evets said..

Hi Sue, for me board size is key to going quickly not just sail size. As a relative lightweight (70kg) one of the major things that I find helps me go fast is a small board. I have only ever gone quickly on 45,52,54 cm wide boards. I accept 100% that it may be my technique is poor and that is why I am not quick on wider boards but that is me. I have tried to get my 105 litre 65 wide slalom board to go quickly but I fail when others around me are making it look easy. When I put a smaller board on, something which as a lightweight I can do far earlier than my amply proportioned frineds, I get a lot closer to their speeds.
The other thing that my level of technique needs is relatively flat water. Given a small board and flat water I am happy!

And yes bearing away is essential. Last weekend I managed many 30+ 2 and 10 sec speeds but none were across the wind.

Bender said..

To go fast it needs to be only just manageable to sail back upwind. This is where adjustable out is vital.
Slowie once said to me, "If your comfy sailing back up wind you have rigged too small.

IMHO you need to do 2 things to blast through the 30knt barrier. Sail alot deeper off the wind, as soon as you do this you will realise you need a bigger sail.
For example, In 20knts of wind you bear away (deep off the wind) and start doing 25+knts you will start to feel way underpowered beacuse with a sail thats comfy catching the wind square on is now battlig to pull you along in next to no wind.

In 20knts I'm on 7.8m not to be mucho but to enable me to be still powered up sailing very broad.

I think yrou first goal needs to be bear away more and start to feel the sail has no more power and you over sheet. At this point you have gone deep enough and you will start to want to rig bigger. The hardest part of the bare away (slingshot) last a fews seconds. It's as you go from a reach to deep off the wind. You will know you have gone deep as the sail goes light and its really comy. If you dont go deep enough the power in your sail just pulls you on to your toes.

I better stop this rambler now.

Best of luck cracking 30knts and remember is all for fun anyway

sailquik said..

Lots of good advice to be gleaned from the posts so far but I recon the bit about using a smaller board is the biggest tip. At your weight you need to be on something with a "speed" rocker and outline, and much less than 78 litres! With your smaller sails in 25 knots+ of wind you should be on something more like 50-60 litres and well under 50cm wide.

Hi Sue I would agree with Sailquik, your boards/fins sounds way too big. Im a similar weight to you and yesterday I was on my f2 missile which is 63 litres and 48cm wide. see session www.gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2013-11-10&team=1 with a 5.8 sail and got 3 runs over 31 knots and a few 30 knot 2 sec runs, this was when bearing off a lot and in choppy water, when I was just reaching (having fun staying where the flat water was I was only getting 28 to 29 knots max but soon as I did the bearaway speeds increased). I use this board a lot and is really only like a small slalom board for me. I do get a few strange looks from some of the bigger guys how say are you going out on that! but in relation to size is appropriate and so much more fun to sail.


This is my small board (although not really small enough for me when the wind really gets up however living in Qld we don't get many epic days so this size suits me really well. Usually using 5.8 HSM GPS or 5.0 HSM gps sails on it. I can get it going in 15 knots of wind and the boards gybes really well (this is my PB board for alpha and flys up wind with a 25 or 22cm fin). Don't worry too much about the age of boards/fins/etc, excluding sails all my kit is 6-7 years old some of the fins even older I think small kit, flat water and technique has more to do with it. I always struggle to get any real good speeds when the water is choppy I don't have the weight to hold the board down in the water.

The first 30 knots I did I think it took me almost a year (so keep at it) and I was on my 84lt Jp slalom board with a 5.3 non cambered sail and 26cm fin. I could never get this set up past about 32 knots though so decided to buy the speed board and get some cambered sails and this makes it so much easier.

However I did for the first time get a 31 knot run on my 6.6 and same 84 JP slalom board in about 15 + knots with the occasional stronger gusts but REALLY FLAT water and a perfect angle to bear away on down a very small sand bank.(like a mini sandy point) This makes all the difference. I tried loads of times with this size before but never managed to get past 29 knots.

sboardcrazy said..

>>>>.It felt mad flying down over the backs of waves / chop.. Do you usually just bear away over them or wait to see if there is flatter water?>>>.

decrepit said..



The top guys can go fast over the backs of big chop, but if you haven't got the skill, (like me) there's big risks involved, spinning out is a real possibility, when the fin comes out of the water, and when it does so tripping the front rail on the back of the next chop, is also highly likely. Not a very pleasant experience!

Quite a few places I've sailed, in spots, the chop doesn't run dead downwind, the bottom shape makes the lines curve. So in one direction following the chop is more downwind than the other. If you can find a place like this you don't have to bounce over the back of the chop quite as much. But again there is a downside, going fast over chop at an angle can set up a wobble in the board, this also seems to help cause spin out.

Slowy's advise to me, when I asked how he managed so well in chop, was to have "jelly legs". The chop is coming at you much too fast for any reflex action, so you have to have enough give in your legs to keep the board in the water.
That was about 4 years ago, and I'm still trying to do it. I guess it's much easier here to keep to flat water.

Kazza said..

I find like a 6.2 slalom sail more controllable in say a 20 - 22 kt wind than a 5.3 wave sail. Slalom sails can take a lot, I'm so amazed some times that I'm out there with a 5.4 slalom sail and the guys are out there with a 4.7 wave and they can't get over that I'm out there with a bigger sail than them and easily holding it down. The more you try and sail with bigger sails the stronger you'll get and feel more comfortable with them.
Actually I remember not long ago when I got 35. something 2 sec and I was on a 5.1 slalom sail and an other guy was on a 3.7 wave, he was having a lot of trouble in the gusts where I would bear off in the gusts and go with the gust instead of fighting the gust going upwind. You just have to keep doing that and gradually it starts to feel like second nature and not scarey.