I had a great time at Red Cedar Point July 5th, working on steps 9-11 of Dasher's jibe in waist-high flatwater. SW winds reaching upper teens and low 20s drew out two other windsurfers, Glenn and Daniel, who sailed 7.0 and 6.6. I was solidly powered on my 6.2, and often overpowered in meaty, sustained gusts, which were perfect for carving full-force jibes. I blew all duck jibe attempts - the sail kept blowing away from me! I also goofed around with bodydrags, but mostly concentrated on jibes:
Later I sailed across Flanders Bay (good chop for jumps, which would have been sweet with the Naish) to the beach bar just west of the Jamesport Landing. There I saw 70-something Ironman Lou Anderson, who was riding his old-school gear. His sail had at least 2 dozen strips of stickers and tape, but when we sailed back across Flanders Bay, he impressively ripped right along.
After 3 hours I came in for lunch, and then entertained guests through evening. It blew pretty hard all day. Around 6pm I went down to the bay with my friend Jon, and we found Guillermo coming back from a sesh. He had to run to the train station to get his girlfriend ("Dude, call a taxi!"), but said it was still great and that I should be out there. Unfortunately, social activities called and I never got back out (probably too tired for it too!).
3 comments:
just a tip - you, and dasher, are both waiting too long to make your sail flip. you'll never get away with that on a proper wave board - you will stall and sink your tail every time. tilting the mast to prepare the rotation is definitely good - do it sooner, and try to be finished with your business and re-powered by the time you hit 120 degrees. This means start at 90. tilt the mast sooner. flip the sail sooner. bend ze knees. lean forward into the turn. ha ha. a broken record.
Thanks anonymous, that's a great tip. I think the first big hurdle a newbie jiber deals with is leaning more forward into the turn, while the last hurdle is finishing the foot switch and sail flip sooner. The funny thing is hearing these tips a hundred times, and it still not sinking in the noggin until you do it on the water (and often by accident!).
anonymous, you're half right. You're correct about when to flip on "a proper wave board" (ie when to flip in higher winds) but wrong about when Dasher should flip in that clip. If Dasher were to start his flip when he's straight downwind with a sail that big and winds that light, he'd be backwinded. When to flip the sail is a function of apparent wind as much as it is of where you are in the turn.
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