What a great forum and community! I already learned heaps just from reading here. I am only very new to windsurfing (few months). I took one beginners lesson and at the end I could sort of sail back and forth on the learning gear and board they had. I ended up buying two separate used gear and boards (one purchase was sort of an impulse and rushed buy! Which I sort of regret). Here is a list of my gear:

Starboard go 139l board (using this board for the time being)
Bic Techno 143l board (haven’t tried it yet in water)
4.7, 5, 5.8, 6, 6.2 and 7m sails from different brands
2 Booms and 3 masts of different sizes. Also have a harness and harness lines

I am 172cm tall and weigh around 75kg and 40 years old

My first few attempts with my own gear were quite frustrating and disheartening where I couldn’t even get going. I think my initial leaning phase could have been a little bit easier with a slightly bigger board but now I can at least sail with my own gear and I am not thinking about giving up the sport .

I understand that practice, water time and determination are the key to improvement. I just wanted to know or ask you guys when should I start trying to use the harness? Should I be planing and using the foot straps before trying the harness? I think I am close to planing in the right conditions but not quite right there.

Also I find it a lot easier to sail in one direction then the other, is this common for beginners?

I have been practicing beach starts in my last 2 sessions and managed to do about 5 (out of maybe 100) and got going which felt great. Another question I have is should I just concentrate on sailing and planing more consistently before worrying about beach starts, water starts and jibes?

I already had some great advice and tips from experienced windsurfers when out in the water which helped me heaps. Any advice and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

P.S. I think one of my biggest mistakes is bending my arms which I am trying to correct.

Hi

When I first started I had a lesson on the massive (200Litre) beginner boards and then bought a 148 Litre Bic techno. I am 95 kg and the first few times out it was very frustrating. However you sound like you are already up and going on your smaller board so I wouldn't advise getting anything bigger.

My advice would be to practice your beach starts/water starts when you fall off as they are less tiring than uphauling. (beach starts being easier than water starts).

Forget about the harness for the moment. I found it easier to just try and get planning first.
Once you are comfortable getting planning try going for the harness,
Then the next step would be planning, harness, front strap only
Then planning, harness, front strap, back strap.

You may find that at the moment the board wants point its noise into the wind. You will need to push with your front foot just to the side of the mast foot to stop this happening.


If you are close to planning google Guy Cribb Missing link and have a read.

I will leave it at that as my teaching skills are awful. But just wanted to say don't give up, everyone struggles when they first start out.

It depends on where you are sailing, you didn't mention if it is on a lake or in the ocean.
If it's in the ocean, water starts are the most important thing, that way you can always get back.
If on a lake, sailing, planing, and jibing are great to work on because it's easier there, as well as safer, and the water and beach starts will happen at the same time w/o really having to concentrating on that as much because you'll know what it feels like to be planing.
If that makes any sense.
You don't really need the harness w/o getting in the foot straps, they both go together, but wear it anyway, one day it will click, then you'll be a hopeless junky like the rest of us.

Getting into the harness will allow you to place less weight on the back of the board. Less weight at the back = earlier to plane.
(weight through the harness pushes the nose down).

Hence I'd be trying to get into the harness now, and the footstraps can come later once you're actually planing.


Other important stuff - Get help with rigging your sails. I see so many people (normally beginner / intermediates or returning-to-the-sport guys) sailing around with horribly rigged sails. This season's must have look is a boom that is far too low (which will also stop you planing). I try and stop and help everyone I see, but I reckon you're a perfect candidate for sails that are not rigged well. The difference between a well rigged sail and a badly rigged sail is like night and day. Google, Guy Cribb (Cribb sheets, I think they are called) and experienced windsurfers are your friends here. Talk to people on the beach - the beach community is just as friendly as the online community.

Welcome! And good luck!

One of the keys to improvement is time on the water, and time on the water depends on not getting worn out.
So, DO use beach starts if you can, they are less tiring than uphauling and will help you develop technique for waterstarting. Waterstarting is a definite plus if you are unable to stay in the shallows.
Using the harness is another thing which takes the strain off your arms and gives you more time on the water. You do not have to be in the footstraps to use the harness but it makes catapulting less likely. As above, try harness only, then add the front strap, and probably quite a bit later the back strap.
To stop the board rounding up, use foot pressure near the mast foot to bear away slightly before hooking in, tilt the mast downwind a bit, and pull down on the boom to increase mast foot pressure.
The key to getting good at windsurfing is DON'T GIVE UP. Everyone struggles at times.
Leave gybing (or at least planing gybes) until you have mastered waterstarts, planing, harness and footstraps.

