When I sail in 30kts + and are way overpowered I like to choose when I stack it and I bail out regularly. Last sail at Canton I bailed out at each end and didn't even try and gybe..
Then I just let the rig go and fell back into the water and kept my rear foot in the strap to make sure the board didn't get too far away. It seemed to work well but wondering if anyone has any bailouts ( deliberate ) that they use and are safe..
Haven't used it yet but if I was going to I would do it the same way as you but keep both feet in the straps to avoid twisting my ankle.
I hit an almost totally submerged wooden mast once. It was so long that the way I was hiked out, I couldn't have carved upwind to avoid it. I was too low to see it in time, but if I had, its about the only occasion I can remember where the bailing technique might have been the best answer.
If I get so overpowered I have to stop sailing, I just carve upwind and drop into the water to hold the sail on the surface until the squall passes.
My bail out at the end of a run like that is to point it up as high as you can and coast it into the wind untill you have slowed right down and then just step off while still holding onto the boom.
Firstly, you will never improve by bailing. Harden up and hold on.
Secondly if you are going to bail I would ditch everything, rig, board, the lot, throw it away from you downwind and fall back into the water. Leaving your rear foot in the strap seems like an insanely dangerous thing to do unless you are going 0.1 kph as the risk of a twisted ankle is huge.
Tack, it's easier...
If I'm really cooked I just sheet out and head upwind, This slows me down quick enough.....A quick tack and I'm off again. I can't remember the last time I came off at high speed but I definitely wouldn't want to be stuck in the straps 
at any point.
If the winds that strong you're worried about the rig blowing away, and you feel the need to stay connected, I'd be sheeting out, pointing upwind to slow down, taking both feet out of the straps, jumping off to windward and pulling the sail down over my head. That way you've a chance of staying in control without busting your ankle/s.
The simple answer when overpowered is to turn upwind, but you can then have a problem of getting downwind if the wind doesn't ease off. One way would be to sit on the board and let it drift downwind. You can have a rest while doing that but may pull a muscle from your muscles getting cold.
Turning upwind can often give you a lot of work to do going over the waves. Sometimes its easier to just go fast and more along the wave.
When the wind picks up I often take John Wayne's advice
Try the butthole sea anchor with both feet still in the straps and hooked in thats what i do but watch you dont loose your nick nacks !!!!
Select to expand quotesboardcrazy said..
kept my rear foot in the strap to make sure the board didn't get too far away.
any time you have just one foot in the straps it's ankle injury city. I wouldn't do that...
Select to expand quotesboardcrazy said..
When I sail in 30kts + and are way overpowered I like to choose when I stack it and I bail out regularly. Last sail at Canton I bailed out at each end and didn't even try and gybe..
Then I just let the rig go and fell back into the water and kept my rear foot in the strap to make sure the board didn't get too far away. It seemed to work well but wondering if anyone has any bailouts ( deliberate ) that they use and are safe..
If I am too chicken to attempt to gybe, then I just tack, which probably means if it is that windy I will be on my wave board, and so what that really means I will just fall in and start again... Even on the big board the sudden change of heart usually means the tack won't be dry.
I also find when you really overpowered and suffering, and having trouble getting downwind, that rigging the sail very flat with the out haul is counterproductive, better off rigging it as I would would normally or even a little less outhaul and trying to run deep during the lulls, heading upwind when you have too.
WTF with all the red thumbs with the initial post? Are people mental here? Anyway when bailing out I would not keep any contact with the gear unless there is the chance it's blown away with no chance of recovery. It all depends on the situation so somewhere like Canton Beach where there is no real danger I'll fall off the back and then walk over to the board. At the very worse I'll have a 100 meter walk to someone's backyard. So no life threatening situation. However if I was sailing offshore in a howling 40 knot gale I think I'd round the board upwind and then hang onto it for dear life.
Select to expand quoteterminal said...
