Yeah good point... I dunno, try not falling in! This winter my aim is too nail every gybe and therefore not fall in!!!

Are you ment to water start into your straps, ive seen it done... It looks a bit sketchy!?

The ones I've seen have been a run, jump/sheet in, and then land with feet straight into the straps just after a piece of foam has passed, and then plane away from the beach. A short fin, plenty of wind, and letting the rig carry your weight so that you're light on your feet seem to be key.

Water starting in the straps is very possible - some days it's even necessary! If you do it with insufficient wind, it will be sketchy and slower to get going than if you'd done an ordinary 'out of the straps' waterstart. If it's really blowing though, and you have tonnes of spare power, then it can be quicker, and definitely more controlled to pop up already in the straps. All you have to do then is hook in and go.

I think good beach starts are about momentum (not sure about running unless theres a gust coming and you want to get on to it) - if you beachstart with a moving board with a powered up sail balance is easier - you can sheet in and head off from the beach pretty smoothly. Static beach starts where you jump on before your moving seem harder than powered up moving starts.

A good way to practice is having to beach start in a decent shorebreak - you soon learn to get it happening fairly quickly as getting snotted repeatedly is not fun.

As far as waterstarting in the straps I occaisionally do it when I am severley overpowered and it's a lot easier than you think - you just don't put too much weight through the back foot or you'll point the nose straight up wind and you push the boom a little further forward as you sheet in to lift out of the water.

back when Robbie was the king of slalom on the world cup circuit one thing that seperated him from the herd was his ability to start so quickly from the short beach run to the water where they dropped their gear and took off. Robbie was just so good at having his gear positioned perfectly and then throwing it out in front of him into the water in a fluid motion and then jumping on, giving a quick couple of pumps and wooshka, he was gone leaving everyone else basically trailing in his wake. I have tape of him at one of the Sony Internationals held at Long Reef where he literally gaps people by 50m in such a short amount of time it's not funny. The ONLY person that ever got close was Robert Teritehau and that was only cause Robbie blew a gybe!!
Willy it is partly sheer ability but basically it's just a lot of practice. I certainly have found I can drop my gear and jump on and take off no problems now but then I've been sailing for about 25 years. Experience and practice will have you doing it like a pro in no time I'm sure.

yep just get up speed so the board doesnt sink.. much easier with a fair bit of wind.
its mailnly all just balance.

Having said that i recently screwed this up royally in front of a mate and hit a sandbar ended up on the sail... i think he crashed becasue he was laughing so hard at me..

I'm going to try a running start or two tonight. Looks like 20ish knots here, so should be good.

I usually carry my gear on my head/shoulder so that the tail of the board is sitting on my shoulder, and the sail is supported mainly by the board, a hand on the mast, and a little by my head. We have a sucky little shorebreak - it doesn't look like much, but it's got a mean undertow.

Carrying my gear like that (apart from being quite gust proof, and working with everythng from wave to freeride kit) lets me flick the tail of the board off my shoulder while already having my front hand on the mast just below the boom. I've been caught out more than once when putting the whole lot down on the water (ala Decrep) by the leach getting sucked under by the outgoing mush.

I found that the sail on head, hand on back footstrap method was prone to trying to turn me around (cross-off wind), and the twisting force on my knees wasn't the best.

Decrep - you could try carrying the board and sail on the same side with the front strap and mast in your front hand, and boom in your back hand. Then you can drop the strap, lift the mast up and into wind while grabbing the useful side of the boom with your front hand, and you'd be away without needing to put the sail down. My old man does it this way, and he reckons it's easier than coordinating putting the sail on his head. It is still easier in my book to carry the weight any real distance on your head/shoulder.

555 said...

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Decrep - you could try carrying the board and sail on the same side with the front strap and mast in your front hand, and boom in your back hand. Then you can drop the strap, lift the mast up and into wind while grabbing the useful side of the boom with your front hand, and you'd be away without needing to put the sail down. My old man does it this way, and he reckons it's easier than coordinating putting the sail on his head. It is still easier in my book to carry the weight any real distance on your head/shoulder.

Yeah, that makes sense I'll have to give it a try.
Thanks

P.C_simpson said...

Well i must look way cool then na if your on a small wave board, the running start helps get the little beasts going off the beach. it's simple to do, just take 2 steps like you want to take off (just think of superman as he takes off) sheet in and jump foward and onto the board.

2 steps? But which foot goes first? Which foot leaves the ground first when you jump? Which foot lands on the board first? You have to understand that some of us are incapable of thinking for ourselves...