36 COACHING FUNDAMENTALS
KIT SETUP AND TUNING
FUNDAMENTALS:
PART 3: FINS
WORDS: SIMON WINKLEY
TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION: DIETRICH HANKE WWW.MAUIULTRAFINS.COM
PHOTOS: ALEX IRWIN (SPORTOGRAPHY.TV) AND SIMON WINKLEY
ILLUSTRATION: PETE GALVIN
ONCE UPON A TIME I WAS IN ANTIGUA ENJOYING PERFECT CARIBBEAN TRADE WINDS
OFF THE NORTH SHORE BETWEEN PRICKLY PEAR ISLAND AND SHOAL POINT WHEN I
LANDED A JUMP OFF A CHEEKY SLICE OF ROLLING SWELL AND MY FIN SNAPPED OFF.
The 3km I had to sail back downwind to base with my harness secured to the
underside of the board for lateral-resistance-at-a-price was about 900 times less fun
than the session I was previously having and gave my body the equivalent workout of
a month at the gym. It reminded me of the importance of fins and, from that point, I
started paying more attention to them (as well as checking their condition before
setting out…!)
This article about fins is the third in the
series of basic kit setup and tuning and
covers a range of windsurfing styles to
give the best overall picture.
The function of fins
Freeride fins for blasting around are one of the most common types
If you need any convincing that fins play
an important role then, in a safe place to
do so, try windsurfing for a few minutes
with no fin. It’s quite a fun challenge at
first yet heaving your back foot under your
body every few seconds soon becomes
tedious as the shape of the board alone
cannot prevent its tail squirrelling
downwind. Fins are an essential part of
the lateral resistance that we need to
balance the lift from the sail and to
convert it into forward motion. Fins also
provide the directional stability we need to
keep the board on the right track.
How do fins work?
Fins create lift in the same manner as a plane wing or a windsurf sail. A sail pulled in to the correct angle to the wind
(having the right angle of attack) directs the airflow around the windward and leeward side to form low and high
pressure which, in turn, creates lift. This was described in issue two which is now a free resource on the WSUK website
in the Coaching Special.
uk
WIND
SURFING