32 COACHING FUNDAMENTALS
Disclaimer…if you are looking for information about varied
setups to suit waves, freestyle, extremes of wind, downwind
slalom, upwind formula racing etc. then that’s not what is
happening here. If, however, you are up for getting started
with the general basics of freeride board and rig setup for
planing (with rotational sails) – even though you have
previously not really been too bothered about it – then you
are cordially invited to read on…
I am going to look at:
• Downhaul
• Outhaul
• Boom height
• Mast foot position
Part 2 of this article will cover:
• Harness lines
• Footstraps
• Fins
Who is in charge, you or the kit?
Back in September, during the wonderful wind of Storm Ali, I
rigged a new 4.7. I pulled on a standard amount of downhaul
yet I had the feeling that I perhaps should have opened the
extension up 1-click more (to get even more downhaul on) as
the wind was increasing. I ignored my instinct in case the wind
dropped back yet, from the moment I hooked in and sped
away from the shore, I realised just how windy it really was.
There was simply too much power at the top and the leech
was not opening up enough – which was pulling me into an
upright body position – which was making me sheet out –
which was making the board bounce. Everything about it felt
bad and all the bad stuff could be traced back to the source:
not enough downhaul. After just one reach I landed on
another shore and struggled in the buffeting winds to remove
the rig and re-tune my kit without it blowing away. Back out on
the water the sail felt perfect and I relaxed into a great session
where the balanced kit worked exactly as it should do.
Has this ever been you: being pulled onto your toes with your
bum sticking out for ballast, a bouncing board, tense body,
teeth gritted Wallace-and-Grommit-style and worried that
your skill set has fallen apart at the seams? Well, there’s
actually a reasonable chance that those kind of experiences
were down to incorrect setup of kit and not lack of talent. So
keep calm and carry on tuning…
Below: Storm Ali: well- tuned kit can facilitate
awesome sessions
uk
WIND
SURFING
A place to start
Using the printed settings on the sail or sail bag is a good
place to start but the settings shown for mast extensions and
boom lengths may need adjusting slightly especially if you
are using a melting pot of different ages and brands of
masts, sails, booms and extensions. Once you have found
the perfect setting for your extension and boom on a
particular sail why not write this in permanent marker on the
side of your plastic box that holds all your mastfeet,
extensions, tools etc. in your vehicle. This will help you to rig
like a ninja and enjoy more time on the water.
The guide below is, of course, designed to help you to rig well.
However, if you want to see what a badly rigged sail looks like
then by all means go ahead and try it. I often work with
students who are not too sure what a well-rigged or badly-
rigged sail looks like. So I gather them around a rig and let a
load of downhaul off and pull on way too much outhaul. They
can then see first-hand how the main power source of the sail
(radiating from the boom cutout) is saggy and ineffective, the
battens are too far forward of the mast to rotate and the leech
is so flat and tight that the exhaust is effectively choked. Once
they have imagined the nightmare of windsurfing using this sail
I can work from there by correctly tuning the sail bit by bit to
get everything perfect. Seeing both ends of the scale can be
an effective learning tool.
Above: Outhauling should be done carefully. If you feel
the need to put a foot on the boom- end when
outhauling then you either need more downhaul or
maybe your mast is incompatible/too stiff