Does this happen to anyone else?
I had the most awesome experience just over a week ago when sailing on Wallis Lake at the Great Lakes Sailing Club. They were the really really high wind days. Thought I would have a practice on some flat water and improve my tack technique and have a go at getting into straps, and maybe have a go at gybing, now being used to the seat harness, being a progressing learner.
That didn't happen.
I found that when I got up on the plane on my board, like an impatient racehorse wanting to go faster, we would go into "hydrofoil" mode (as you see in the "Moth" yachting class these days). Now, I didn't think anything like this would or could happen and it freaked me out at first, but once I got into the groove I was stoked. I also managed to get into the straps for the first time (with the "Elvis Wiggle")! It was awesome.
I cut off a speedboat towing kids on tubes behind who didn't seem to be too aware of the speed that the "little old lady" might get to (What the heck were they doing this in a sailing area for I don't know, with cats and windsurfers everywhere). They watched me for a little while, then decided to pace me from a distance for some time before clearing out of the picture completely, cos I think they were fascinated too, or maybe wanted to check what speed I was doing.
I'm an advancing beginner and I don't have any fancy gear, just a Starboard Carve 120L, an old 4.8M Sailworks Wavesail trimmed for high winds, a Freeride 380 fin, a seat harness, and I weigh about 65 kg. The winds I think were gusting about 50km/hr or more. I had my full body weight hanging from the harness at the time and my arms did little but to keep the mast/sail stable, with my back foot in the strap and a wide crouched stance with my front foot well forward to keep the board flat. This is all prolly wrong wrong wrong, but it worked for me! All I know is that I was flying! After a couple of hours of this, I ended up with corked thighs which became self evident the next day, so my legs did all the work.
I thought it was amazing that this would happen, and all without high-tech equipment. I can only think that it was a combination of the wide bouyant board relative to my weight (maybe the concave channels on the bottom?), the long fin, and the high winds were the "Goldilocks" reason.
I found an vid showing a windsurfer hydrofoiling :
I think I have found my niche sport! Happy sailing!

this prob shouldnt be happening, means that you are way overpowered.
its fun when your on a little board and overpowered but a 120 carve?
as soon as some air gets under it..gooone.
a smaller board would suit you once youve mastered the straps, and then you will get the real sensation of fast planing.

Yes, I was way way overpowered, and I was going to change to a smaller sail but too enthralled/lazy to go inshore and change sails (or go home?), and I was prolly very naughty, but what the heck! What I was amazed at was that I found it very easy to control, to depower etc, and probably the easier than anything else I have done in windsurfing.

Gidget, if you had so much fun without any damage, then you probably would find you had set up pretty well OK for the conditions, including your technique that was suiting the place you sailed at.
Funny you put this up just now, was only looking on Utube last night at the hydrofoil windsurfer, looks like he had fun as well.
Every time I see somebody put up comments like yours on the latest sail trip they experienced, brings a smile to my dial. And people wonder why we like this sport sooooo much A
Mineral

Yeah i'm 65kg to and when ever i go out i'm always overpowered. Our smallest sail is a 5.0 Core Wave and in enough wind i use that on my 100L Naish Wave board. Scares the s*** out of me sometimes. Except i'm always hooked in and h7ave both feet in the straps. I love the feeling when your board leaves the water.

I just got back yesterday from a holiday for two weeks where i windsurfed heaps. It was great and i improved a huge amount, with help from some of the guys around improving my technique and set up.

There were two hot north wind days where it blew gusts over 30 knots. There heaps older guys out there with the smae size, and even smaller sails than me. This was a lot of fun but i think i was lucky to break any of my gear (or me). However i did try a chop hop, which my brother on the shore said looked awsome (still don't know how high, but my fin was out of the water most deffently and he said it looked awsome). I landed it, but the lost ballance after a few seconds and came a big croppa. That hurt a little.

Anyway my last two weeks were one of the best two weeks in my life. Had a great time and improved heaps. Sadly i couldn't pull off a gybe, but still working on it.

bubs

try a smaller board when it gets windy...5.0 should be about 80l.
dependant on your weight of course. but 65kg you could be sailing a 70l with a 5.0, im 77kg and all i sail is a 78l goya. i personally think its too big when im on my 4.6, a 65-70l would be better.

Yeah i get that told to me all the time.

I'm nervous about getting a smaller board though because the one i got i need 15+ knots to get going so it seems pointless getting a smaller one. I want a board that can be used in as many conditions as possible (i know a wave board may not have been the best choice).

I like the board i got at the moment which is in mint condition, so why would i change at all. When i start sailing much more than i am, i might invest in a smaller board.

bubs

P.S: I have about an 80L figerglass wave board up the the carport rafters (given to us). Is this not suitable because fiberglass does not flot aswell as the new boards? My brother took it out once and didn't go very well at all. Now my dad won't load it onto the car because he doesn't want to chase me half way down the lake. Its very long and skinny.

Hey Gidget,

Do you have a smaller fin? 38 cm (380?) is pretty big for 30 knots (50 km/h). In anything over 20 knots I use a 31 cm fin, which helps to stop the tailwalking.

Decrepit put it really well when he said something along the lines of "You're exploiting the difference in speed between the wind and the water" so a smaller sail also means a smaller fin, if you want to be well-balanced and on the good side of that control knife-edge.

Yeah i'm on a large wave board (100L). And my wave fin is usual size (small for the board). If anything i slide out to much and don't have as much "up wind" performance as i would like. But its great to be able to sail in really shallow water.

bubs

P.S: If i was to buy about a 30cm freeride fin for my wave board, would it perform better than it is now in little chop? I don't want to be sliding around as much as i do. And also would it help get on the plain earlier and expand the conditions my board could go out in (lighter winds?)?