OK I know you are all bored by this subject but I have been looking at some videos of gybing and noticed something. I have always been told to wait until the sail gets light when you are travelling downwind and then spin the sail, the earlier the better. Sounds good but from what I could see from the videos, and there was at least half a dozen, all the sailors positioned their sails until they were at least a little clew first and then allowed the wind to rotate the sail and they just picked it up on the other side. In other words, the wind dictated when the sail was rotated, not the sailer. Am I missing something or misunderstood what everyone has been saying?
Iceman, like you said it's an age old topic, goes back centuries long before windsurfing, i've always found in feels better if you sit on it before rotating, hope that's helpful
Hey Iceman I've done a bit of research on the interweb and it seems that gybes are useful for getting around the corners without getting your hair wet. I found a video that seems to demonstrate this cornering thing ......it all looks difficult and probably won't become popular...stick with sailing in straight lines and avoid the whole messy business.
Yeah I think you are right Anthony. By the way doesn't need much to get some people off the subject. I have been trying for ages to get the sail spinning earlier but I always seem to have more success leaving it later and getting the board around properly first. I think I'll keep going with that and just try to get the power on earlier maybe with keeping the board off the wind a little more until I can get some speed up.
I find when not really powered up it is better to flick the sail after the board has passed straight downwind, otherwise I will stall.
In powered up wind I like to carve hard and really throw the sail before I'm downwind, by the time I catch it I'm heading back the other way, then I switch my feet. I'm about as nimble as a baby elephant most of the time, and if I wait too late to flick the sail or try to change feet first I usually lose my balance.
That looked like Coro's (Coronation Beach) Geraldton. Maybe it's Jaye!!
Idiot!
