How to play safe?
-- Do I need a floaty floatation device? Or better not so floaty?
-- How do I spot rip current when out there and get separated from the gear?
-- Is it more safe or not to have a leash attached to the board just like surfers do?
-- I guess a helmet is a no brainer since I cannot see the board, mast, and myself when caught in the wave
Safety in wavesailing
3 posts
• Page 1 of 1
amanlig wrote:How to play safe?
-- Do I need a floaty floatation device? Or better not so floaty?
-- How do I spot rip current when out there and get separated from the gear?
-- Is it more safe or not to have a leash attached to the board just like surfers do?
-- I guess a helmet is a no brainer since I cannot see the board, mast, and myself when caught in the wave
1. Extra board volume helps a lot in the beginning. Go smaller for tighter turns as you advance.
2. Regarding rips, it's best to talk to experienced sailors/kiters before hitting the waves.
3. I believe a leash would be dangerous for a windsurfer. Not sure about kiting but I think a re-coiling kiteboard is dangerous.
4. Helmet is a good idea but a PFD/impact vest is a bad idea since you should be underwater to keep clear of your gear when you enter the rinse cycle.
-
Alton - Posts: 7068
- Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 6:09 am
From my fairly brief experience with wave sailing, I learnt two things:
- If you bail whilst riding a wave, make sure you bail "offshore" of your board, so that when the wave swallows you and the kit you have less chance of taking a fin or board to the head. This is relevant for when you're getting "out the back" too, and you're caught slugging towards a breaking wave due to low wind. Try to position the equipment in such a way that it's the least likely to break, and bail away from it. Staying on the board riding towards the wave until the last minute and then bailing to the side can allow the mast to still be upright as the wave hits, reducing the surface area and likeliness that the wave will destroy your kit.
- If you bail during a big jump, try to hold onto the kit for as long as possible before ejecting. If you eject at the peak of the jump, the recovery swim is longer and there's more chance of you getting hit by other water users and your equipment getting wrecked by other sets.
For dealing with rip currents, your best bet, as Alton said, is just to talk to locals who know the spot and figure things out like that.
I would never use a leash for wave sailing with windsurfing equipment, that's just asking for trouble. Surfers can use leashes in heavy surf because the surfboard alone doesn't pull much, and surfaces efficiently. Windsurfing kit will pull much much harder if swallowed by a wave, and the drag of the sail won't allow the equipment to surface efficiently, meaning you could get held down.
I've got the Winner to Wavesailor DVD that covers almost all aspects of wave sailing in good detail. Let me know if you'd like to borrow it!
- If you bail whilst riding a wave, make sure you bail "offshore" of your board, so that when the wave swallows you and the kit you have less chance of taking a fin or board to the head. This is relevant for when you're getting "out the back" too, and you're caught slugging towards a breaking wave due to low wind. Try to position the equipment in such a way that it's the least likely to break, and bail away from it. Staying on the board riding towards the wave until the last minute and then bailing to the side can allow the mast to still be upright as the wave hits, reducing the surface area and likeliness that the wave will destroy your kit.
- If you bail during a big jump, try to hold onto the kit for as long as possible before ejecting. If you eject at the peak of the jump, the recovery swim is longer and there's more chance of you getting hit by other water users and your equipment getting wrecked by other sets.
For dealing with rip currents, your best bet, as Alton said, is just to talk to locals who know the spot and figure things out like that.
I would never use a leash for wave sailing with windsurfing equipment, that's just asking for trouble. Surfers can use leashes in heavy surf because the surfboard alone doesn't pull much, and surfaces efficiently. Windsurfing kit will pull much much harder if swallowed by a wave, and the drag of the sail won't allow the equipment to surface efficiently, meaning you could get held down.
I've got the Winner to Wavesailor DVD that covers almost all aspects of wave sailing in good detail. Let me know if you'd like to borrow it!
- AdrienGrelon
- Posts: 1062
- Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 3:17 pm
3 posts
• Page 1 of 1