Just wondering what percent of gybes and tacks you guys (and girls) make? I ask as I sail with a few blokes that seem to have it all dialled in and seldom, if ever, fall off
Where as I (albeit only pretty new to the sport) tend to fall off a fair bit. On gybes I'd make perhaps 50 perecnt on the ocean. Tacks though I survive most- say 90 perecnt unless the ocean is really rough or I'm simply buggered
The lakes are much kinder to me, but I still fully expect to fall off within 20 minutes
Be honest. How long have you sailed, what's ya success on gybes and tacks?
Cheers
Depending on the weather say fifty/fifty success rate on the windy falt days. About 30% chance when there gets a bit off chop. And thats only talking slow tack and jybes not full planeing carve gybes or anything crazy like that. Have only been windsurfing since last chrsitmas which probably equals 40 - 50 times on the water. No trouble with planeing hooking in on harness and using footstraps, just turning. Not finding water starts that easy either but getting there.
I'd say you are doing really well.
I have been sailing for years and can only manage 50% gybes on a good day.
I'm better with tacking, but only on a biggish board.
Thanks Daszip and Windxtasy, cheers for ya honesty.
I largely ask as there's very few sailors at my local spot (Trial Bay), so it's very difficult to gauge how others sail, and what level they are at for any given time frame. We got hoilday makers here that either fall off every 4 seconds or fly around like pros, very few sailors in the middle- which is what I assumed would be the largest group of sail boarders. Maybe the ocean puts intermediate sailors off- dunno.
It seems gybes are simply just hard!
PS- For the time you have sailed Daszip, you're powering on mate!
Cheers
Yeah you are doing well.
On flat water with gybes I perhaps get about 20% fully planing with the flatter water and stronger wind increasing the likelyhood of planing.
I think I'd fall in around 10% of the time when gybing on flat water but if the wind gets too strong that percentage increases. Also as I get tired it increases the likelyhood of falling in.
With choppy water I'd be lucky to pull off 20% of my gybes still standing at the end.
Tacks are about the same however riding a bigger board makes tacks easier.
Sometimes it depends on the day, some days it all goes pretty well. Other days its all sh!t.
Ive been sailing "on and off" for about 30 years and still only make about 45-55% of my gybes on the ocean (mostly because I am an unco gumby) .... much higher percent on the flat water.
Dont think I have ever successfully completed a shortboard tack. 
Fark I am good at waterstarts though
gybes are one of those things where if you want to be good at them you have to commit to it.
By commit I mean every time you go sailing you set out to practice your gybes and you practice them every session - you make gybes the purpose of your sailing.
Do much shorter runs so that you have to practice your gybes much more.
It is totally possible to be able to sail most sessions without droping any gybes.
When practiced you can get planning gybes up over 80% of the time (in good, powered-up conditions, reasonably flat water) without having to be a pro/guru.
Trust me when I tell you that if you put the hard yakka in and get your gybes down - they are a pleasure to do and you look forward to nailing the next one
I've been sailing on and off for maybe 20 years. In a NE wind on the bay, I'm getting 50% to 75% gybe success. In the big swell of a Botany Bay southerly it's more like 25%. I'm yet to manage a fully planing gybe, but I'm getting closer every year!
Never really attempted a short board tack.
I agree with "boardboy", it's a matter of commitment and practice. I went for much too long not being able to waterstart properly, until I decided to dedicate myself to learning to do it properly. I'd been putting it off with gybes and doing long runs, when I should have been doing short runs and getting twice as many gybe attempts in. Last season I dedicate myself to committing to gybes and doubled my success rate. This year I plan to do the same with lots more shorter runs.
. And when these "basics" get all too painful I'll go for a long run flat chat in the straps and harness. This usually makes me feel better. Plus then I can work on getting comfy and trying to gain ground with each run- so far not the easiest thing to do! Anyway, then it's back to sorting the turns etc. I figure there's no real point going super fast if ya can't turn- right?
nah who needs to turn treat it like drag racing flat out in a straight line
Seriously though it would be nice to do carve gybe and helicopter tacks and all that other stuff.
I am on a 90% rate on my gybes, but then I am down at 10 % on full planning gybe.... just can't seem to make the curve long enough.... hopeless bugger !!!
tacks : 0% = probably too fat and no sense of balance....
20yrs sailing.
100% on gybes, but for planing exit it is much lower and depends on FSW or wave board and of course out the back is easy gybing on a swell
Tacks - never. Have not tried much and maybe it is cos I am near on 100kg and use a 92L and 105L boards but I have no bloody idea how anyone gets aroudn the front of a board that sinks - or why they'd want to anyway..... 
Phil I think u are being a bit harsh on yourself, given your posts in the last 2yrs and how long I think (?) you've been sailing I think your progression is reallly GOOD!
It takes a long time to master gybes. This is not kiting.
RE: Tacks
These are just plain fun when you are powered up in smooth conditions.
You gotta hit them with speed, and be around the mast before you are off the plane.