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FlickySpinny said..


Other important stuff - Get help with rigging your sails. I see so many people (normally beginner / intermediates or returning-to-the-sport guys) sailing around with horribly rigged sails. This season's must have look is a boom that is far too low (which will also stop you planing). I try and stop and help everyone I see, but I reckon you're a perfect candidate for sails that are not rigged well. The difference between a well rigged sail and a badly rigged sail is like night and day. Google, Guy Cribb (Cribb sheets, I think they are called) and experienced windsurfers are your friends here. Talk to people on the beach - the beach community is just as friendly as the online community.

Welcome! And good luck!

Thanks everyone for replies and for the advice :) Flickyspinny, I also sailed with some horrible rigged sails! I think now I can rig half decently, I try to get the boom somewhere between my shoulder and chin.

I am getting better at beach starts and can get into the front straps but the chop and the swell in really windy days (Melbourne/stkilda) make it very hard for me to practice tacking and gybes, also makes uphauling a chore and even dangerous.

I believe Guy Cribb was in Victoria last week and did 2 day clinic in inverlock, unfortunately I got aware of it quite late to organise myself buy planning on getting his DVD, already watched few of his vids.

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leftfield said..
and then bought a 148 Litre Bic techno.

I got the same board too, I wrote 143l on my first post by mistake. Leftfield do you still use this board?, is it worth holding on to? I haven't even tried mine out yet.

I held onto mine for 5 years. It was my only board for 2 years. I only sold it as I felt a bit flush after a tax return and treated myself to a brand new futura. I really liked the techno.

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Windxtasy said..
One of the keys to improvement is time on the water, and time on the water depends on not getting worn out.
So, DO use beach starts if you can, they are less tiring than uphauling and will help you develop technique for waterstarting. Waterstarting is a definite plus if you are unable to stay in the shallows.
Using the harness is another thing which takes the strain off your arms and gives you more time on the water. You do not have to be in the footstraps to use the harness but it makes catapulting less likely. As above, try harness only, then add the front strap, and probably quite a bit later the back strap.
To stop the board rounding up, use foot pressure near the mast foot to bear away slightly before hooking in, tilt the mast downwind a bit, and pull down on the boom to increase mast foot pressure.
The key to getting good at windsurfing is DON'T GIVE UP. Everyone struggles at times.
Leave gybing (or at least planing gybes) until you have mastered waterstarts, planing, harness and footstraps.

+1
Harness will help for planning and straps...and will increase dramatically your time on the water.... Be aware that once hooked, the sail and the board will go faster...
for the harness, the trickiest is to set the harness line position and length...do this on land before starting...

I'm not far ahead of you in development but I can add that a harness has made windsurfing soooooo much more enjoyable. At the start of this season I wasn't using it and went out and was budgeted after 30 minutes from hanging onto the boom. Could only get planning in a really decent wind and only for a short time.

I bought a new harness (well second hand but unused) and put up with being catapulted lots of times but seem to have the hang of it now. I'm out for over two hours at a time now as the lack of the strain on your arms is a revelation. It really makes windsurfing enjoyable. I'm nowhere near the straps on my board yet as they are quite back and outboard but hell it is fun.

I get planing on every run since starting with the harness and it give you a whole new set of challenges to work on. That feeling once you are planing is incredible. I found myself awake at 2.00am just reliving some of the moments and the feeling you get in your feet.

Go the harness.

For what its worth, and most of this has been covered so far, forget the harness and the footstraps for the time being. If you're only a few months in, get good at sailing across the wind and up the wind in both directions. Get good at reading the wind. Master your balance. When you're really comfortable start thinking about pumping the sail and getting it on the plane (the smaller board is better). I wouldn't worry about the footstraps until you're planing, you don't really need them if not planing.

