I'm reasonably proficient at foiling gybes but I seem to lose a lot of ground downwind as I wait for the pressure in the sail to equalise and allow me to flip it. I was wondering if it is possible to carve a tight radius using a strap to strap technique to avoid this but does the apparent wind mean I won't be able to flip the sail? (Greg Glaister seems to be able to go from beam reach to beam very quickly?!!)

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TroyMcClure said..
I'm reasonably proficient at foiling gybes but I seem to lose a lot of ground downwind as I wait for the pressure in the sail to equalise and allow me to flip it. I was wondering if it is possible to carve a tight radius using a strap to strap technique to avoid this but does the apparent wind mean I won't be able to flip the sail? (Greg Glaister seems to be able to go from beam reach to beam very quickly?!!)

I've dealt with this recently as I live on a flood control lake (dammed river) that has costant elevation changes. We are down 40' now, so the lake is a lot narrower meaning more jibes to get up wind. For me, I slow my jibe down and release back hand very early and "pivot" around the foil axis. But I'm also using a low aspect wing that has a very low stall speed (PFI730). In these circumstances, low speed foiling skills help alot.
I'm not great at it but getting better.

How powered are you? Generally for the average foiler, the more power, the wider the radius you need to bleed the speed. The more proficient you get, the more you can oversheet and really lean into it though. If you initiate a harder carve from the beginning, you can feel the power shut off very quickly assuming you aren't wildly overpowered. It takes a bit of commitment though and for a lot of intermediates, it's uncomfortable to be that lit on a reach and rail it over pretty aggressively.

fwiw, I'm usually doing step jibes but I see no reason that you couldn't do strap to strap if that's where you are more comfortable.

In lighter air, you absolutely have to carve tighter as you have just a limited amount of energy to get you to the other side. However, don't carve too high on the other side despite your wanting to stay upwind. The primary goal is to stay on the foil.

I was chasing dinghies upwind yesterday in a really gusty 8-18 on a small board, 5.4 and on a small lake. It took a lot of hard carves to stay with them. In the lulls, though, I was toast.

For me, the more power, the tighter the potential turn. I have more entry speed and hence can foot change and release the clew early and then foot steer round in a tighter radius. The sail almost flips by itself.

In light winds and less entry speed I have to pump like mad on a 3/4 reach to stay on foil as I exit the gybe.

If you have enough speed and power in the sail you can carve upwind before the gybe which also kills speed which makes you do more of a pivot around to the new side, you don't need to be overpowered. Would be curious to see on the gps tracks how much it actually helps, has anyone done this?

Or just do a foiling duck tack like Balz does for the best chance of staying upwind

Been pondering this. Gybing I tend to go for bigger radius turns so not really sure how tight one could turn. Tighter turn means more lean and higher risk of wingtip breach or board contact (longer mast would help here), maybe that is why I tend to go bigger radius or maybe just having everything slower means correcting flight height during gybe a bit easier

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thedoor said..
Been pondering this. Gybing I tend to go for bigger radius turns so not really sure how tight one could turn. Tighter turn means more lean and higher risk of wingtip breach or board contact (longer mast would help here), maybe that is why I tend to go bigger radius or maybe just having everything slower means correcting flight height during gybe a bit easier

Every time I try to gybe real tight I fall in so I have been keeping them slow. I see some of the guys here flying through the turns and I'm hoping...some day...

I keep telling myself to slow gybes down, usually it's when I try to rush that I can't complete them. Same goes for fin and wing.

Thanks all - So it sounds like what people are saying is that if I want to avoid a long wide turn downwind I need to do the foiling equivalent of a laydown gybe and that will dump the power in the sail. That will allow me to crank round the turn hard and flip the rig without being backwinded?!? (I think there may have been a few videos posted on here of racers doing this kind of thing).

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TroyMcClure said..
Thanks all - So it sounds like what people are saying is that if I want to avoid a long wide turn downwind I need to do the foiling equivalent of a laydown gybe and that will dump the power in the sail. That will allow me to crank round the turn hard and flip the rig without being backwinded?!? (I think there may have been a few videos posted on here of racers doing this kind of thing).

You don't have to do a full laydown but a quick oversheet with an immediate hard carve is the ticket. Many intermediates get a little freaked of the idea of being fully powered up and going off the wind which feels like it will be even more powered up. But the wind shuts off as you carve away from the wind pressure.

But your backwinded comment suggests something else is going on. I'm going to assume you are well powered up and the wind is not light. If that's so, it sounds maybe like you aren't opening the sail enough mid jibe and the wind is catching the backside of the sail. You really have to open up the sail as you come around. Your arms have to be away from you. Watch around 0:59

This is the best windfoiling carving I've ever seen. Don't know how to do it. Minute 1:50

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Mucel said..
This is the best windfoiling carving I've ever seen. Don't know how to do it. Minute 1:50

Short mast foot to foil distance makes it more turny. At 0:38 you can see him really open the sail and flipping it like Sebastian Kornum describes.

think the key to a tight carve gybe is an active rig switch. No good waiting for the wind to "blow the sail around" when it comes to the rig switch don't just push with the back hand, pull the mast back to the inside of the carve and forward with the front hand

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2keen said..

think the key to a tight carve gybe is an active rig switch. No good waiting for the wind to "blow the sail around" when it comes to the rig switch don't just push with the back hand, pull the mast back to the inside of the carve and forward with the front hand

Thank you, think I'm going to spend lots of time in the water trying to get that right and it'll be worth it.