As I'm getting quite comfortable tacking on both sides planing or in light winds, I thought I'd share my updated findings.

Four new things:
- Place front foot beyond center of the board onto the other side.
- Give the board a jolt before switching to create forward momentum in light-wind scenario.
- Pull the sail across but also mostly towards the nose of the board again in light winds.
- Aim to center body directly over the board after the switch, preferably weighing back foot as to keep nose of the board up.

The detailed steps:

1. I aim for clean swell (avoid chop and criss-crossing terrain to maximize success).
2. I guide my board with my back foot, move the sail to the back, release weight from front foot and place it in front and mostly towards the other side of the mast foot.
2a. We can cross from close-hauled to beyond the wind (in the vid, there are some variations), it's easier to switch when closer to the starting reach, the longer we wait, the harder it normally gets.
3. I climb up the swell and give the board a little jolt as to create forward momentum, and a bit before reaching the peak, still with the sail back, I step on my front foot and pull hard on the depowered sail to swap side with the sail basically.
3a. The pull is across but in a no-wind situation is almost mostly towards the nose of the board. This sends the sail directly in front of me. I aim to end with most of my weight on the back foot and body centered directly over the board.
4. Once on the other side, I may grab the mast or the boom. Grabbing the mast gives me more sail control, grabbing the boom lets me steer off the wind faster. I extend my front arm and sheet in with the back one as to steer away from the wind.
4a. The earlier we switch, the more likely we are to backwind sail for a bit.

Visit my site: Manu's Windsurfing Blog, for more tricks: windsurfing.lepicture.com/

Examples below...

Some of those were so fast I missed them. Use the 0.25 speed feature of YouTube and they are perfect.

Nice one Manuel7.That said when it comes to instructional windsurf videos you also can't go past Colin Dixon's TWS instructional videos. Some really valuable tips in his videos in regards to what people do wrong.

I really like tws as well.

have started using a broom stick like he does to get the feel for things before hitting the water.

Im going to try these again, used to tack my Waihau little slalom board. Very rusty now

I did probably 500 carve tack attempts grabbing the mast, watching that video over and over again. Nothing worked until I started going boom to boom ("never, ever grab the mast!" - Guy Cribb).

BTW, having seen the instructor gurus sail up close, they are kinda mechanical and laboured the way they do things. Young pros are far more fluid. And of course, some grab the mast, some don't. Some go boom-to-boom on one side and grab the mast on the other. But whatever they do, it looks effortless.

Never tacked more than once every other week after 2 weeks of windsurfing. Didn't feel a need.
I guess the old 1983 8'10" boards favored jibes instead of tacks.

^^^yep -- hard to step around the mast base when its only 2 feet from the nose

Thank you all. For sure, much like in most moves, there are several ways to achieve tacking. In the TWS video he grabs the mast before the switch. He also switches when dead upwind. Grabbing the mast before the switch gives more control over the sail and may work better for people with a higher boom. However, it can cause the sail to depower early reducing entry speed. Before the switch, I like to hold the boom so I can keep the sail powered for as long as possible and then, I can pull really hard the sail towards the nose of the board. It also gives me strong leverage to counter weigh my body so the switch happens faster.

After the switch, on the way out I hardly grab the boom. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the board is perpendicular to the swell. On the way back I often grab the mast after the switch, but I'm working on boom-to-boom for a smoother transition and keep the sail away from me and more raked back when still planing after the switch.

Ultimately, I'd like to detail all of this, while keeping it simple in a video. I need a bit more footage from the beach and a higher success rate at planing tacks, darn chop ;) !

Select to expand quote

Manuel7 said..
Thank you all. For sure, much like in most moves, there are several ways to achieve tacking. In the TWS video he grabs the mast before the switch. He also switches when dead upwind. Grabbing the mast before the switch gives more control over the sail and may work better for people with a higher boom. However, it can cause the sail to depower early reducing entry speed. Before the switch, I like to hold the boom so I can keep the sail powered for as long as possible and then, I can pull really hard the sail towards the nose of the board. It also gives me strong leverage to counter weigh my body so the switch happens faster.

After the switch, on the way out I hardly grab the boom. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the board is perpendicular to the swell. On the way back I often grab the mast after the switch, but I'm working on boom-to-boom for a smoother transition and keep the sail away from me and more raked back when still planing after the switch.

Ultimately, I'd like to detail all of this, while keeping it simple in a video. I need a bit more footage from the beach and a higher success rate at planing tacks, darn chop ;) !

Are you equally comfortable on both tacks? I am better tacking on starboard. I'm way better flare (and carve) gybing on port tack. I think I should learn to heli tack just for sake of port tack. I know sailors who are like this -- tack on one side, heli-tack on the other. The Trictionary book even mentions that as a common outcome for those who've learned to heli tack.

BTW, one thing that smooth pros have in common is they switch early and backwind, even if it's for a fraction of a second. They don't seem to violently rake the sail back and forth. My best tacks are like that. They feel very satisfying and effortless. My normal tacks, OTOH, take way more energy than gybes.

Select to expand quote

Faff said..
Are you equally comfortable on both tacks?

I feel like I am. It's easy to plane and backwind coming back but farther out towards the beach (where chop diminishes) because the swell pushes and we have flat areas to work with (although rarely :D !). Going out is easier to lean against the swell. I sail side-on conditions with a reef 800m from the beach.

Select to expand quote

Faff said..
I am better tacking on starboard. I'm way better flare (and carve) gybing on port tack.

So are pro's. The more we sail different spots when young the more chance we get to naturally become symmetrical.
What type of spots do you sail?

Select to expand quote

Faff said..
I know sailors who are like this -- tack on one side, heli-tack on the other. The Trictionary book even mentions that as a common outcome for those who've learned to heli tack.

I rarely heli tack out back, the angles swell/board and sail/wind during the move aren't as conducive to heli tacks as they are to regular tacks. I heli tack coming back in very often when not planing, it's much easier and actually easier to do than regular tacks. Coming back in after riding, the water can be a complete mess with a wind shadow.

Select to expand quote

Faff said..
I think I should learn to heli tack just for sake of port tack.

You might discover than it helps your regular side too! Along with other moves that come later where the wind fllls in from the clew, such as in shakas or even backloop landings. I practice all of my weak moves at the beginning of a light wind session.

Select to expand quote

Faff said..
BTW, one thing that smooth pros have in common is they switch early and backwind, even if it's for a fraction of a second.

I like it because, first, it's cool :) !... and second, we have remaining forward momentum after we switch.
The more momentum the easier it is to balance when comes an odd piece of chop, a lull, etc.

Select to expand quote

Faff said..They don't seem to violently rake the sail back and forth. My best tacks are like that. They feel very satisfying and effortless. My normal tacks, OTOH, take way more energy than gybes.

Timing is critical, while maybe not violent (like a forward) it can be a very very quick move.