I'm now at the stage where I can get the board pointing back the way I came from, however the rig flip is really giving me grief. Every time I try it I lose my balance and fall off... Does anyone have any tips on where to stand, or which direction to lean? Any tips on how to flip the sail properly? Perhaps which direction to lean the mast?

Entry and footwork is fine, I bend ze kneez, lean forward and into the turn, do the ballerina step to get both feet set up where they should be for the new tack, and usually end up going back the other way, but when I try the flip everything goes south. My forward hand gets slid right up to the mast, I can flip the sail all day when standing on the beach or getting set up to waterstart, but when I'm standing up with the board moving, things are difficult..

yes i know that moment all too well. spent ages just making the most of it and falling in in a good waterstart position. then a friendly co windsurfer (aren't they all) who happened to be watching me (no doubt admiring my fine waterstarting skills at each turn) suggested that i wasn't pulling the mast and rig back upright before trying to flip it. ie/ after leaning it over to carve into the turn, you have to re-center the rig over the board. my other problem (and still is ) is when to change feet. watching others, some change before the flip, some change after the flip, but i'm usually too busy concentrating on the flip and forget all about my feet. the successful gybes i do happen when i change feet at the same time i flip the rig. this happens fairly regularly in flat water, but if it's choppy i'm too busy concentrating on the water ahead of me and forget to either swing the rig back upright or swap feet. tricky stuff this gybing. guess the only easy solution is to quit your job, divorce the wife, and move somewhere where it's warm and windy every day and practice 'till your've got them wired, then start looping. good luck.

Nebbian, if you're waiting till you're going in the opposite direction, then unless the wind is very light, the flip is too late. The wind will swing it with a lot of force, that can unsettle you. If you're powered up, the time to flip is half way round, a little earlier if very powered, a little later if lightly powered. If you're arc is tight and fast enough, and generating enough g's you can keep the mast leaning into the turn while doing it. But if the g's fall off you have to get the mast more vertical.

Neb, don't get disheartened with learning them. There are guys at the broadwater who have been sailing 10 to 20 years who are still doing this feet-first-flip-flop gybe technique who still can't gybe properly, and many of them sail more than a couple of times a week. See if you can hire a copy of Peter Harts - Turning Point. It's an old video, but fairly comprehensive and will help u learn the right way right from the beginning. If you can't find it, i'll try and dig it up for u.

Neb, what exactly is the gear you are using?

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Neb, what exactly is the gear you are using?

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105 litre Mistral Flow Freeride board (I think it's a 2001 model), I weigh 83 kg.
Neil Pryde 5.7m Soul sail (I think it's around a 2002 model).
Neil Pryde mast, North boom, 20" harness lines, Liquid force waist harness.

It's possible to gybe on my board and sail combo, I've seen it done by an instructor, he even duck gybed in front of me the smartass. Then I got on and promptly fell off.

Decrepit is right Nebs, if you are trying a carve gybe (i.e going fast and on the plane), you are flipping the rig too late.
When you turn downwind and the rig goes light, time to let go.

And remember you are not trying to turn 180 degrees, you are supposed to be coming out of the jibe downwind in the opposite direction. So you should be flipping the rig when your board is pointing directly downwing or just before.

And lean forward, and bend ur knees,..............sigh.

Definitely get a copy of Turn for the Better with Peter Hart. These are still available on DVD (2nd Wind have copies). I am still learning heaps from his advise.

The biggest thing I have found is that you really have to be powered up and properly planing. If you can't bear off and really accelerate with that 'holy ***' feeling, then it won't work properly and when you come to flip and such you just peter out. I am talking flat water of course.

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Originally posted by nebbian
I've never managed to stay planing while heading fully downwind.

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Come to WA, you'll get planing no worries, especially if it's like it was today. Gusting to 30 knots.

Carve gybes aren't too difficult. I'm not pro so my gybes arent exactly fast, but basically i head downwind, take my back foot out of the strap and inbetween the front and back straps but on the opposite rail. I personally slow down a bit cause i always screw up if i go into it full planing then i push on that rail and when i can feel im slowing down too much i flip the sail and change feet at the same time, at this point i usually stall but with good balance get going again.

I dont even worry about my knees or when i swap my feet, i just do what is comfortable and it works, all i need to do is work on when i flip the sail and power through the gybe instead of stalling.