While we can learn to hoist the sail with really small boards, it is very tricky and wobbly as the boards will sink more and more as they get smaller. Instead, it is much easier to learn the start of the water when we start windsurfing with boards around 140 liters.
The water outlet itself is basically a beach outlet but without having any ground under our feet as a reference point from which to control the board. In other words, we will have more difficulties in positioning the equipment during and during the start in the water than in the start on the beach. However, the technique remains the same: lean our body as much as possible over the board so that the glider is as vertical as possible and the center of weight is as close as possible to the center line of the board.
Lifting the sail out of the water
To use our energies most efficiently, we must use technique rather than force when lifting the sail out of the water. Our goal is to position the equipment so that the wind does the heavy lifting for us. The sail must be with the mast at 90º or less to the wind and the board at 90º to the mast pointing into the wind.
Now we swim into the wind with the mast until the sail lies flat on the water. Do not raise the mast before then, as the head of the sail will get stuck in the water and either sink it again or knock it out of your hands and capsize it. Once the top half of the boom is completely out of the water, we can begin to raise the mast about 12 inches above the water using the wind to lift it all the way. Constant pressure is key since if we try to lift it by pulling it up, it will not come out because the water will not have had time to drain.
As soon as the sail is completely out of the water we can lift it above our head and start to position the board.
Team positioning
As in the departure from the beach, we must press and/or pull the foot of the mast. However, since we cannot use our feet on the ground as a reference point, we must use a second point of contact with the equipment so that we can lift the equipment into the correct position. The front hand should be on the boom and the rear hand should also be on the boom or on the back of the board (the foot strap will also work). This way we can lift the board into position.
board position
Once the board is positioned within beam reach, trending slightly downwind (if the board is too far upwind the wind won’t pick us up but just blow along the surface of the sail), we we prepare to do the actual waterstart.
the beginning of the water
Our rear foot should be placed on the board between the front and rear foot straps. It is important that we only support it and not push the board, as this would cause the board to lift in the wind.
As we put the foot down, we should press the neck foot through the neck with the lead hand. To facilitate this task, we can raise the boom with the rear hand in the same axis of the mast but upwards (do not push the boom upwards as the wind will push the sail downwards but pull towards the tip of the mast so that the angle of attack of the candle does not change). This is all to ensure that the board stays on the right course.
Now we do three things that if done simultaneously and keeping the board heading will result in the glider lifting us:
– Keep the front arm straight to hoist the sail as much as possible, thus presenting the maximum sail area to the wind.
– Bring our body closer to the board (bend your knees, don’t keep your legs straight!)
– Lean our shoulders forward reduce our body’s counterweight as much as possible (ie put the glider upright and bring our body’s center of weight onto the board).
Once we have got our body over the board we unfurl the sail (so as not to fall over on the other side) and stand up on the board, ready to lean back and prepare to start planing.