Im looking for pumping tips to get planing In marginal winds.
My technique is not the best.

Check out CC#469

Adding to the other good comments-

Bear off the wind. A lot of us (me included) are pointing too high when we try.

Make sure your front hand is back enough on the boom so that when you pump, you aren't rounding yourself up.

If the board is big enough, sneak the front foot into the strap with the back foot in the middle of the board to keep it flat. Avoid digging in the windward rail at all costs. This helps keeping your weight behind the curve in the rocker line plus pushing against the front foot helps accelerate the board. Some will have their weight too far forward and the curvy front part of the rocker is digging into the water as they try to accelerate.

Give it 4 or 5 pumps - unless the first couple convince you the gust you picked just isn't enough.

Practice with a smaller sail if you can - I'm smaller so a 6.5 for me. If you try with too big a sail, the sheer size of it is too difficult to accelerate for those of us who don't live in the gym.

Desperation is the key. Pick a day where you sacrificed a lot of things to get to the water, your SO is pissed off at you for having gone and the forecast totally missed it. If you don't plane, you'll forever question your life choices. (Okay, kidding about this last bit.)

stroppo said..
I can't be sensible sorry

Yeah , yeah , I know , think of my grandmother and I'll go longer

^^^
I feel sorry for the doods in the little boats

mark62 said..

:)

I'm tired just watching those guys..

I race techno 293 and I do some occasional shortboarding and I would say that pumping onto the plane is all about your hip movement (down and into the sail) and really using the sail as a wing. By dropping your hips and sheeting out with the sail then lurching your hips into the middle of the board and powerfully sheeting in should increase board speed and hopefully the board will jump up onto the plane. A thing to help with controlling power is to put your feet in the straps when you in the middle of the board just before you drop your hips to do another pump as you can feel secure and put more effort into the sail.

"Personally, I like too shout "who's the daddy" (in a deep voice) when I overtake those little boat things!!!!!!!"

"I've been told to "shag the sail"."

Wait... are we still talking about windsurfing?

I'll give some of these techniques a
go. When planing I don't need a lot more wind than lightweights , it's just the starting. Over 13 kts I'm going on a short board 9.4 m and I'm happy. I think I can roll downhill in 11 kts if it's not too long. I can do a slo mo mushy planey thing down swell in 8 kts on my spastic raceboard , mabee 7 with good pumping , that's not bad for a fat sh.t

ps: I'm getting pretty good with my windomometer. I now know exactly what sail I need to use . If only I lived in a place with steady wind. I live in a jokingly variable place that taunts. Weather forecasts mean diddly squat. If I could rig within a 15 kts variable would be a good day. Sailing in 5 to 20 kts is average , and that can swing three times in 30 seconds. Forget trying to go fast , we have close one metre bumps in 15 kts . I live in Port Phillip Bay , Vic.