As far a practicalities go, you may save a few meters when trying to push up wind. But on small gear you will only be tacking in good winds and getting up wind is not an issue then anyway.
for a real challenge try a full planing helli-jump-tack
Sailing for 4 years and still only about 70% success rate about 20 is on the full plane !!! 0% tacks always use semi full sinkers.So struggled to jibe for the first 3 years dancing Feet were a mess and little knowledge of positioning (weight forward) to stay on plane and wrong board selection. Wasn't until i got a type s 96 liter i got it sussed.Think there was a time in that 4 years i was just going to learn to kite cause jibing was that frustrating But perseverance payed off !
Best thing i ever did was get a gps It helps a lot and your kinda challenging yourself . ! You can sus out your turning arcs
!
Don't get me wrong I'm stoked with my progression (been sailing 10 months total) so I'm totally wrapped to be out getting waves, (head high yesterday and it was awesome!!) making half my gybes, doing quick tacks out the back and now trying to work out how to jump- thanks Carantoc for some great pointers last week! I guess like everyone they want to be betterthan they are. Sailing the lakes with really good flatwater sailors is both insperational and depressing at the same time, but it has certainly been benifical, and no doubt help speed up the kook section. There is light at the end off the tunnel, I just want to be on a faster train...lol 
Tried a hellitack in 12 knots yesterday and got swatted. But I'll add a planning one to the growing list of must does. Oh, without the broken bones and torn stuff would be nice...
I spent so much time in the water while learning that jet skiers and more experienced windsurfers have stopped to try and rescue me. But I always give it a go, even in a gale, I think better to fall in than stay ashore.
Some of the experienced speed sailors this winter were getting 80 kph Max gps speed i got on my gear was a max all winter :51 kph on a 5.2 in gusts of 35 Def require the correct equipment.
It feels like your flying at 50kph And that's enough for me !
I notice when you turn into a gibe on the plane in high wind if your starting to slow down quick cause your weights digging in the back of the board (braking) if you got the momentum you can pump the sail sheet 90 deg downwind (split second before foot switch )to get a bit more ompth before you flip the sail. Not sure if its unorthodox ed or not seem to get a larger arch but its smoother.Kinda like catching a swell line and its keeping your trimmed.
My neighbor who I believed was a pretty competent and experienced windsurfer confided in me he never really learned to gybe, he was just really good at water starting.
Windsurfing a funny thing . Some people figure it quickly & others just never get it .. I reckon its time for a smaller board Phil . Just saying
Good to see you progressing Phil. I too think you are making leaps and bounds. To answer your question, I've been sailing since October 2008, I consider myself an average sailor.
At my local in summer (choppy seabreeze conditions), good conditions:
small gear: 100% gybe, 10% tacks, 90% step gybe, 10% strap-strap.. no planing exits, but do get a bit of exit speed by gybing on a swell/chop
big gear: 100% gybe, 100% tacks
Winter (flat water, gusty winds):
big gear: 10% planing exits, 90% non plaining (all step gybes)
A few notes (my experience):
when over powered, gybes are the first thing to go (so bulk water starts when O/P)
tacks: on my 100L freeride board (and bigger) 100%. On my 95L FSW and 85L FSW, about 20% success rate. Tacks for me is a big board turn, where as gybes are a small board turn.
Location is dependant on your success. Go to a different spot, then it's a new learning process.
Been sailing since 1984 with about a 10 year break.Rose coloured glasses at the past I used to gybe brilliantly ( starting to wonder about that..). Decided to retteach myself the Guy Cribb way to gybe & aim for carve gybes as of about 18 months ago..hard to say success rate..on a good day flat water 80 - 90% ( one day I had 95% + planing gybes! with a 3.8m sail 95ltre board well powered up). Bad day in flat water prob 60% success with not many planing ones.
Choppy water good day 75 -80% with a few planing ones, bad day 20-30% with no planing ones..
Haven't tried tacking as I've been busy learning to gybe so prob 10% success rate on the big board in smooth water..I didn't think I was going very well but maybe I am..
Sailing 20 years plus and never pulled a tack off,not even close to it,feels very un-natural.
Gybing on flat water,100 percent
Overpowered and rough water,if i can pull the backhand in to dump the power,around 50-60 percent.
It's not what your success rate is.. it's what it should be.
Once you get to a certain level, it's gets easier to make everything but the technique that helps you make stuff is not always the best technique.
I'm really guilty of this. Making 100% of your gybes does not mean that you have excellent gybes - it means that you have a reliable technique.
I think around 80% is about right. It means that you're pushing it. Entering faster, turning tighter, letting the rig go earlier and catching it broader etc. All of these things make you a better sailor.
I've only been windsurfing since march2012,needles to say I still fall off 50 to 60 % of the time both gybing and tacing.That increases as soon as the wind gets stronger...As a beginner its good to know these are hard skills to master...Makes me feel less unco that's for sure...When the good sailors do the plaining gybes they make it look so easy...
