The people in the video look like pros training for a regatta. If you're a pro windsurfer, or a sponsored windsurfer, of course you will have an edge on gybing in overpowering conditions. But your average windsurfer who can waterstart, bump n jump perform decent gybes, wave rides in moderate conditions will just head to the beach and rig a smaller sail, when overpowered. No questions asked! That's why windsurfers carry a quiver of sails for this exact reason.

Evilpanda,

Are you an average or below average windsurfer? If so take these tips with respect, but I'm telling ya, don't hassle when overpowered, just put a smaller sail on and you will be a happy camper. I am an average windsurfer with those skills listed above and I would wait a little to see if the wind that made me overpowered is going to hold or lighten up to what was when not overpowered. If it stays overpowered for at least 15 min or so, I go back and rig a smaller sail, Or put a smaller fin on.

Also keep in mind that overpowered is subjective! What might be overpowered to you is not to another windsurfer. I think most of us will be fine being ever so slightly overpowered, but there is a point in all of us where we draw the line with it. Hope that helps clear this thread up some more.

Good points above about the need for speed into the Gybe and how to use it and the lower apparent wind to oversheet and flip the rig.

But that really only applies up to around the 25-30 knots of wind mark. Over that, depending on how fast your board is, most times you are going slower than the real wind when you turn in. Oversheeting will not help as much in that situation. If this i the case, the only way I have found to cope with that is to sheet out completely and turn the board in that state.

Maybe this situation is a bit more extreme than most people are thinking about, but it sounds like that was the situation with the OP.

The technique and situation is quite different on a slower freeride or wave board and wave sail.

I'll probably get roasted for this one, but here's a photo of me gybing on the inside at Long Reef in a 35 knot southerly.
Nothing textbook about it, but I remember this "technique" made gybing "reasonably" easy. Main points were to be aggressive, keep to a tight turning circle with extra rail pressure, leaning forward to be close to the mast and most importantly, the timing of the rig flip. Everything has to literally flow in one movement. Commitment.

Nice photo Albers,

Looks like you are almost about ready to flip your sail their and exit your gybe.

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Magic Ride said..
Nice photo Albers,

Looks like you are almost about ready to flip your sail their and exit your gybe.

Thanks for the comment. I think that I also grabbed the mast to allow for even greater control of the rig flip - you need to dynamically adjust to everything that may affect the successful outcome for a gybe.

Hi Albers,

I hear ya there... I know the feeling about taking charge and dominating the gybe. I remember there was a day last season where the wind came up more after I was out for a while pulling off some really nice planing carve gybes. As it got windier, I'd say 5-7 knot increase from maximum wind range that I'm comfortable in with my 6.8 Goya Eclipse Power wave sail. Well I started getting launched off the board, sail ripped out of my hands, just plain out of control. So I went back and rigged my 6.0 Naish Allterain and it felt perfect.

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jusavina said..

Roo said..
Do what the pros do, turn upwind slightly to lose some speed and retain control, then start the turn.

Correct excpet that is not to lose speed but to be able to oversheet, so:turn upwind a bit and at the same time with your rear hand as far back as you are confortable, oversheet and start your turn with the sail oversheeted (so your hand need to be really back on the wish). It feels a bit like starting a forward loop but without jumping. Then if you have turned quick enough, you'll feel the sail depowered a lot.Changing tack is when it gets fun.

Thanks for the explanation, jusavina! I had heard the tip to go upwind a bit to jibe in overpowered conditions before, but it never made much sense to me, nor did it work well for me. But I probably also kept the sail open. Turning upwind a bit while sheeting in with the backhand so that the sail can depower early in the jibe makes a lot of sense. The few times I convinced myself to fully sheet in when jibing in 30-40 knot wind and big chop, I was quite surprised how well it worked. It's scary, though!

Sounds to me if you want to enjoy yourself and aren't superhuman you need to buy a smaller board and rig..

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Windxtasy said..
Panda, I'm with you. Gybing overpowered is not as easy as experts think it is.

It is easy for strong athletic people to gybe well but for light weight not so co-ordinated people gybing overpowered is hard. I know it is more technique than strength, but if you are not a fast learner that technique comes at a certain cost in pain, which is the end result every time I practice overpowered gybes. Torn adductor muscles and hamstring after the last episode, a massive bruise on my forearm the time before that.

When overpowered, I am unable to sheet in sufficiently and I get pulled over. I especially find it difficult to have the front arm out straight and weight forward and sheet in sufficiently at the same time. I can do one or the other but I cannot do both fully. That requires more co-ordination than I am capable of.
It is all very well to say change down, but whatever sail you are using, sometimes a gust will come along that is too much. Sometimes that gust will come when you are approaching the bank and are forced to gybe. That is what did me in last time. I should have tacked, but I was trying to practice powered up gybes.

I have tried lay down gybes but getting the sail back up is difficult.
I am not even talking about serious chop, just strong wind in flattish water.

Any ideas welcome but I m not saying I will be able to put them into practice...

