MartinF2 said..
Wonder what Vince used: gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2017-03-19&team=77

I used jp speed 54 neilpryde evo 9 7.0 and zfins 29slm s-

Ian K said..
Used to do strap to strap gybes but when it got choppy I was hopeless. The step gybe is more reliable, has you in a position to compensate if things don't go as planned. The strap to strap then became uncomfortable as I realised that my front foot was still in the strap with the knee almost locked straight. A locked knee is more prone to injury. Any anecdotal evidence to back up my perceived risk of doing strap to strap gybes?

I only learned to carve gybe last August - only on port tack and STS. I often over-rotate and come to a jarring halt after flipping the rig. My left knee now feels "loose". A much as I like the new sensation of staying dry (I just come back in and beach start on the other tack, haha), I think I'm going to have to learn step gybes if only to save my knees. Ironically where I gybe the water is very rough and I can't fathom changing feet first - I just want to make it around. In fact I used to even stay in both straps. Now that's really bad for the knees if you don't plane out, which I almost never do. So I stopped that madness.
FWIW, on a recent clinic with Guy, he told me STS is old school crap and that virtually everyone in the PWA step gybes. I'm sure he meant slalom guys.

vincebel62 said..

MartinF2 said..
Wonder what Vince used: gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2017-03-19&team=77

I used jp speed 54 neilpryde evo 9 7.0 and zfins 29slm s-

Welcome to the forum Vince. What was your technique for the 29+ knot alpha last weekend? 3rd highest ever on GPSTC so you might provide some input for us mortals. Any video's welcome too.

I've been talking to Jacques and think you all need to come visit for a windsurfing holiday.
Cheers
Marty

cad184 said..
When You look at the PWA Slalom racers they always will do a step jibe. Also in heavy sea and stormy wind like Fuerteventura Slalom last Year (40 kts wind) with their 90 l slalomboards. Also the PWA wave sailors do step jibes (when they do not tack ...).
If the STS jibe would be more safe or faster, I am sure all the PWA racers would do it. For me it is obvious that the step jibe ist the way to go. Nice when You are able to do both jibing styles, to adapt to different conditions or just for fun.

That's exactly what Guy told me. I thought he only meant slalom. So I have no excuse now. Yet good freestyle/wave sailors (not PWA level) told me that STS is better in rough water. Yet another high level sailor from a racing background told me "it should not matter, and I can do both, but because I'm heavy, I like the stability of step gybes in the waves, rough water". Go figure. Some say STS for rough water, others step. Maybe it's a weight thing as well. Perhaps STS is easier to get away with at lower weight.
www.windsurf.co.uk/peter-hart-small-but-perfectly-informed/

I was reminiscing about Burrum on previous years and didn't realise i had one of each in my video. sorry about the cheesy tune

I'm finding with my new 80 iSonic it's around the corner and off again before I've got back in my straps after I've step gybed. It's super speedy & I'm a bit slow. Any suggestions how I can speed up on getting in the footstraps process? Especially the back one, sometimes it's really hard to get in to and I'm sure my alpha's will really speed up if only I could keep up with the board. I found the Naish 2004 waveboard the same, it gybed before me

There is some great feedback in this thread, a lot of the subtleties of gybing are coming out. Gybes are always different and that is what makes them so challenging. You have to keep adapting them to the speed and the wind and water state. It is not like practicing a piece of music which is always the same. Keep the feedback coming!

Kazza, I'm with you. I can manage the step gybe as long as I am not going fast. When I am going fast everything happens too quickly and by the time I have stretched my front hand forward and sheeted in, the board is round before I have stepped, and the rig gets ripped out of my hands because I was too late flipping, and swings wildly away because I have not kept it to the inside of the turn because I was going to do a step gybe. Also my back foot is too far back for a STS and because of that my body is not facing forward enough for me to twist sufficiently to catch the rig....
I might have to learn the STS gybe, although it has taken me so long to get the step gybe sorted, the thought of starting again is very daunting.
I do not have a fast twitch muscle fibre in my body, so anything which requires speedy accurate movements is very difficult and comes only after much practice.

