hi guys,

went to gerroa yesterday for a very enjoyable session in pretty small surf. my first season of wavesailing so very much in the learning stage. managed a few okay rides yesterday but found that when the wind picked up i had so much speed that i would either end up in front of the wave or go barrelling straight down the wave and miss all the good sections. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

BDL.

Maybe rig smaller next time?

As with everything, practice makes perfect. Just keep at it.

Good luck!

try leaning into the turn and oversheeting the sail, will depower well that way. And if you come from a flatwater history i would rig smaller than you normally do for flatwater( if the wind is crossoff)

thanks guys. will definitely try a smaller sail next time and the oversheeting thing.

hopefully a few more noreasters left in the season

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dan berry said...

try leaning into the turn and oversheeting the sail, will depower well that way. And if you come from a flatwater history i would rig smaller than you normally do for flatwater( if the wind is crossoff)

The only people I have ever seen rig smaller than usual sails are skinny anorexic people like Dan.

My recommendation would be to also try the following:

- setup for a bottom turn with your back hand a little bit wider than usual
- then when you bottom turn sheet in almost like you are doing a lay-down jibe and put pressure on the mast base
- when you start going up the wave bring the back close to your front hand and shift your weight to the opposite edge of the board
- when you come down setup for the next bottom turn

- if you find your board is "tail walking" as you race down the wave try and move both your foot strap setup and mast base a little bit further forward. this will bring more board surface into the water and will ultimately slow down your board which makes things overall a little bit more controllable.

Not this old weight thing again sjedher. You know
your in trouble when you take waveriding advice
from an portly german[}:)]

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bdl2333 said...

hi guys,

went to gerroa yesterday for a very enjoyable session in pretty small surf. my first season of wavesailing so very much in the learning stage. managed a few okay rides yesterday but found that when the wind picked up i had so much speed that i would either end up in front of the wave or go barrelling straight down the wave and miss all the good sections. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

BDL.

I reckon a smaller board would help when this happens, as they sit much lower in the water and you have more control. Sound like you were getting taken on a ride rather then you riding it.

When I'm wavesailing I like the sail to be in the sail's midrange, nice and light and effortless, enough power for jumping, and getting back to the impact zone, but also maximum control.

If there's no waves, I rig to be in the sails top end, the buzz is being very well powered for speed

i'm not a wave sailor but i was wondering if it's related to the board. were you on a freeride board or a wave board with little rocker.

my wave board is a fish,

slow, slashy and comfortable. perfect for when i do go out in onshore waves or bigger swells.

The rocker has heaps to do with it gesty, its hard to work a flat board into the pocket there just to free and they bounce heaps. Also they usually have stiff fins
which make wave riding less forgiving.

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dan berry said...

Not this old weight thing again sjedher. You know
your in trouble when you take waveriding advice
from an portly german[}:)]

hey man... I have been sitting on the beach sooooo much waiting for the wind to kick in I have learned a thing or two by watching other people...

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dan berry said...

You know your in trouble when you take waveriding advice
from an portly german[}:)]

i need all the help i can get after esp after totally ruining one epic wave. Other rides were okay i hope. very much addicted after a few great sessions at Gerroa in the last few weeks.

I'm weighing in at a very impressive 66kgs at the moment (180cm tall) so should be able to get away with the small sails

Gerroa is a fast wave, smooth and cross off, think you will get used to it and learn to use the speed for good instead of evil...

try a wave sail that you can turn off while going down the line. what sail you using?
I like severnes blades or s1's but there are heaps of wave sails that will do it for you. Or use a smaller sail. preferable without 10 battens in it, maybe 4 or 5 battens

also at your weight you dont want a board thats too corky, otherwise you'll never get the rail to bite on a turn when your going fast. maybe a 70L board and a 4.5 sail for when its blowin.

Get a Twin fin board! Use smaller sail! Front foot and mast foot pressure, lay it down and enjoy the G-force! Try to go DLT get speed deflate sale before bottom turn! GO HARD!