I started windsurfing a year ago, I have to say I do really enjoy it. I don't own any equipment yet, I'm still renting boards and sails till I get more advanced and I'm ready to buy the right gear for me. I'm a woman 165cm tall, 58 kg. I've found the sail quite heavy. The silly question is: is there any lightweight sail available on market?

When you get to getting gear if you can afford it a 75% carbon mast will make life easier- don't go too high a carbon content as they can get more high maintenance. Also make sure the boom is as light as possible. I find Gun booms not too bad . Sorry can't help with sails.
I'm 64kg woman.
What sort of gear have you been hiring?

Hi Katka, welcome to seabreeze!

A few questions (so we can give you the right answers)...

What gear has the rental place been giving you? (Sail size, standard diameter or reduced diameter mast)?

Are you hooking into the harness lines yet? (The sails a lot lighter and easier to handle once you start doing this)

You can to a degree "lighten the load" with some gear choices, but once you're using the sail the right way, the only times you'll notice how light it is, is up hauling and carrying it up the beach.

The good news is that as you progress it gets easier and easier. Hooking the harness lines means next to no load on your arms as you sail along, water starting is ten times less exhausting than up hauling, gybing is 50 times less exhausting than falling in and having to uphaul/water start

Thank you for your help,

At the moment I'm hiring Starboard Go 151 and NP 4.7 or 5.5. I'm windsurfing on lake where is quite strong gusty wind. I'm trying to use harness, but I'm not really confident yet, so my arms after 2hours windsurfing are pretty sore.

Katerina

Hats off to you. When I was learning about an hour was the most I could do. You must have forearms like Popeye!!
The harness is the key. Once you are in this and hanging your weight off it, the sail's weight won't be an issue.
Keep up the good work and keep working on the harness, you'll find it much easier when you master it.
I sail in gusty conditions and find the harness locks everything together and the gusts won't trouble you as much. In the end you are looking for them to get a bit more speed going.

Hi Katka
I am the same size as you.
When you are starting out the sails all seem heavy. That's because you are doing a lot of uphauling and your technique is not so good. As your technique improves you won't find the weight such a problem, but some gear is lighter and easier than others. The trick is to stay with a smallish wave sail. I found a 4.5 was good at first, then I moved up to 5 and then 5.7. 5.7 is still my favourite size to work with but I do have bigger sails for the light wind days.
Moving to a carbon mast and boom made a big difference for me. Don't go for 100% carbon (they are not as strong), 75% will do. Reduced diameter masts are often very light. Look for a sail that is made for lightness rather than strength. Some wave sails are specifically designed to be very light.

To add to all the good advice above - a correctly rigged sail in constant wind conditions should feel light (depending on technique also), regardless of equipment weight...within reason.

Hi everybody, thank you so much for all your answers.

Select to expand quote

Katka said..
Thank you for your help,

At the moment I'm hiring Starboard Go 151 and NP 4.7 or 5.5. I'm windsurfing on lake where is quite strong gusty wind. I'm trying to use harness, but I'm not really confident yet, so my arms after 2hours windsurfing are pretty sore.

Katerina

Cripes..If I sail unhooked for 5 mins my arms die! It will get heaps easier when you can use a harness although it doesn't sound like the conditions you are sailing in will make the transition easy. Longer harness lines can help getting in & out easier and make sure the boom isn't too high.

Set up an easy uphaul by adding another little string in the uphaul string, no need to use your hand to uphaul, it will keep you a whole day.

I saw a lot of kids using it.

I have been using it for a long time.

http://www.easy-uphaul.com/photoseq.html - photos showing the easy uphaul

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Easy-Uphaul/


Extending on benyip's thought, I think a girth-hitch, if added as a loop of cord to your uphaul, would slip. If it slips, put in an extra wrap or two - then it becomes known as a prusik knot - which should still be easy to undo, should you wish to do so.

I found that the boom can also make a huge difference. Specifically, look for smaller wave booms that comr with a small diameter. That makes the sail feel much lighter and easier grab/hold. Some manufacturers even have booms for women/smaller hands.

Most windsurfers are having tired arms after 2h even if they use the harness. You'll be able to smash out 3 to 4 hours with that stamina once you are upskilling to use the harness and footstraps. Keep going!

Hot Sails Maui, the Superfreak and the Firelight sails are about the lightest sails on the market of quality.

And no, I don't work for them.

Do some full body weight training or resistance, particularly arms (forearms, biceps, triceps), shoulders and chest. You don't need to go full on but it makes a difference to do some regular training. Strength is more important in windsurfing than kiteboarding for e.g.

Sails with shorter boom lengths like wave sails tend to feel lighter in the hands and as you are light, you won't need a large sail depending on wind strength. Differences in weight for sails, masts etc can vary but when it's windy, that heavy rig will become light when you develop a good planning style (as mentioned in other posts). A mast and boom weight for example is supported by the universal joint when sailing along but uphauling can be a little difficult. Learning how to uphaul is a feat on it's own e.g. a lot of people try to uphaul with the sail too far into the wind that can blow back at you and knock you off or downwind which makes the sail feel like its being sucked under and weigh a ton.

And last but not least, don't give up!