Well after a 5 year lay off I think I may get back into it. I have bought a new floater board (Starboard fish) I will dust off the sails and get back out into the waves.

A couple of qquestions: One of the reasons that i stopped was the muscle tightening in my forearms. I would get maybe 2 runs in before my forearms would lock up so that i couldnt even hold the boom. I am trying to put as much weight inot the harness as possible but even just controlling the rig would be pain. A mate told me this was called power pump and that some motorbike riders get it with the constant throttle control. Anybody else get it? can you do anything about it? Any doctors out there who sail and know of it? bueller... bueller?

Any tips for me not to kill myself on my first sail in 5 years? I take it forwards are out until at least the second sail, anything else?

Perhaps a skinnier boom will help to unload your forearms

dralyagmas said...

A mate told me this was called power pump and that some motorbike riders get

I think Forearm Pump, which is common in motox riders, is very different to RSI. Arm pump is cased by a build-up of lactic acid and restricted blood flow. Common solution for motox riders is smaller diameter handlebars and learning to relax the deathgrip as much as possible.

2 things, have had similar problems in the past, that seem to have gone. Thick boom, coz recently I went out with an old thick boom and problem recurred. Holding on too tight, relaxing the grip.

nebbian said...

Hi draly,

If you haven't been out that much lately you might have forgotten how to balance your harness lines properly. I'm talking about fore/aft placement. If the harness lines are out, then you will have a lot of stress on one arm, which will quickly pump it up.

To balance your lines, try taking one hand off the boom and seeing what your other hand does. Then swap which hand is off the boom. You will probably find that one hand will try really hard to push the boom away from you -- this means that the harness lines are too far towards that hand.

Once your lines are balanced this should go a long way towards stopping your forearm pump, as you can relax your arms and only supply small amounts of sheeting pressure.

Exactly what i was gunna say nebs

Thanks for the replies.

Its not the harness lines as this was when I was sailing a lot (have previously sailed for ~10yrs).

I think the smaller diameter boom is soundign fair as when i was a youngster i has a HPL slimline boom which I loved but broke it. Couldnt get parts for it or a new one so i had to go to the standard HPL ones (which i have now). It was only when i went back from the small dia to the larger one that this started to happen. I always put it down to me going from a real grom to a slighter older grom (15/16yrs old to 18/19yrs old.

Have tried different wetsuits including ones with short arms to reduce all restriction but this didnt help.

what is the daimeter of skinny booms? I would mainly be wave sailing (as much as you can in Adleaide) and I reckon I will be subject to the occasional catapault.

I think that I need to relax the deathgrip as knot baord said. Thx