For those who have not experienced it yet when you get hit with a very strong wing squall and you come off your board the odds are that your board will flip in the wind.. and when it flips those rotating axes will head straight for your wing that will always be just down wind of your board.. I've had two friends get their wings slashed from this happening and as you can see at the end of my vid the first thing you need to do is leave your wing and flip your board back over ASAP.

Quite a squall Cool video

Would a short wing leash and a long board leash help?

I have had more trouble with the wing flipping itself onto the upturned foil. It can happen in an instant in all sorts of conditions. The board can stablise foil up and it can be quite difficult to quickly flip it over, especially when trying to fend the wing off with one hand.

If things are looking ugly I have been climbing on top of the wing and laying on the strut or leading edge. That keeps the wing down and leaves hands mostly free to fend off the board if I need to.

I've tried various long leashes to put the board further away but you can't guarantee that the board will drop to the end of the leash. Board and wing can fall in any position.

The worst I have experienced is my old 7'8" board and foil flipping end over end down the beach. In extreme conditions I leave my board in a sheltered place and/or leash it to something.

In strong winds if you load the wing it will take all the power and likely dump you off. If you stand on the board and support the wing with little load on the handles the wing will align with the wind and produce minimal power. The trailing edge can flap like a mad thing and the noise is very unpleasant but it's fairly easy to ride up on the foil.

Obviously all situations are not the same. You need to be able to assess what is happening and take appropriate action to protect yourself and your gear.