Anita I agree for mere mortals committing in those conditions is scary and risky. After losing half a tooth headbutting the boom a few years ago I wouldn't want to try unless I had full face protection... I find oversheeting the sail hard ( mainly the larger sizes 7m +) even just fully powered in flatwater hard. I think I need bigger arm muscles.. In conditions like those I think I'd just round up , fall in and waterstart on the other tack to be safe..

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jusavina said..

Roo said..
Do what the pros do, turn upwind slightly to lose some speed and retain control, then start the turn.

Correct excpet that is not to lose speed but to be able to oversheet, so:turn upwind a bit and at the same time with your rear hand as far back as you are confortable, oversheet and start your turn with the sail oversheeted (so your hand need to be really back on the wish). It feels a bit like starting a forward loop but without jumping. Then if you have turned quick enough, you'll feel the sail depowered a lot.Changing tack is when it gets fun.

Thanks.. good one.. that should help a weakling like me.. I thought I needed to start oversheeting earlier..

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kato said..
Evil try this, when you want to oversheet rotate your shoulders ( look backwards) the foot of the sail will touch your back foot ( slalom sail) carve hard kill speed then flip. Best I can do with words

I tried this yesterday. I am not sure if it helps you sheet in but it certainly helps you to see when you are not sheeted in enough so you try harder! I still couldn't get anywhere near the sail touching my foot.
I did find it hard to keep the weight forwards and look backwards though.
Sheeting in more tightens the carve and changes the point at which it feels like time to flip.

Just go flat out off the wind and use a vertical 1m road embankment to force you to be aggressively attack your entry whilst bending de kneez and raising your elbows. even if you you don't get to flip the sail it will feel awesome

Looks nice and flat at the end, it wasn't when the wind was getting up and the rolling chop would hit the shallow sections. From the finish gate on the left you barely have time to get up out of stance. Whilst doing so you may creep towards the bank before laying it over and sinking as much forward rail as possible to slice chop as you run and turn over the back of it to wash off speed.

You would then turn back into the wind in the section on the right,.... the wind picked us up a few times whilst doing this part and slammed us sending spray all over the pink chickens grazing downwind. Other times you had no choice whilst trying to hold it together at the finish on a fast one and straight lining it sheeted out. A few times we ended up crashing out and onto the grit on the very right until you got your slowing down technique sorted. Bailing or letting your gear go could have it getting launched out and over the piles of diamond grit on the few times the place gave an indication of what it is really like.

Hans K' picking us up with the boat trailer during light morning breeze on the last event day, video/timing truck on the left....

Here you are Spotty at 42 seconds


Don't you come up with some classic speed sailing videos while searching the archives. Did one sailor anticipate the popularity of speed sailing down the track?

Thanks y'all. As always SeaBreeze provides too much help!

I think Sailquik and Albers are on it, understand the predicament, and I will use their suggestions next time. Suspect I am drawing too wide an arc and need to carve hard and flip fast instead of wide and smooth. Come to think of it that's what a lot of guys that are having fun in 30+ look like they're doing; just slamming the board around leaving the sail open.

Cheers y'all i'll update on progress and what worked next time it's 30+ (or 30++). Probably in a year or so.

I think you can go wide and smooth when the water is flat, as long as you are quick to flip the rig once it goes light...probably it's when you get the most fun out of jibes

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Ian K said..
Here you are Spotty at 42 seconds

Don't you come up with some classic speed sailing videos while searching the archives. Did one sailor anticipate the popularity of speed sailing down the track?

Well I can see why I haven't broken 35kts--I don't have the guts they do! Cripes that if I had one of those stacks that woman had I would have called it quits..

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sboardcrazy said..

Ian K said..
Here you are Spotty at 42 seconds

Don't you come up with some classic speed sailing videos while searching the archives. Did one sailor anticipate the popularity of speed sailing down the track?

Well I can see why I haven't broken 35kts--I don't have the guts they do! Cripes that if I had one of those stacks that woman had I would have called it quits..

I wasn't sure if you were passing comment on their physical attributes or their bravery!

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John340 said..

sboardcrazy said..

Ian K said..
Here you are Spotty at 42 seconds

Don't you come up with some classic speed sailing videos while searching the archives. Did one sailor anticipate the popularity of speed sailing down the track?

Well I can see why I haven't broken 35kts--I don't have the guts they do! Cripes that if I had one of those stacks that woman had I would have called it quits..

I wasn't sure if you were passing comment on their physical attributes or their bravery!

Bravery.. or pigheadedness..

When you are pushing the limits and the edge of the envelope, a certain disregard for you own safety is part of the formula.

Risk and reward are close bedfellows.

These days I prefer more calculated approach to risk.

But, to progress, there is always an element of risk. You need to be able to recognise the moment and be prepared to seize it!

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sailquik said..
When you are pushing the limits and the edge of the envelope, a certain disregard for you own safety is part of the formula.

Risk and reward are close bedfellows.

These days I prefer more calculated approach to risk.

But, to progress, there is always an element of risk. You need to be able to recognise the moment and be prepared to seize it!

So you aren't going to change down?

The only thing I haven't seen commented on is "Eyes on the Exit !!". It's really easy to get fixated on the chop your ploughing through. Get down low early and this will deal with the chop, spot your exit and keep your eyes up. Like on a motorbike, look where you want to go, not what your going through.