Windxtasy said..

sailquik said..

Also, the article linked by MrCranky (above) on lightweight sailors has a lot of very useful and true analysis in it. If you are a lightweight (like me ), read it carefully.

Andrew , if you are a light weight, then what am I At 56 kg?

You are a featherweight!

Happy step gyber here. Use it in rough water, ocean swells, and flat water. Strap to Strap looks like an awkward ankle snapper to me.

sailquik said..
... Done well, it is light footed, like a delicate dance.

That's always a good thing in jibes, STS or step. Being heavy-footed disturbs the board balance and kills speed. Any (additional) tips for how to stay light footed in STS jibes?

sailquik said..

Windxtasy said..
There is some great feedback in this thread, a lot of the subtleties of gybing are coming out. Gybes are always different and that is what makes them so challenging. You have to keep adapting them to the speed and the wind and water state. It is not like practicing a piece of music which is always the same. Keep the feedback coming!

Kazza, I'm with you. I can manage the step gybe as long as I am not going fast. When I am going fast everything happens too quickly and by the time I have stretched my front hand forward and sheeted in, the board is round before I have stepped, and the rig gets ripped out of my hands because I was too late flipping, and swings wildly away because I have not kept it to the inside of the turn because I was going to do a step gybe. Also my back foot is too far back for a STS and because of that my body is not facing forward enough for me to twist sufficiently to catch the rig....
I might have to learn the STS gybe, although it has taken me so long to get the step gybe sorted, the thought of starting again is very daunting.
I do not have a fast twitch muscle fibre in my body, so anything which requires speedy accurate movements is very difficult and comes only after much practice.

sailquik said..
Check out the videos I posted again and see how the rig, leaning into the turn, just floats around with no weight on the sailors arms.
Yes it looks beautiful, but that only works when you have planned to do a STS gybe. If I lean the rig in like that with a step gybe I fall in because both feet, plus the sail is on one side of the board, and it tips.

Windxtasy said..

Yes it looks beautiful, but that only works when you have planned to do a STS gybe. If I lean the rig in like that with a step gybe I fall in because both feet, plus the sail is on one side of the board, and it tips.

Yep!

Windxtasy said..
Kazza, I'm with you. I can manage the step gybe as long as I am not going fast. When I am going fast everything happens too quickly and by the time I have stretched my front hand forward and sheeted in, the board is round before I have stepped,

Try to take a bigger radius to give you more time.
If you watch Slowy he almost slam gybes and the radius is really tight and the gybe super fast, I know because he did one right in front of me yesterday
Come into the Gybe sheeting in with the back hand as you un-hook, step across the board and apply light rail pressure so as you don't turn too sharp, then at about 90 degrees start stepping & flipping as you come out of the turn.
If you come into the gybe on a downwind run then reduce the turn to 45 degrees like PB Col was doing yesterday
The wider arc slows it all down but go in as fast as possible to keep the momentum through the turn.

Interesting discussion with lots of input on gybing. Seems I should concentrate on proper step gybes when on big gear.
Coming from high wind bump & jump, it never occurred to me they were useful until I found that gybing on bigger gear never really felt natural to me.
In really strong winds, that is in Leucate with a 3.0 fully lit, I've even sometimes found myself standing in both front straps at the same time when flipping the sail, especially on slippery boards. Clearly not elegant, it seemed to me the safest way to get around the corner in these conditions. No, there is no footage and I'm not sure I would show anybody if there was.
Good gybing on a rather narrow speedboard can be seen here (Steve Thorp in West Kirby):

and here
vimeo.com ? k4 fins ? Videos

Rolz said..
I was reminiscing about Burrum on previous years and didn't realise i had one of each in my video. sorry about the cheesy tune

What wrong with the music.. love it!