I used to have problems getting upwind. Cribby's course made a big difference.

Firstly, wave boards sail upwind better if you depress the windward rail. This holds the board in the water and gives it some waterline - otherwise you're right on the tail and the thing goes sideways.

Second, the rig should be upright ie the boom front end should be above or forward of the mast foot. This gets you more power. When the rig is upright like this the harness lines will lift up meaning....

Third, sit down into the harness so that all of your weight it going down through the lines (which should be long - 28"). Getting your weight very low and forward means that you end up on the sides of your feet in the footstraps - with your knees forward of your feet (your back knee should be in line with your front foot)

Kit wise - sails go upwind if they have a fine entry and a tight ish leech (because the apparent wind doesn't vary so much over the height of the sail when you go upwind). This tends to favour more outhaul in relation to downhaul - remember that taking downhaul off will effectively give you more outhaul tension . The worst sails for going upwind have knuckly entries and leeches that drag.

You shouldn't need a big sail and you don't need a big fin either. I can stay upwind on a fanatic skate in margin winds using a 28cm fin. Big kit can get you upwind but you won't actually enjoy sailing across or downwind nor will you be able to sheet in properly when you enter gybes.

Gestalt said...

well said ginger pom.

Thank you

TristanF said...

ginger pom said...


Second, the rig should be upright ie the boom front end should be above or forward of the mast foot. This gets you more power. When the rig is upright like this the harness lines will lift up meaning....

This suggests to me that having the mast foot too far forward will actually create problems, as it will result in the mast tilting back, making it hard to keep it upright. Is this right, Ginger Pom?

Difficult to say really. I don't think moving the mast forward or back an inch or two will have an appreciable effect on the rake of the rig in a given stance.

Unless the track is too far forward in the board - ie an old board, then it shouldn't effect it.

Far more important is the leverage that the mast foot position gives you in terms of mast foot pressure. An extra inch forward means more leverage to hold the nose down and keep the waterlength long - this is especially important going upwind.

This picture isn't great to be honest because I'm running out of wind coming ashore at Green point (Vic location for ****ty northerlies) but I've got my body forward to desperately try to maintain speed...