I'm using wave gear, but principal should be similar.

Flying the rig varies, the easiest way is use the back of the board, just drag the boom over it if touches it. If it misses put one hand on back of board, with other hand drag the boom over first arm. This should be done with rig across the wind.
If the rig is pointing into the wind you can start at the head and work your way back down the mast.

Once the rig is flying, align board at right angles to wind, put back foot in it's strap. Push sail up, pull back foot towards me, all the time keeping board pointing across the wind.
This is very important, point too high sail loses power and you sink, point too low and you'll get thrown round the front.
If underpowered you can point a bit lower, if overpowered you can point a bit higher.
I find back foot in strap helps with this control.
If underpowered I kick with front foot, this lessens downwind drift, giving sail more power, and helps lift you out of the water.


If you're getting draged before you get a foot on, you're too late with your foot, put it on the board earlier.
When you get it nailed, and reasonably powered, you can vigourously pull the sail towards you, then throw it into the air (without letting go) sail will just snatch you out of the water, let off the power a tad, so you land on the board with both feet.

There's not many of us use the back foot in strap method, a lot of sailors find it uncomfortable, but I always recommend giving it a reasonable go. If you can't get on with it try front foot in strap, or back foot on top of board somewhere.

top tip 2

use the ball of your heel instead of a flat foot when mounting, acts as a lever ...make it easy

when you are in the water holding the boom, you can move the angle of the board around by swimming the boom towards the board or away. the angle of the board will change because it will pivot on the fin.

you need to get the sail laying more or less perpendicular to the wind. and the tail of the board needs to be under your heel.

also as you get pulled up clear of the water try to shimmy foward with the rig to point more downwind so you dont stall and loose power.

I always start with the mast perpendicular to the wind, then lift it a little just to get the wind underneath it, then start moving it round 'till you are holding on to the boom (the mast is now more parallel to the wind).

the board should be pretty much perpendicular to the wind as well, maybe pointing a little more downwind.

Sometimes I just stay floating in the water with the rig held above me for a while untill I can feel a decent gust or get a bit of a wave that can lift me onto the board - though if you stay like this with your feet on the board you are going to drift downwind pretty fast, so I usually do this while 'hanging' off the rig, then as soon as I feel that the rig can pull me up I put my back foot in the back footstrap (just started doing this a while ago - seems to work really well for me) and go..

www.easyuphaul.com/

Saw this on a site while looking for some tips for you.

Might help when you are learning you never know.
You could make one out pipe insulation.

Maybe get someone down the beach who can waterstart to show you how he/she does it. Watch them a coupla times to get some tips.

Hey on a kind of unrelated topic, I'm claiming to have invented a new kind of waterstart, although I'm happy to be told it's commonplace, but I've never seen anyone else doing it. I call it the reverse waterstart.

It's the same as a normal waterstart except instead of climbing on from the windward side of the board, you climb on from the leeward side. I use it when I've fallen on the leeward side of the board but am still hanging on to the rig. Rather than swimming around the back of the board, carrying the rig, I just sheet in, give a big powerful kick to get my body right out of the water and step backwards onto the board. Takes a bit of flexibility and plenty of pressure in the sail otherwise you have no chance.

Waterstarting tip - Try tying a plastic bottle to the end of your booms to stop the clew from sinking.

quote:

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I call it the reverse waterstart.

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I've already patented that. The reverse waterstart is called the SPLAT, quite a lot of people call it a catapult.

thanks very much guys hopefully i can get a lift to some eastern suburbs beach next time its windy

quote:

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Originally posted by Bails



Hard to explain mate. I haven't really analysed it much. I think you just keep the rig in the normal trimmed position as if you were on a square reach. This keeps pressure in the sail. But obviously the board would get in the way if it were in the normal square reach position so I think I end up with the nose facing a bit more downwind, this gives you space between the rig and the back of the board.

I get my front foot on the board then kind of use that leverage to propel my weight onto the board and out to windward and sheet in at the same time.

But as I said, you need plenty of wind so it's not as critical to sheet in strongly.

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You may well be the inventor of something new!!
I've never seen or heard of this method, doesn't mean nobody else has done it of course.
Surprised you can get it to work, as the sail must be pulling you away from the board.
Next well powered day, I'm going to try it!

In the words of Peter Hart:
"Headbutt the mast foot"

Once you get it, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about

My 2c worth,

Nebbs and everyone are spot one, I reckon that am the last person here to learn to water start last season, here is what I did.

#1 Remember everything that you have read after you do this and it will be a sinch.

#2 get a competent windsurfing buddy to stay with you for 15 to 30 mins so they can advise you what you are doing wrong. If they winge that want to sail bribe with beer :)

#3 Grab a windier day that a light wind day and also stay in waist deep water, so when you get your front foot on the board your back leg can still just touch the bottom, this is purly to keep the whole kit alligned with wind waves and so on. You will soon not need the back foot touching the bottom. This about getting the confidence and feel we all need. The back foot become a stabiliser, propeller and a keel.

#4 Already mentioned, stay crouched until the kit pulls you over, DONT STAND UP (Catapault time if ya do) let it pull you to far so you get wet on the down wind side of the kit, this is so you start to know how it feels, let this happen a couple of times.

#5 Take your time get your breath and be patient, rushing only makes a frustrated newbie angry (I have had some worried looks from sailors as I have belted out anger screams) Now look towards the wind see the water change to a dark ripple and get ready, now go for it, stay low, hang off the boom, point down wind a bit to get speed and you should be standing by now.

#6 as soon as you get going drop the rig and do it again while fresh in your mind.

I swear you will be up and water starting that day, try and stay in a shallow area, it makes life easier and you wont be as tired.

I went to Cervates for the speed weekend last season, all I did the first day was exactly this, heaps of short runs and man o man do you feel good when yopu get it, I then followed Gadgets wife out about 800 meters off shore where water starting was the only way as uphauling sux

Sometimes I get a bit screwed up but if you stay calm and dont rush you will be all stoke!

Regards and I hope this helps, remeber everything everyone else said is correct but dont think too much about it.

Cheers GT

here's another video all about waterstarting:

http://www.totalvid.com/Windsurfing-Videos/The-ABCs-Of-Waterstarting/

you can sign up for the free 7 day trial and watch it a few times for free (i personally continue to pay the subscription coz there's heaps of really good quality stuff on there, not just windsurfing either).

thanks to whoever pointed out that site a few posts ago, great find.

matt

Glad you reminded me, I'd forgotten all about it. Now all I've got to do is remember until we get some wind!

Anybody got any spare brain cells!!!