Can anyone walk me through launching a peaky ramp,do you just lean back and hold on,or is there more method to it ,what is the first time disasters I should expect ,is body position critical,what's the easiest angle of attack in relation to wind.more up or down wind ,it all looks pretty easy with a bit of speed I'm probably not ready for but if the opportunity arises?quite a buzz I bet,cheers

OK until you gain some proficiency, unhook first!!!!! A badly landed jump hooked in van be painful.

As you hit the ramp lift up slightly with the front foot, then push down with the back foot just before you leave it.
When you're in the air, pull your back foot up under your bum, and lift your front foot up, rotate the sail around over your head, to act as a bit of a wing.
You then have two flight controls, the board and the sail. Raking the sail back will start a forward rotation. Letting the windward rail drop will start a power dive.
So for a nice long jump, keep the nose and the windward rail up, with the sail over head and your weight on it.
As you come down, take all weight off the back foot, (sheet out a little bit as well) otherwise you'll spin out, wait until you are fully down before sheeting on and giving the fin some pressure. Landing a bit downwind also helps with the spin out thing.

And remember as with most things windsurfing, you have to learn this in both directions!
I put myself on crutches for a month or so, thinking because I could jump well on port tack I could also do it on starboard. The jump was fine, got plenty of air, but the landing controls are all back to front, went into a power dive and badly sprained both knees and ankles.

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decrepit said..

OK until you gain some proficiency, unhook first!!!!! A badly landed jump hooked in van be painful.

As you hit the ramp lift up slightly with the front foot, then push down with the back foot just before you leave it.
When you're in the air, pull your back foot up under your bum, and lift your front foot up, rotate the sail around over your head, to act as a bit of a wing.
You then have two flight controls, the board and the sail. Raking the sail back will start a forward rotation. Letting the windward rail drop will start a power dive.
So for a nice long jump, keep the nose and the windward rail up, with the sail over head and your weight on it.
As you come down, take all weight off the back foot, (sheet out a little bit as well) otherwise you'll spin out, wait until you are fully down before sheeting on and giving the fin some pressure. Landing a bit downwind also helps with the spin out thing.

And remember as with most things windsurfing, you have to learn this in both directions!
I put myself on crutches for a month or so, thinking because I could jump well on port tack I could also do it on starboard. The jump was fine, got plenty of air, but the landing controls are all back to front, went into a power dive and badly sprained both knees and ankles.

hey, that means ive been doing it wrong all these years...

Hmmm,sounds a bit complicated,having a good visual in your head must help,mabey not to much gung ho then.thanks for the insight.

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jsnfok said..

<<<< Raking the sail back will start a forward rotation.>>>>

hey, that means ive been doing it wrong all these years...

More likely I've got it wrong, getting old and stupid now.
So I thought to do a forward loop you leant forward and raked sail back?
Seems to make sense, with the lift behind you that should cause the tail to raise, throwing nose down?

^^^Not a rake, rather a sheet in and look back

Anyway, Mort just go fast and lift windward rail as you hit chop.
Then try to land a little bit on a broad reach

It is a natural progression as your chop hops get better and then same thing in proper waves

Im just starting to boost but i get the best response by:
Lining up a ramp,
Bearing away to gain speed
unhook as you start to "ramp up" or "hit the lip" by heading up wind as you attack the lip
the control in the air is all about sheeting in or out while bringing your back foot up under your butt.
the more you rake back and sheet in the more you go to back loop position
the more you push the rig forward and sheet in the front loop position starts taking control

I'm no expert at all this is just what i've found whilst trying to boost.

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Stuthepirate said..

>>>>
the more you rake back and sheet in the more you go to back loop position
the more you push the rig forward and sheet in the front loop position starts taking control

I'm no expert at all this is just what i've found whilst trying to boost.

Well these days I don't do a lot of jumping, and when I do I'm going for a long jump, so keep the sail fairly overhead.
You do surprise me though that sounds back to front, lift forward of centre of gravity should raise the front, lift aft of centre of gravity should raise the rear.
Next time I'm up in the sir I'll have a play, (hopefully without hurting anything!)

Might be worth mentioning that if it all goes horribly wrong, throw the rig away from you and curl up into as small a ball as you can. Hitting the water wont hurt compared to the equipment hitting you.

Of course thats my chicken way out so happy to be corrected on that.

I have often been surprised that when you surface the gear is so close to you even when you tried to get away from it in the air.

Oh and landing the nose first is surprisingly easy and gentle, its the hard flat landing that jars you and breaks things so I suspect nose or tail first is the best way to go.

Slowboat once used to get huge air,now he concentrates on that irrelevant gps stuff. My take on jumps for what it's worth. Get a very light,small board with heaps of nose rocker and a small sail. Pelican Point on windy days heading west offers ramp after ramp. And just go for it.

Mr Boat still does OK

That's a perfect illustration firie, nose and windward rail up with sail sheeted in and directly above sailor. Imagine how high he could get launching off a head high wave instead of a calf high chop.

Yep, agree with hardpole, don't land flat, tail first is probably easier, just drop the back foot before you hit, but nose first can be really smooth, just like a feather coming down.
Just don't nose dive, that's all!

If my advice counts for anything the golden rule to jumping.

Get air under the windward rail. If the wind is able to catch the deck of the board because the windward rail is down, you will find the nose of the board will get slammed down, resulting
in some nice wipe outs.

If you think like a crazed nutter on the approach to the ramp and say to yourself "I am going to smack that right in the pocket" you will go high!

Enjoy. Jumping is great fun

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petermac33 said..

Slowboat once used to get huge air,now he concentrates on that irrelevant gps stuff. My take on jumps for what it's worth. Get a very light,small board with heaps of nose rocker and a small sail. Pelican Point on windy days heading west offers ramp after ramp. And just go for it.

worst. advice. ever.... except for the "just go for it" bit.

Seriously, with this recommendation he would need about 30knots of wind just to get planing... in which case, jumps are pretty much guaranteed... and likely to cause serious injury for a beginner.... you dont want intimidating conditions.

You want conditions which where planing is easy, while using mid-sized gear. For most people, this will be 18-20 kn, using appropriately sized gear for your weight.

Dont use full-on wave gear and dont use a beginner board - but most stuff in between is fine for to learn your first jumps.

wear some protection!!
i got pretty good at some height in waves... until i busted most of my ribs on my left side a couple of years ago.
sheet in but don't roll the mast forward.