Hey all,

Gave the strapless SB a go today. After half an hour of getting waterstarts worked out I was getting upwind and having a bucketload of fun.

When I got out a little further into the bay the chop got really bad and I was having trouble keeping my feet on the board. Absorbing the big bumps through my legs worked fine, but the little bumps caused the board to skip out and I would loose my feet. Should I have more weight over my back foot? Anything I should be doing different with my kite that I normally wouldn't do on a TT? I quickly learnt to make smoother movements with the kite...

Zarb, congrats on the milestone...

As for the kite lines... I think as a general lines at the back/rear of the kite means it steers quicker but you have less pressure and vice versa.

Good luck with the SB thing...

Basically sounds like you are going to fast and/or too powered up. Try a smaller kite or less windy day perhaps?

^^^ again sounds like you are too powered up. As an example, at 72kg I am on my 6m from 20+ knots with a surfboard.

Strapless riding is not about being powered, as, just as you guys are experiencing, it is detrimental to the style of riding. If you are going too fast simply tacking in/out, how will you go dropping down the face of a head high wave?

You should be needing to work the kite a little when riding strapless. I can tell you I never feel like I'm going too fast when tacking in/out strapless - in fact it's usually the opposite.

If you still find you are going too fast (and this should be when about to drop into a wave) stomp on the tail of the board while letting the bar out.

If you say I am wrong, which I may be, and you are not overpowered, then you are not pointing the board upwind enough. This talk of edging does not really apply on a surfboard. Surfboard has fins - there is no need to edge! Simply point as upwind as far as you can and by the nature of physics you will slow down.

practice, practice, practice...
it will all come with time on the water!

or just get on youtube and watch how the pros ride a surfboard between tacks...