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sboardcrazy said..

Mastbender said..

sboardcrazy said..
Good links. I'm a flyweight but my early planing technique is lousy. I use the excuse of age and lack of fitness ( don't want to pump). Those techniques are great so I will have to put them into practise.
I know my worst habit is that bent front arm - one I've got from survival sailing and also sailing underfinned.. I just feel safer with it closer to the mast as I feel I can unhook / depower earlier and don't feel safe to push on the fin and hang out.. a point to work at for 2016 ..

No offense, but you can plainly see that in your avatar, along with a bent body. A better technique will lead to a better avatar.

I know I want to improve my stance but I'm confused. I went to the Guy Cribb stance and he said arse out / nose near the boom / straight legs ( not bent arms like I have though)..so for ages I was aiming for that and in the course he held me up as the stance to aim for .. Now I'm told I should have straight arms and legs?

Still confused as to what is a good stance ? ( For speed sailing..) Does it vary between B & J and speedsailing?
2016 is the year I aim to improve stance and gybing.

This is a good example of what I'm talking about~
A good stance for both B&J and speed, your body will last longer, especially your arms. Not only are their arms relaxed, but their grip is soft as well.

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Mastbender said...

sboardcrazy said..

Mastbender said..

sboardcrazy said..
Good links. I'm a flyweight but my early planing technique is lousy. I use the excuse of age and lack of fitness ( don't want to pump). Those techniques are great so I will have to put them into practise.
I know my worst habit is that bent front arm - one I've got from survival sailing and also sailing underfinned.. I just feel safer with it closer to the mast as I feel I can unhook / depower earlier and don't feel safe to push on the fin and hang out.. a point to work at for 2016 ..

No offense, but you can plainly see that in your avatar, along with a bent body. A better technique will lead to a better avatar.

I know I want to improve my stance but I'm confused. I went to the Guy Cribb stance and he said arse out / nose near the boom / straight legs ( not bent arms like I have though)..so for ages I was aiming for that and in the course he held me up as the stance to aim for .. Now I'm told I should have straight arms and legs?

Still confused as to what is a good stance ? ( For speed sailing..) Does it vary between B & J and speedsailing?
2016 is the year I aim to improve stance and gybing.

This is a good example of what I'm talking about~
A good stance for both B&J and speed, your body will last longer, especially your arms. Not only are their arms relaxed, but their grip is soft as well.

And they have everything matching

I like green

Speed Sailing Stance from one of UK's Top Speed Sailors

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AUS1111 said..

N1GEL said..

petermac33 said..
Dont use a wave board or freestyle board on the river. And no wave sails or like for river sailing.

Not sure I'd want anything except those on the Hood River.

That's for sure! (except that is the Columbia River)

The Hood River is best kept for kayaks.

I thought the whole river was Columbia River and there's a town called Hood River? Sorry OP, OT but where is the windsurfing done?

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mattspoonersurf said..



Speed Sailing Stance from one of UK's Top Speed Sailors

Top shot!

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Jacko51 said..
boards.co.uk/how-to/the-best-stance-for-top-speed.html

There are always exceptions to rules and that there is one big one!

It just proves yet again that there are more than one ways to skin a cat.

Any one snapshot of a stance at any one moment in time is not much of a guide to anything. Good 'stance' is a very dynamic and ever changing thing to adapt to the conditions, angles and particular circumstances of the moment.

It's best to concentrate on basic principles of balance and leverage in conjunction with board, fin and sail setup. The combination of the last three things has a much greater influence than any of the parts alone. The combinations of that and balance and leverage is what determines how far you can take it. The best and fastest sailors will look quite different in their 'stance' in quite different circumstances. There is no 'rule' or particular posture that is ideal in all conditions.

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sboardcrazy said..

Ezric said..
Looks like I have been one of those kooks unrolling my sail downwind. How embarrassing!

Where was that tip? I'm guilty of that. What do they say to do?