So today I managed to hook into my harness without foot straps, it sure was so much easier to sail and a whole new experience . Fell on the sail numerous times and sail fell on me few times while I was hooked on the harness. Wind was between 10-15 knots and I had my 6.2 sail on and the water was relatively flat but couldn't plane with the available wind and 6.2 sail. I think I pretty much sorted out the beach starts, I don't up haul anymore starting from shallow. I must say I was very fortune to get some really good help from one of the guys in the water, he spend good 15 minutes with me showing how to beach start, more importantly how to hold the boom, flipping the sail and controlling the position of the board which gave me the confidence to try. I think the next big hurdle is water starts, only attempted once in deep water but it took so much of my energy just to lift the sail from the end of the mast and fly it, by the time I made my way to the boom I was exhausted. I knew I had no chance of performing the water start as I didn't even do any practice where I could stand up, basically I wanted to see if I can lift and fly the sail in deep water. Should I invest in a PFD when I start trying to do water starts in deep to make things bit easier??

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Sputnik11 said..
..Get good at reading the wind. Master your balance...

Thanks, Definetly need to work on these! There are so much to learn. At the moment my hands are just worn out, I need them to get better before I get out on the water again

Thanks again for all the replies

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saltin said..
Should I invest in a PFD when I start trying to do water starts in deep to make things bit easier??

A PFD makes water starting much easier, AND as a fringe benefit, it may save your life :)

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saltin said..
Should I invest in a PFD when I start trying to do water starts in deep to make things bit easier??

Thanks, Definetly need to work on these! There are so much to learn. At the moment my hands are just worn out, I need them to get better before I get out on the water again

Thanks again for all the replies

Progress to "deep" beach starts first - water chest height, shoulder height. Most videos describe waterstarts in 5 minutes. "The ABCs of Waterstarting" by Dasher is 50 minutes long and goes into excruciating detail. It seems like too much detail in retrospect, but everything is obvious when you've mastered it. A PFD will help a lot. Get the NP High Hook - it actually has a gap for the harness hook.

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tazmania said..
I'm not far ahead of you in development but I can add that a harness has made windsurfing soooooo much more enjoyable. At the start of this season I wasn't using it and went out and was budgeted after 30 minutes from hanging onto the boom. Could only get planning in a really decent wind and only for a short time.

I bought a new harness (well second hand but unused) and put up with being catapulted lots of times but seem to have the hang of it now. I'm out for over two hours at a time now as the lack of the strain on your arms is a revelation. It really makes windsurfing enjoyable. I'm nowhere near the straps on my board yet as they are quite back and outboard but hell it is fun.

I get planing on every run since starting with the harness and it give you a whole new set of challenges to work on. That feeling once you are planing is incredible. I found myself awake at 2.00am just reliving some of the moments and the feeling you get in your feet.

Go the harness.

You can get to sleep? After a good GPS sailing session I'm still buzzing so much hours after I can't sleep

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saltin said..
So today I managed to hook into my harness without foot straps, it sure was so much easier to sail and a whole new experience . Fell on the sail numerous times and sail fell on me few times while I was hooked on the harness. Wind was between 10-15 knots and I had my 6.2 sail on and the water was relatively flat but couldn't plane with the available wind and 6.2 sail. I think I pretty much sorted out the beach starts, I don't up haul anymore starting from shallow. I must say I was very fortune to get some really good help from one of the guys in the water, he spend good 15 minutes with me showing how to beach start, more importantly how to hold the boom, flipping the sail and controlling the position of the board which gave me the confidence to try. I think the next big hurdle is water starts, only attempted once in deep water but it took so much of my energy just to lift the sail from the end of the mast and fly it, by the time I made my way to the boom I was exhausted. I knew I had no chance of performing the water start as I didn't even do any practice where I could stand up, basically I wanted to see if I can lift and fly the sail in deep water. Should I invest in a PFD when I start trying to do water starts in deep to make things bit easier??

Sputnik11 said..
..Get good at reading the wind. Master your balance...

Thanks, Definetly need to work on these! There are so much to learn. At the moment my hands are just worn out, I need them to get better before I get out on the water again

Thanks again for all the replies

Gloves.. I'm a surprised after yesterdays session I have callouses even using gloves.. PFD is mandatory down here in NSW but they really help with waterstarting. Neil Pryde ones are good and have a pocket at the front to carry stuff.Great with a camel back strapped to the back so you don't have to waste valuable sailing time going back in to drink..

so is the NP jacket ok for both (harness and pfd combined), or can someone suggest a basic pfd only?
The days of a harness seem pretty far off at the moment.

