hi

The last time i sailed, for the first time got into the footstraps and harness at the same time. When i was sailing i found that my feet were very close together and i didn't feel very comfortable in the straps. I thought this may be due to me sailing a wave board and i've seen most wave sailors stand quite upright.

Both front and back straps are set as far forward as they can go but i was wondering if i moved the back strap back 2 or so inches, if it would effect my boards performance or my technique for wave sailing.

The reason i have a wave board is that someday i want to get into the waves and do some wave sailing but at the moment im just getting use to deep water starting and things like that in the fresh water. If i move my back strap back will it effect my boards performance or my sailing technique at all?

Cheers
Bubs

(P.S: The board a Naish Quest Wave 258)

yeah. Becuase my board is a wave it's only got three straps. I have them as far forward and inboard as possible but the back strap, located directly in the center of the board, can only move back and forward.

At the moment the back strap is right as far forward as it can go but i am finding my straps are to close together, and was wondering if i just moved the back strap backward and inch or two i would feel a bit more comfortable without effecting the performance of the board or my sailing technique.

I have sailed my Dads JP freeride board with the straps inboard and got into them easily. On my board im asuming they are close together because wave sailors sail quite upright.

I get into the straps on my board easily, but do not find it very confortable sailing in them because it feels my feet and to close together and i dont have much control over the board. On my Dads JP board, they are quite far apart and i feel quite under control of the board when sailing.

bubs

yeah, all the straps only move forward and back. Except when i move the front ones forward as far as they could, they appear more inboard because the board gets wider.

I also find i have to stoke up a bit of speed before getting into them because otherwise my back sinks. does this have anything to do with position of fin or is that just what wave boards do?

cheers
bubs

Usually i get straight into the harness within seconds and get right up on the plane with my front foot right behind the mast base. Then once im right up planing realy quick, i move back softly into my straps. Is this the right thing to do or should i be moving back earlier?

cheers
bubs

Hey bubs, moved onto a wave board here too still only on the flat water though, trying to get the gybes down. Jumped on the tiga a couple days ago and was shocked at how early I was plaining, but that thing turns like a ship!

At the moment, I have my front straps all the way forward and the back in the middle of the different mountings. Been playing around with fin placement and so far I like having it about 20mm forward from all the way back, gives me nice turns and feels right getting on the plain. And like you, I tend to be in the harness before I get in the straps, being sure I'm just getting on the plain before I'm in them.

Bubs,

Earlier, when I was stuck uphauling everywhere I learnt to waterstart by sitting it some shallow water, getting the hang of a few. Then completely avoiding uphauling for the rest of the day, haven't uphauled since that day. This technique was pointed out to me on these forums some time ago, works very well if you have some idea of the sequence, download a few videos to study on.

Few things I focus on while starting:
Feet at your bum with the board (pull board in to point downwind)
High, high, high arms,
Get that rig upright,
Control power.

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Originally posted by bubs

One thing i wasnt doing though was pulling the board in close to me. I had my legs almost straight. Is this deffently the wrong thing to do?

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Yep sure is, especially if you're having trouble getting up, the closer you are to the board, the higher you can get the sail, and the more leverage the sail has to pull you up.
The action is the exact opposite of what the body wants to do, your natural reaction is to pull on the sail and push with the feet, WRONG!
Instead you have to push with your hands (get the rig as high as possible) and pull with your feet, draw the board in under your bum.

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I also found it hard getting my feet on the board because i would put my ancles up, and just as i started to lift out the water. A wave would hit the top of the sail and push me under. Any way to prevent this? or do i just have to get much more efficiant and quicker at it?

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What I do is put my back foot in the back strap, gives you more stability and a good grip on the board, but not many people use this method, so be prepared for it to feel a bit strange. I believe it's worth persevering with thou, it really works for me.

And what's a wave doing hitting the top of your sail??? I thought you weren't in the surf yet??? There's no way chop should be able to get to the top of the sail, if you're flying it high enough.

Also, whats the best and easiest way to get your clew out the water? I just swim to the top of the mast and work my way up, but a couple of times i had to work a bit harder to get my clew out.

the javelin throw works for me. say the winds coming from your left, grab the mast just above the boom with your right hand, and throw it into the wind over your head as hard as you can, grab it with your left, and the sail should be flying. (easier the smaller the sail is)

I refer to that move as pulling the sheets up over your head.
You need the wind side on to the rig, (normal sailing orientation), your on the windward side of the rig around the boom, I grab the mast with both hands, arms fuuly extended. Then pull the rig towards you rapidly and over your head. Don't lift the boom high, just clear your head, or the wind will drive the clew into the water. If this starts to hapen pull the mast down as hard as you can, that should force the air traped underneath it to blow the clew clear.

But the easiest way is to drag the boom over the back of the board. If it misses the back, you can use one hand on the back of the board, to suport you and the rig. You need upward pressure as far back down the boom as you can, (about back harness rope should do), and downward pressure on the mast. Any upward pressure on the mast will drive the clew down.
Once clew is out fly the sail high enough for chop not to hit it.
If you're underpowered and struggling to get up, lowering the boom will give the rig more leverage over your weight.

When the clew sinks on me I swing the back of the board around under the clew of the sail, the board does all the heavy lifting for you, and in a couple of seconds the clew is back up on the surface. The only time this happens to me now is when I'm rushing a waterstart (like when a wave is bearing down on me or I'm getting swept downcurrent and downwind). If I take my time it doesn't happen.

Don't forget that once the sail is clear, you can hold the boom in one hand and the back footstrap with the other, this allows you to get everything in position ready for a gust. When a gust hits the clew will lift right up, and this is the signal to grab the boom with your other hand, back foot onto the board, bend that back knee so you're doing a one-legged squat over the board while sheeting in, and then you're up.

Regarding footstraps, wave sailors tend to have the front strap well forward, Polakow has his well forward of the production holes. I find it helps when in marginal conditions, weight forward means you can be in the footstraps when off the plane for a couple of seconds. I go for the front strap just as the board starts to plane, then the back strap when up to speed.

Deep water starting is THE most essential skill to have when wavesailing... there's no way I can uphaul a skinny board in waves, but a good waterstart lets you get out of some sticky situations. Good luck, waves are a totally different animal to flat water

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Originally posted by bubs



How do you have the footstraps forward of the productino holes?

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Polakow, probably isn't on a standard production board.