6. UN-ROLLING THE SAIL DOWNWIND Around the world there are plenty of windy windsurfing locations that aren’t very sheltered for rigging up; usually in the UK you are rigging up in a car park with a howling gale blowing! Most of the time you un-roll your sail away from the wind. Even if you try and feed the mast in slowly, once the wind catches the sail it will unroll very quickly and usually ends up with a clattering of monofilm with you hanging on to the end of it! This is bad for a few reasons, the main ones being: it’s really bad for the monofilm on the sail and can cause it to crease, plus it’s really uncool and embarrassing. Try standing facing the wind and feed the mast in and letting the sail unroll by pushing it with the mast. Once the mast is most of the way in, you can just spin the sail around so its lying downwind again to finish off rigging. You can also roll the sail up facing the wind; this will stop it flapping around.

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Ezric said..

sboardcrazy said..

Ezric said..
Looks like I have been one of those kooks unrolling my sail downwind. How embarrassing!

Where was that tip? I'm guilty of that. What do they say to do?

6. UN-ROLLING THE SAIL DOWNWIND Around the world there are plenty of windy windsurfing locations that aren’t very sheltered for rigging up; usually in the UK you are rigging up in a car park with a howling gale blowing! Most of the time you un-roll your sail away from the wind. Even if you try and feed the mast in slowly, once the wind catches the sail it will unroll very quickly and usually ends up with a clattering of monofilm with you hanging on to the end of it! This is bad for a few reasons, the main ones being: it’s really bad for the monofilm on the sail and can cause it to crease, plus it’s really uncool and embarrassing. Try standing facing the wind and feed the mast in and letting the sail unroll by pushing it with the mast. Once the mast is most of the way in, you can just spin the sail around so its lying downwind again to finish off rigging. You can also roll the sail up facing the wind; this will stop it flapping around.

Thanks! I couldn't find that one..? Will try that.I always just tried to get the mast in as fast as possible to stop the flapping. This is much better!

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sboardcrazy said..

Ezric said..

sboardcrazy said..

Ezric said..
Looks like I have been one of those kooks unrolling my sail downwind. How embarrassing!

Where was that tip? I'm guilty of that. What do they say to do?

6. UN-ROLLING THE SAIL DOWNWIND Around the world there are plenty of windy windsurfing locations that aren’t very sheltered for rigging up; usually in the UK you are rigging up in a car park with a howling gale blowing! Most of the time you un-roll your sail away from the wind. Even if you try and feed the mast in slowly, once the wind catches the sail it will unroll very quickly and usually ends up with a clattering of monofilm with you hanging on to the end of it! This is bad for a few reasons, the main ones being: it’s really bad for the monofilm on the sail and can cause it to crease, plus it’s really uncool and embarrassing. Try standing facing the wind and feed the mast in and letting the sail unroll by pushing it with the mast. Once the mast is most of the way in, you can just spin the sail around so its lying downwind again to finish off rigging. You can also roll the sail up facing the wind; this will stop it flapping around.

Thanks! I couldn't find that one..? Will try that.I always just tried to get the mast in as fast as possible to stop the flapping. This is much better!

Sand in the eyes would be my worry, you cant look upwind when it's 25knots. I always feel like things are on the wrong side when rigging. Wondered if it's left handed syndrome or just WA seabreeze.

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lao shi said..
The ultimate speed stance from the Slow One!

Yeah, cruizin along scratchin' his arse looking for someone to spray

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mattspoonersurf said..



Speed Sailing Stance from one of UK's Top Speed Sailors

NOT that I am a speed sailor but looking at the water he has only just begun to bear away into his run. That is when things increase exponentially so it is an "interim" stance. I doubt that is maintained for the whole run, it would become more upright soon. Yes he sits lower than many but his bum comes up a lot mid-run

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elcsum said..


I thought the whole river was Columbia River and there's a town called Hood River? Sorry OP, OT but where is the windsurfing done?

Way Ot, but to finish the conversation; the town of Hood River sits at the junction of the Hood River and the Columbia River, but the Hood River itself is little more than a stream of snowmelt. You can sail about 50m or so up into the mouth of it. You sail in the Columbia, hence the "Columbia River Gorge".