When you water start and you want to get the sail out of the water. The easiest thing to do is grab the mast at the tip and pull it torwards the wind then up as this allows the water to flow off the sail.

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MrCranky said..

Progress to "deep" beach starts first - water chest height, shoulder height. Most videos describe waterstarts in 5 minutes. "The ABCs of Waterstarting" by Dasher is 50 minutes long and goes into excruciating detail. It seems like too much detail in retrospect, but everything is obvious when you've mastered it. A PFD will help a lot. Get the NP High Hook - it actually has a gap for the harness hook.

Thanks for the heads up, you saved me from asking another question as I was wondering if the harness worked with PFD, I will look out for the NP High Hook

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sboardcrazy said..

You can get to sleep? After a good GPS sailing session I'm still buzzing so much hours after I can't sleep

Comments like these make me envious in a good way and push me to progress in the sport and I can't wait to feel the euphoria when everyhing comes together.

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saltin said..

MrCranky said..

Progress to "deep" beach starts first - water chest height, shoulder height. Most videos describe waterstarts in 5 minutes. "The ABCs of Waterstarting" by Dasher is 50 minutes long and goes into excruciating detail. It seems like too much detail in retrospect, but everything is obvious when you've mastered it. A PFD will help a lot. Get the NP High Hook - it actually has a gap for the harness hook.

Thanks for the heads up, you saved me from asking another question as I was wondering if the harness worked with PFD, I will look out for the NP High Hook

sboardcrazy said..

You can get to sleep? After a good GPS sailing session I'm still buzzing so much hours after I can't sleep

Comments like these make me envious in a good way and push me to progress in the sport and I can't wait to feel the euphoria when everyhing comes together.

Get some sleeping tablets ready.. ( no bad habit..)

If you can rig your sail up in the back yard when there's a little wind and just play with it i recommend it. Practice gybes and tacks and so on while on dry land. It's surprising how much you improve.

In preparation for water starts do a little body dragging in the water.

Yes, you'll always be better on one tack, although I find I'm better at out-and-out blasting on my 'weak' side.

Sounds like you're enjoying yourself. Just continue doing that.

BTW winter is coming. Ain't no wind for a few months. Over winter you'll get some storms from time-to-time. Some good ones.

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saltin said..

Thanks for the heads up, you saved me from asking another question as I was wondering if the harness worked with PFD, I will look out for the NP High Hook

Waterstarting is really a lot like beachstarting. For me swimming around to position the rig properly (like swimming to the tip of the mast) and treading water is what takes up all the energy. This is where the PFD helps a lot. The NP high hook has attachments for a small camelback. Make sure it's this one:
http://www.sunshinecoastsailboards.com.au/shop/bags/neil-pryde-hydro-pouch-detail
Rather than the more expensive (but bigger and standalone) one.

SHQ should have both the high hook and the water pouch.

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MrCranky said..

saltin said..

Thanks for the heads up, you saved me from asking another question as I was wondering if the harness worked with PFD, I will look out for the NP High Hook

Waterstarting is really a lot like beachstarting. For me swimming around to position the rig properly (like swimming to the tip of the mast) and treading water is what takes up all the energy. This is where the PFD helps a lot. The NP high hook has attachments for a small camelback. Make sure it's this one:
http://www.sunshinecoastsailboards.com.au/shop/bags/neil-pryde-hydro-pouch-detail
Rather than the more expensive (but bigger and standalone) one.

SHQ should have both the high hook and the water pouch.

I didn't know they made special ones. I bought one from a bushwalking shop years ago . It had tabs that I can run string through to tie it on.. It think it holds more than 1 ltre? ( I thought it was 2ltres). Get a big one as you go through heaps of water! ( Or at least I do)

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sboardcrazy said..

I didn't know they made special ones. I bought one from a bushwalking shop years ago . It had tabs that I can run string through to tie it on.. It think it holds more than 1 ltre? ( I thought it was 2ltres). Get a big one as you go through heaps of water! ( Or at least I do)

I have that other one as well. I bought it thinking it was the dedicated High Hook hydropouch. Either will work. But the dedicated one is just less of a hassle (although TBH, the bladder is not as secure in its pouch (alas, I still catapult), and one of the PFD attachment clips broke (sigh, catapult again)).