The simple answer when overpowered is to turn upwind, but you can then have a problem of getting downwind if the wind doesn't ease off.
If dabbling a bit on formula boards only taught me one thing it was that when overpowered a long way from home turning way downwind is a realistic option. For all boards. Back foot out. It's very wobbly, but if you can maintain just above 20 knots directly downwind you've turned that 30 knot gust into 10 knots of apparent wind. Go deeper in the gusts when the board speed gets too much too handle. You'll slow down, believe me. But concentrate on not losing too much board speed, you need that 20 knots board speed for when the next gust comes from behind. So be ready to tighten up and gain speed in the lulls. Worth practicing next time it's very windy, see how far you can get before falling off. It's just half a gybe really.
Select to expand quoteIan K said..terminal said...
The simple answer when overpowered is to turn upwind, but you can then have a problem of getting downwind if the wind doesn't ease off.
If dabbling a bit on formula boards only taught me one thing it was that when overpowered a long way from home turning way downwind is a realistic option. For all boards. Back foot out. It's very wobbly, but if you can maintain just above 20 knots directly downwind you've turned that 30 knot gust into 10 knots of apparent wind. Go deeper in the gusts when the board speed gets too much too handle. You'll slow down, believe me. But concentrate on not losing too much board speed, you need that 20 knots board speed for when the next gust comes from behind. So be ready to tighten up and gain speed in the lulls. Worth practicing next time it's very windy, see how far you can get before falling off. It's just half a gybe really.
Yes I do that when my arms are not wrecked. It depends on the conditions though. In 30 knots+ and well overpowered with short period steep waves I'd want to be unhooked and given that those winds can be very gusty too, I'd probably try to find somewhere the wind line was a bit less and do a lot of short runs and gybes.
Sue I think you need to realise you are on bloody big gear in those winds.
I am 95kg and in solid 30kn I am on 85L, 21cm fin and 4.2. Might increase those sizes a bit if it is gusty.
You at 50 or 60kg (?) are on 95L freeride and 4.5m, which barely holds the nose down and the fin wants to rail up.
Maybe try to borrow a small FSW or a waveboard with lots of vee (not a new school board like an EVO) on next nuking day. You may be able to pick up a 5-7 y/o FSW about 70L for $400 ish one day and it will feel so so much better in those conditions.
Now you are GPS sailing Sue I believe the correct term is "German Gybing"
You do you run
crash the gybe (or just crash)
check your gps to see what speed you did
Then take of and do it all again
Don't let the rig go, it may smash the nose of your board.
If you're going really fast don't fall in backwards whilst holding the boom as the sudden deceleration of your body whilst the sail and board are still speeding will wrench your front shoulder.
Getting catapulted is not good for shoulders either.
I find it useful to turn upwind, (and if not confident in tacking) then lay the sail down to windward, jump in to windward and then you are in the right position to waterstart in the other direction when you have caught your breath/gust has passed/checked your gps!
Hi Sue,
Have a look at this 360. I think if you went upwind took some speed off and then went for the 360 it would be the way to go. You don't have to try to complete it in high winds just let the rig drop gently in the water once you are 3/4 the way through.
Select to expand quoteIssa said..
You have an exit strategy
You get a choice?
Rather choose to exit than get catapulted..
I should have qualified the original post - I only use that method in the flat/flattish water at Canton where it is pretty safe with onshore winds. I wouldn't do it out in the middle of Lake Macquarie in 3 '+ rollers..
The turn upwind one sounds ok although Id have to make sure I weighted the windward rail as Id be worried the wind would get under the nose and flip me.I also don't like the idea of being stuck under the sail with the wind pushing it on me..
The throw the gear away option is ok but I have trouble catching it especially if the wind gets in the sail and it sails away!
If you fell back with both feet in the straps you couldn't twist an ankle could you? I suppose you could strain the muscles on the top of your foot..?
Select to expand quotepaddymac said..
That's ok in the type of winds she's in.. if you did that in 30kts + the gear would sail 500m and you'd never get it back! Good photo though..