Back on topic, I agree with some of the others above; it's a bad idea to try to copy a stance from a still photo - you need a video. You could spend weeks trying to copy Antoine's stance from a still, and then discover he was about to gybe, or maybe on a tight reach...or anything.

As a long time Gorge resident, first came here in 1988, there's a stretch of the Columbia River about 150 miles long we sail on. Wind strength and conditions vary along that length but The Hatchery as shown in the picture is one of the windiest spots with great waves/swell. It's a nice upwind run from the town of Hood River on the slalom gear then a good fang back downwind through the swell. The Hatchery is so named because of the fish hatchery located there, white buildings in top left of the picture. On the bottom right corner you can see the Hood River where it enters the Columbia River.

Roo

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AUS1111 said..

elcsum said..


I thought the whole river was Columbia River and there's a town called Hood River? Sorry OP, OT but where is the windsurfing done?

Way Ot, but to finish the conversation; the town of Hood River sits at the junction of the Hood River and the Columbia River, but the Hood River itself is little more than a stream of snowmelt. You can sail about 50m or so up into the mouth of it. You sail in the Columbia, hence the "Columbia River Gorge".

Back on topic, I agree with some of the others above; it's a bad idea to try to copy a stance from a still photo - you need a video. You could spend weeks trying to copy Antoine's stance from a still, and then discover he was about to gybe, or maybe on a tight reach...or anything.

Yes I had a look at the video I used to get my still for the avator and most of the time my stance is good.. I'd just adjusted my stance to use a gust in the photo. when I chose it I loved the look of speed and didn't even consider my stance..

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petermac33 said..
I agree with both articles and will add a few more.


Dont use a wave board or freestyle board on the river for sailing back and forth. And no wave sails or like for river sailing.

Will limit your planing time---so buy a slalom sail and board.

And definitely no weed fins when there is no weed.

It will limit your upwind ability and general speed.

Too much outhaul is the single biggest mistake I see,along with sailors not powering up their harness--- using their arms to resist the power of the sail.

With limited equipment and funds for more, my biggest mistake would be not sailing.

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Mark _australia said..

mattspoonersurf said..



Speed Sailing Stance from one of UK's Top Speed Sailors

NOT that I am a speed sailor but looking at the water he has only just begun to bear away into his run. That is when things increase exponentially so it is an "interim" stance. I doubt that is maintained for the whole run, it would become more upright soon. Yes he sits lower than many but his bum comes up a lot mid-run

Agreed, by looking at his wake, you can see that he is arcing in towards the shore to finish a run, or like you said, bringing it around to start a new run, but definitely not in the middle of a long run. Notice how narrow the board is, it must be fast, very fast.

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Mark _australia said..

mattspoonersurf said..



Speed Sailing Stance from one of UK's Top Speed Sailors

NOT that I am a speed sailor but looking at the water he has only just begun to bear away into his run. That is when things increase exponentially so it is an "interim" stance. I doubt that is maintained for the whole run, it would become more upright soon. Yes he sits lower than many but his bum comes up a lot mid-run

Essentially what this guys is trying to transmit the sail power into the board as horizontally as possible so than no energy is wasted through pushing down into the water. This is the most effective stance for that. It is not very "relaxing" however as this guy is keeping a lot of body tension to avoid getting catapulted. A straight body (front arm and body forming the number 7) is not as efficient at building and maintaining speed but definitely saves more energy and allows for longer sessions :)

Thanks for all the awesome feedback guys. I will go back to the list and add some elements to make it more complete.

Photos by Old Man Steve 16 01 2015






Speed sailing stance by James Brient Tassie state record holder 46.61 kts (sorry Perks but you only got 46.57 that day)

Thought this was about mistakes like going out without your vent screw.

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NotWal said..
Thought this was about mistakes like going out without your vent screw.

Did you?

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NotWal said..
Thought this was about mistakes like going out without your vent screw.

Sorry I was looking at it from the other view, if I'm not doing it similar to these guys I'm doing something wrong.

Top windsurfing mistake is...concentrating on mistakes...