ok i need a few tips with tacking, i can tack around 30%of the time on the 06 goya 95ltr freewave board, and the starboard carve 111 around 55% of the time, so i have a fairly good idea about what i need to do in the tack as in getting around the sail and the entry with feet position, but when i get on my main boards 76ltres and smaller i seem to sink the nose and i cant get around the other side of the board quick enough what leads into a big fail because i fall off, so i need some tips on feet posie during the turn not just leading into the tack and any tips on making it a little bit easier to get there on the smaller boards, i have around a 3%success rate on my 76ltr wave board and for some reason i have better succes with heli tacks.

thanks

hi jordo,

these days i am completing 90% of my starboard side tacks on a 95lt fish. (i'm 96kg so a definate sinker for me) but i a not planing through them


a couple of things i do.

firstly. cheat!!!!

when learning them i did them in shallow water. when the nose sinks it hits the bottom and this gives you some extra time.

i find taking a big step around the mast helps. when placing your foot on the other side make sure it is just behind the mast. so you are not weighting the front of the board. (this is really important)

another thing is to jump around real quick. faster the better.

i still sink the nose all the time and end up down to my front knee in water. this is mainly becasue i didn;t place my foot far enough behind the mast when i took the first step.
if this happens all is not lost. when you are on the new tack and the nose has submerged. push down hard with your back foot and take the weight off your front foot. the nose will re-surface really quickly.

sometimes you need to tilt the rig towards the nose of the board to get things turning downwind. by moving your hands further back along the boom. (mainly if you don't turn far enough into the wind when initiating the move.

I was trying them today, 85 kilos of me and 80 litres of board, haven't managed one yet

Was getting around to the new side of the sail but couldn't get the board to turn past the eye of the wind. What do you do? Angle the mast forwards/to the inside of the turn?

Things that help me most are firstly <b>Look</b> where you want to go ... I think this is the single biggest thing, especially helpful when you are worrying where to place your feet.

Secondly, when I started tacks I was going boom to boom. Now I go mast to boom ... I find it makes it easier to skip around the sail.

Thirdly, instead of placing my foot in front of the mast as I spin around i try and get it around the other side a bit... the only downside to this I always seem to catch a bit of the mast base with my ankle ... I have a permanent chuck taken out of my ankle!

These helped me skip around so hope they help you!

I am trying to re-learn tacking on my new 105 lt board - I thought it was just me that couldn't!

My symptom is sinking the REAR of the board. My conclusion is that I need to get around faster, not tilt the mast far back during the 'dead time', and retain a sense of the balance of the mast with my own weight even on the hop.

Oh, and get around faster. Watching 'beginner to winner', the smallboard tack is a lightning fast move.

Now to get out and practise some more.

i think helitacks are definately easier on smaller boards especially if you practice doing them in the straps and coming out switch stance. upwind 360s are a helpful move before working on helitacks in the straps.

Gestalt said...

i had a read through the simon hurry thing.

I watched Simon do some tacks up at Corros, and it's unbelievable how quickly he gets round to the new side... I swear he doesn't drop off the plane either!

Very impressive

wow thanks for that guy didint think this would happen in 24 hours. haha so im not the only one who suffers. well that makes me feel a little better

Is that a case of, gybe comes in one door, tack goes out the other?

I'm really happy to announce that today I got my first 'shortboard' tack ever! And the second, and the third, and you get the idea

Top tips:
1) A bigger board really helps here. I was on a 120 litre or so board, well floaty.
2) Get that new back foot RIGHT DOWN the board. If both your feet are next to the mast base, you'll fall in
3) Change feet while you're still moving.
4) Don't sheet in while carving into the wind. The sail should be neutral.

WOOOHOOO!!! That was the best session I've had in months

i find raking the sail right back..heps the carve and allows more room to jump across the other side ..and i mean jump nice and quick....works most of the time for me except in really lumpy conditions where the nose somtimes dives into the chop

yehaircut...i probably didnt explain rake it back int the carve and i think you get/keep more speed ..i am usually still planing as i am jumping across..and as you jump to the other side your pulling the mast frward...and yeh it helps when you get the back wind effect as you can quickly stabilise yourself and push the nose of the board completely around onto the new tack...and voila...

thats just my perspective anyway..probably no help but

Got one today on my sinker!!!!! Practice on a big board pays off!

Yay yay yay one happy little nebs