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
Sue I think you need to realise you are on bloody big gear in those winds.
I am 95kg and in solid 30kn I am on 85L, 21cm fin and 4.2. Might increase those sizes a bit if it is gusty.
You at 50 or 60kg (?) are on 95L freeride and 4.5m, which barely holds the nose down and the fin wants to rail up.
Maybe try to borrow a small FSW or a waveboard with lots of vee (not a new school board like an EVO) on next nuking day. You may be able to pick up a 5-7 y/o FSW about 70L for $400 ish one day and it will feel so so much better in those conditions.
I'm 65kgs ( winter..
) and I'd be on a 78ltre waveboard ( which I haven't totally mastered yet..
) with a 3.8m or 3.2m sail.I'd still be totally overpowered as I need a 2m in those conditions ( gusting 35 +)..
Select to expand quoteelmo said..
Now you are GPS sailing Sue I believe the correct term is "German Gybing"
You do you run
crash the gybe (or just crash)
check your gps to see what speed you did
Then take of and do it all again
I usually try and gybe but too chicken to last sail..
When I'm going too fast, I put a little more weight on the board and ease the sail out a bit. Gives me more control and less speed. Doing this means you don't have to bail. If it is really, really bad, I'll take my back foot out of the strap, (freeride board, straps out on the rail) stand upright on the board and just feather the sail to keep moving.
If it gets quite bad I will jump in the water, let out my outhaul, move the boom down lower, then put loads of outhaul on, and then find it heaps easier to handle.... its good to be in the habit of changing your rig throughout the weather changes....
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
Sue I think you need to realise you are on bloody big gear in those winds.
I am 95kg and in solid 30kn I am on 85L, 21cm fin and 4.2. Might increase those sizes a bit if it is gusty.
You at 50 or 60kg (?) are on 95L freeride and 4.5m, which barely holds the nose down and the fin wants to rail up.
Maybe try to borrow a small FSW or a waveboard with lots of vee (not a new school board like an EVO) on next nuking day. You may be able to pick up a 5-7 y/o FSW about 70L for $400 ish one day and it will feel so so much better in those conditions.
Second this. The difference between the wrong gear for the conditions vs the right gear for the conditions is the difference between bailing out with your tail between your legs and attempting and succeeding in your gybes. It's really an enormous difference. The people you see enjoying 30+ are on the right gear for the conditions.
You'd love a 70l board. It'll be your new favourite.
Select to expand quoteMobydisc said..
WTF with all the red thumbs with the initial post? Are people mental here?
I think it is due to the kamikaze, dangerous method described to bail out - leaving the back foot in.
Select to expand quotesboardcrazy said..Mark _australia said..
Sue I think you need to realise you are on bloody big gear in those winds.
I am 95kg and in solid 30kn I am on 85L, 21cm fin and 4.2. Might increase those sizes a bit if it is gusty.
You at 50 or 60kg (?) are on 95L freeride and 4.5m, which barely holds the nose down and the fin wants to rail up.
Maybe try to borrow a small FSW or a waveboard with lots of vee (not a new school board like an EVO) on next nuking day. You may be able to pick up a 5-7 y/o FSW about 70L for $400 ish one day and it will feel so so much better in those conditions.
I'm 65kgs ( winter..) and I'd be on a 78ltre waveboard ( which I haven't totally mastered yet..) with a 3.8m or 3.2m sail.I'd still be totally overpowered as I need a 2m in those conditions ( gusting 35 +)..
Even 78 sounds big for your weight in 30 knots. You should spend more time on the 78 - its a medium sized board for you.
I'm 82 kg and my favourite board is an 86 litre 56cm wide waveboard which I use from 5.7 down to 4.0m sails. It makes it so much easier to handle choppy water and waves. If you have the right 3.2m sail and mast, you should be OK with that sail in 35 knots, but the 78 would be feeling big.
