I'm learning to waterstart. I've successfully been doing "standing" waterstarts where I can touch the bottom in waist deep water but when I try to do them in deep water where I cant touch the bottom the nose of my board tends to want to point up into the wind. I have mostly been using the technique where I lift the tip of the mast to get some air under it and with my arm raised, I work my way towards the board till I can grab the boom and get my back foot up on the board. I've got a 6m cammed sail and weigh 78kgs.
Appreciate some tips as I'm getting soooo close!

When you're standing you can keep the board oriented easily. When floating you have to concentrate on doing the same thing.
Pull the tail towards you with your back foot, and push the boom up, and forward. Kick with the other back foot to help maintain position.

Beginners often make the mistake of doing the opposite, pushing with the back foot and pulling on the boom, it's just not going to work!

Use the foot of the sail and a rear footstrap to keep it in place. Then when you 'swing' your weight around the mastfoot and raise the boom it pulls the back of the board with it (this is what your rear foot should be doing, but it does help to keep the board in position.)

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pshank said...

I'm learning to waterstart. I've successfully been doing "standing" waterstarts where I can touch the bottom in waist deep water but when I try to do them in deep water where I cant touch the bottom the nose of my board tends to want to point up into the wind. I have mostly been using the technique where I lift the tip of the mast to get some air under it and with my arm raised, I work my way towards the board till I can grab the boom and get my back foot up on the board. I've got a 6m cammed sail and weigh 78kgs.
Appreciate some tips as I'm getting soooo close!

I'm a beginner, and have only recently managed to water start. Here are the tips that got me going last week:

Cammed sail is more difficult to get out of the water and fly. Face the mast into the wind. Swing the back of the board under the boom to help it lift it out of the water. If your boom misses the board, park the back of your board in your left armpit, your left arm folded and resting on the board. Now pump the mast up with the right arm, your upper body will not sink as the board is under your arm. It's even easier if the cams are pointing down. You can flick them back up once you fly it.


I was also rounding up into the wind. Try the following:

While you are holding the boom above your head, have your hands a few cms at a time further away from the mast, each try till you find the balance. This way, as the sail comes up and brings you up, it will have a lot more forward pull, similar to having a catapult. This will have you going more forward instead of backward on the board which rounds you up into the wind.

Keep the back foot on the board for steering, place your weight on your front foot as you come up. Your front foot should be near the mast base. It will steer the board down wind while the back foot pulls it under you, again steering it down wind.

Also dont rush. Keep drifting in water start position while you slowly keep raising the sail up. When you have enough wind in the sail, it will automatically get you out of the water. Wait for sufficient wind strength, the sail will tell you when it's time. Otherwise you will end up rounding into the wind again.

Hope this helps....

rig control will help you maintain bearing of the board, both in the water when you're just trying to line up for a water-start, and then again when you actually get out of the water and start moving. the principle is exactly the same...the majority of your weight should be thru your front hand to keep pressure on the mast foot which will keep the nose pointed downwind.

make sure you continue this thru the actual launch. as stated, it's common to try and stand on the back foot, or try and pull yourself up with the back hand, but both will round you up into the wind. in deep starting, remember, you can't pull yourself up, you've got to channel the wind to pull you up.

good luck! persevere, once you get a feel for it, it's actually pretty easy (esp. compared to uphauling!)

while waterstarting you steer the board just like when you steer while off the plane..

to steer:

-sheet in and keep front arm straight for mast base pressure and the nose goes downwind..

-sheet out and rake the sail across and to the back and the nose goes upwind..

I recommend going back to the shallows and practice using this method to perform full 360s with the board while keeping your feet stationary.. Unless you can master this waterstarts are a pain..

Also don't put your back foot on until your pointing downwind (the less wind, the more downwind you must point)

Its hard to learn on a cammed sail as it tends to fill up with water and the batons snap the wrong way. They are also heavier. You would be best to try use a freeride sail that is un-cammed and lighter.

I can waterstart on my 5.7 un-cammed sail but struggle on my 7.0 cammed sail. Its probably down to experience but if you make it harder for yourself when learning by using the wrong equipment you will just elongate your learning curve.

I've found that if your back foot is too far back on the board it will round up. I know some put their foot into the back strap when starting but this would be in wind a lot stronger than a beginner would be trying in. Try placing your back foot closer to the front of the board.

Thanks for all the advice I'll be checking out all these tips next session.

The trickiest part for me though is that the board starts pointing up into the wind while I'm making my way along the mast, before I even get my back foot onto the board. By the time I'm ready to get my foot up onto the board the board is pointing up into the wind and the mast is almost perpendicular to the wind.

Considering my weight and the sail size, how strong do you think the wind needs to be to get me up?

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pshank said...

Thanks for all the advice I'll be checking out all these tips next session.

The trickiest part for me though is that the board starts pointing up into the wind while I'm making my way along the mast, before I even get my back foot onto the board. By the time I'm ready to get my foot up onto the board the board is pointing up into the wind and the mast is almost perpendicular to the wind.

Considering my weight and the sail size, how strong do you think the wind needs to be to get me up?

I think you may be working your way along the mast by pulling it toward you, thereby pulling the nose upwind.
To get the nose to bear away you need to swim toward the board (using your feet as your hands are holding the mast), just as you would walk toward the board if you were standing. Maintain mast foot pressure.

Thanks Windxtasy,
I think you might be right now that I think about it - I probably am pulling the mast towards me .
I'm going for a sail now so I'll investigate!
Do you think it makes any difference whether the mast foot is to the front or to the rear of the slot in regards to the boards tendency to point up wind?

when you stand on the bottom, you're effectively moving upwind of the board (because it's drifting and you're not).

So.. when you leave the bottom then you need to stop drifting, this means swimming upwind.

You need to sheet in but not too much as to stall proceedings... most people feather the sail a bit ie they sheet in and out to get a feel for the power, rather than holding it steady.

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pshank said...

Thanks Windxtasy,
I think you might be right now that I think about it - I probably am pulling the mast towards me .
I'm going for a sail now so I'll investigate!
Do you think it makes any difference whether the mast foot is to the front or to the rear of the slot in regards to the boards tendency to point up wind?

I find mast foot position makes a big difference to how readily the board rounds up. Fin position and type also has an effect. Further forward for the mast foot is probably best for learning as it gives you more leverage to turn the nose downwind but too far forward and you'll find it hard to pull it upwind. Find what works for you.

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Iceman said...

I've found that if your back foot is too far back on the board it will round up. I know some put their foot into the back strap when starting but this would be in wind a lot stronger than a beginner would be trying in. Try placing your back foot closer to the front of the board.

Well I put back foot in strap in any wind strength, I find at very low wind strengths it's especially helpful, lets me really pull the back of the board right underneath me, before I stand up. Once up I then take foot out and move it forward.
Although I an aware, that most people have trouble with this method.

To keep the board from rounding up, i us the bottom part of my sail on the back footstrap to control it.

I gotte say regarding the cams/no-cams. My code red 7.0 is by far the easiest sail to fly, although it can be a bit heavy to get out of the water, the clew doesn't sink in to the water as easy and once up, the wing is really stable. The easiest sail to waterstart i have had was my 9.8 v8. You could do it in really low winds making the process much slower, and therefor the technique really developed.

You may have the mast connected to far forwards.Try moving it towards the back of the track a bit.