VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Thanks Johnny Good to know. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. And just to clarify, I'm 6'2 so even more reason to go long.
SB and I will be on the lookout for you

W247, you're obviously not very good at windsurfing, so I think you should just sell all your gear. You'll probably never figure it out anyway!

Hey Ray, Perhaps W247 should 'go to the darkside' and take up kiteboarding with his 'famous beachy wife'....how'd ya like that

This is an interesting discussion with lots of good feedback. Hopefully lots of new sailors (or "stuck in a plateau" old sailors) are also reading this.

On boom height: Going too high will pose control problems in high winds. Generally, you LOWER the boom to get more weight on your feet, especially the front one, in nuke conditions. A higher boom in light air will allow for earlier planing by suspending the sailor more in the rig. I sail a higher boom freestyling a 5.6 in 15 knots than I do sailing a 4.2 in 40 because my control and planing needs are different. I don't think this necessarily conflicts with what Kus is suggesting, since Rob says he is used to a fairly low boom. Guy Cribb echoes this idea:

Dahab, flat water, 10knots, 8.5m Neil Pryde V8, JP X-Cite Ride 135:

In these placid conditions with huge rigs, if a gust did hit you it takes ages to actually
pull you off balance, so sailing with straight arms, legs and body is fine, so long as your
backhand is in the right place, rig upright etc.
My boom has moved up about an inch, naturally taking weight off my feet to improve
early planing.

UK, rough water, 30knots, 4.1m Neil Pryde Combat Wave, JP Radical Wave 65:

In strong winds, rough water or if you’re powered up, get low, sinking down, sticking
your ass out and pointing your elbows down.
Note how my boom height has lowered in these conditions to improve my control.
This helps me get lower down, and naturally increases the weight onto my front foot,
which digs the windward rail in so the board slices through the chop better and
prevents wind from getting under the board (which in these conditions could blow it
out the water!)

Anyway, more food for thought while we wait for the next big SE!

I was enjoying how helpful and polite everyone was being so I decided to go fishing. Looks like I caught one, Sandy Beach. Also I new you would stick up for W247 since he doesn't have as much time on the computer as you! I certainly didn't expect to discourage Rob so much that he would switch.

This is a valuable discussion. I don't have much to add. However, as someone who is re-learning windsurfing after a long absence, I can vouch for much of the advice already given.

Sometimes small adjustments can make a huge difference, particularly in mast base and fin position. Strap position and size too. One 3.5 m day I spent a lot of time playing around with these settings and finally tuned my board and rig so well that I could handle OP 30+ knot conditions with comfort and little effort - and I don't have a lot of upper body strength. The hard part is making oneself come in to the beach and spend time making the adjustments and trying new things. It is amazing to see what different adjustments do, and it is great when you can instantly tell that it is an improvement.

Moving the boom up helped me gain control. I already use long lines. Moving the mast foot forward incrementally helped with spinout and control of a bouncy board in choppy conditions. Oh, and for me (lightweight), using the correct skinny mast for the sail helped me a lot with sail control (even over the the correct SDM). For me the RDMs seem softer, even if they have the same IMCS number. The newish wave sails I have are a vast improvement too.

http://www.pritchardwindsurfing.com/com ... itstart,9/

Check out the Tips video on the page for more info on boom height, line length, downhaul/outhaul adj, footstrap size etc.

In summary, go higher, bigger, and longer

winddoctor....I think you forgot to say ".....or go home" at the end of your statement