Putting rear foot on first will kick the tail downwind causing the nose to point upwind.
You say that you can get it set up ready for the waterstart and it sounds like you are doing ok there. When in the ;position ready to go, I push down on the rig and swim with my legs which pushes the nose slightly down wind then throw the sail up and kick like mad with your feet and put front foot on first which will keep the board heading downwind.
I actually do put my rear foot on first now but i learnt doing the above way.
Keep trying - once you learn how it all works it becomes second nature.

Good Luck!

You could write 100's of words on what to do here, and then you'd be thinking all this stuff while you're water starting, bend here, push there, angle this yada yada...
so, and I'm not trying to be rude, here's what/all you need to concentrate on:

Balance.

Repeat this mantra.

Ellobuddha said...

Make sure you board is pointing well downwind from the start.

Do you start with one or two feet on board? Try with both, using your feet to push the front away and pull your heel in and out to keep board in good position.

not sure about this... the most common problem I see with beginner-waterstarting is the "superman stance" -> its where both feet are on the board, legs straight and arms at max extension; they now require a huge gust to get onto the board, at which point the sailor is over-committed and will often go straight over the front.

Pointing the board downwind, helps overcome the superman-stance, but requires extra finesse to feather the power.

The higher the wind the more you may want to point board upwind. In strong wind start with your rear foot in the strap with the front foot up on the board.

only if its howling.... you should (generally) only put the second foot on the board, once you are close to standing upright. It then allows you to put it in the position most likely to help balance the forces. It also allows you to kick (egg-beat) that leg if the wind is light.

MAKE SURE YOU ARENT TRYING TO LEARN TO WATERSTART WITH A LARGE SAIL.

indeed... if you are using a big sail, the wind probably light - in which case, waterstarting requires a bit extra finesse.

As to front-foot-first vs back-foot-first... when its stronger, most guys are back foot. I personally change to front-foot-first when its really light.

As a suggestion to squids original setup...
- Keep the board closer to being directly across the wind (slightly upwind if anything).
- Try putting the mast down the centerline of the board (it helps if boom sits on the back of the board).
- When lifting the mast, pull/rotate it upwind somewhat -> this helps to keep mast-foot pressure, thus keeping the board across the wind.
- Try to keep you hips close to the board, ie: dont stretch your legs to get to the board, rather bring it closer to your body.
- Then try to put one foot right onto the centerline of the board (not close to the wind rail, which is what most beginners do).
- The rest is just balance...

hope this helps...

Squid - try learning the waterstart backwards.

No, seriously..

Get sailing comfortably, shuffle forward on the board (back foot on the centreline between the front straps, or just a tad behind) and then let yourself down into the water. Drop your front leg off the board, and then pop back up onto the board again.

This means that your gear is already in the right orientation, you can be confident that it will work, and you have the choice of how far you let yourself into the water. You can get a feel for the waterstart steering dynamics in a gradual way.

Otherwise, concentrate on staying low - push your (straight) arms up above you in line with your spine, then come forward and in - like you were trying to stick your head through the bottom panel of your sail, right in close to the mast. This will tip your rig foward (to help steer the nose off the wind), will get the most power available from the wind (if it's a bit light), and gives you the best leverage to control everything.

Don't even THINK about anything to do with 'up' until you're in and well over the board!

Ello offers sound advice about feathering/sheeting out a bit as you come over the board - it's really frustrating to go to all the hassle of waterstarting only to end up flung off the other side, and now with all the gear facing the wrong way again! If you stay low, this isn't so likely either..

If you play with the two footed option, be aware that you will go sideways and downwind quite quickly, so you need to not muck about once you put your other foot on the board. The foot that you leave in the water normally acts a bit like a sea anchor, and slows your drift as well as making you a bit more stable.

Maybe you're also putting your back foot on too far back at this stage? Somewhere between, or just behind the front straps works well to start out.

Nice user name

Beach starting in ever increasing depths of water also helps to get the feel of what's required once you start getting hauled out of the water. If you can beach start and bear away straight away then you are pretty close. Lot's of good advice though. I'm a self taught sailor of 14 years and I still pick up hints and tips on the basics of guys off here that are obviously more experienced than me.

Squidlips said...

Hi!

>>>>>

I put my rear foot on the board in preparation to push the sail up and forward, and lift myself- and then this keeps happening:

The board starts heading upwind, and the sail gets blown down wind - which rotates my board so the wind ends up on the wrong side of the sail and me still stuck in the juice!!

>>>

I'm OK with what you're doing, the only thing you're doing wrong is pushing with your back foot instead of pulling it towards you.
I normally put my back foot in the back strap when water starting, I find it makes it much easier to control the board, especially in light conditions.
Not everybody can get on with this technique, but it's worth a try, you may be one of the few who find it really helpful.

My best advice is get yourselve into position, get your backfoot up onto the board, pull in with back hand, and push away with front hand and then try to head butt the mast foot. Good luck, and do`nt give up.