighter, or an adjustment if the wind is very strong. The sweet spot is a waiting position, prior to getting up and away and after the rig recovery. It is upwind of the tail of the board, where you can keep the rig flying and also be able to steer the board.
Sweet spot tips
• Give yourself some space from the tail of the board so you can steer and control sail power.
• Look upwind to see the wind and ensure your position is slightly upwind.
• Have a shoulder-width grip on the boom and proximal to your harness lines, this will keep the rig up, provide max lift, and stop oversheeting.
• Position your hips and shoulders parallel to the boom.
• The back heel should be between the straps, towards the windward rail, and further forwards in lighter winds, moving aft when windier.
• Heel down and toes up, this keeps the bend in your back leg and allows you to pull the heel in for your ‘up and away’.
• Keep your front leg straight down in the water as this will act as a daggerboard and stop downwind drift.
• Extend arms to keep rig flying if wind is lighter, and bend arms to bring rig down when dealing with stronger wind or gusts.
• Be comfortable here BOTH WAYS.
Sweet spot pitfalls
• Too close to the tail and your nose will keep swinging into the wind.
• Bending arms and pulling rig over your head too much will see the rig and you go underwater.
• Sheeting out too much on the backhand will see the mast drop down and into the water.
Denne historien er fra Issue 394 - April 2020-utgaven av Windsurf.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 394 - April 2020-utgaven av Windsurf.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
New School
Slingshot’s windsurfing brand manager, Wyatt Miller, has noticed that kids are drawn to playing with wings and puts forward an interesting case as to why he thinks this could help entice them and others into windsurfing.
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Wave sailor Flo Jung reflects on our changed world during his lockdown in Germany.
THE LAST WAVE
Lockdown stirred the creative juices of reader Björn Alfthan, who peers into the future to present a fictional story set in the wild waves of Norway, five years from now.
STILL IN THE GAME
After a horrific fracture in his leg from a crashed aerial in 2018, Alessio Stillrich is back! John Carter talks to the highflyer from Gran Canaria about his move to the Simmer team, recovering from injury and how he learned to windsurf in Gran Canaria!
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This month we look at how our front foot weighting can affect and improve different aspects of our main windsurfing moves.
SOUTH' KIPA
Nik tweaking it over home waters.
A NEW NORMAL
On a trip to La Tranche-sur-Mer in France last year, Tris Best estimated over 80% of the windsurfers were foiling. This summer in Portland Harbour, foiling activity has increased dramatically too he reports. With the market offering plenty of choice to recreational windfoilers, our test team check out some of the latest foil offerings.
TACKING – THE SEQUEL
Having given you time to practice, Harty concludes his tacking series by critiquing various tacking options, including the carve tack, as well as offering solutions to common slip-ups.
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REDEMPTION DAY!
Renowned for its windsurfing and variety of spots to sail at, Kimmerdige Bay is a wave sailing jewel on the south coast of England. Timo Mullen gives a guide to its shores while reflecting on why a recent session there was a reminder that there is no place like home!