76 COACHING WINDWISE TECHNIQUE
COMMON QUESTIONS
Q. Won’t the tail sink with my back foot towards the tail?
A. It usually means the front arm is too flexed (no opposition), the rig’s sheeted out or the rear leg is too straight.
Exception to the rule
Racers on very wide, parallel, hard railed board, put their rear foot further up the rail for laydown gybes and to
engage sharper rails.
Q. When do I change my feet?
A. Ideally, fractionally after the dead downwind stage of the gybe. The faster you’re going and the more you want
to plane out, the earlier the foot change should be.
Q. When do I rotate the rig?
A. ALWAYS ON BROAD REACH after the foot switch and…..
If you’re planing post Shift & Switch, rotate the rig within a split second of the new front foot hitting the deck.
If you’ve slowed down post switch, remain ‘Clew First’ (meaning, sail on a broad reach with the rig at 90 degrees
to the board), settle and then rotate the sail.
SHIFTING & SWITCHING IN TACKING
Here’s a close up view of the Foot Switch from last issue’s Warrior Tack. It’s virtually identical to the gybe, except
the ‘switch’ happens behind rather than in front. As ever, practice on land and count loud the touch points!
Sail upwind, look briefly forward, rig back
body forward.
uk
WIND
SURFING
Set Up & Touch Point Check First!
TP1. One – Front hand touching boom clamp.
TP2. Two – Front foot wraps right round and ‘feels’ the
mast base.
TP3. Three – Head-Chin on REAR shoulder.