Step 2 - Starting to sail

This session should take at least 30 minutes. Uphauling is very tiring, so stop before you are too tired to get back to the dock.

1. Carry the board and then the rig down to the dock. Look in the yellow winsurfing book for suggestions on how to do this most easily.
2. Mount the rig on the board, making sure the loop at the end of the uphaul is around the mast before stepping it on the universal.
3. Place the board in the water and paddle away from the dock area to avoid collisions. Make sure the centerboard is down.
4. Uphaul the sail and hold the uphaul at the knot at the boom.
5. Turn the board until it is facing away from the seawall and is perpendicular to the sail (i.e. perpendicular to the wind). Use the methods described in step 1.

   If the wind is from the west, the board will be facing south and your right hand will be towards the front of the board. This is your forward hand. Your other hand is the aft or sheet hand.

6. Hold the uphaul with your aft hand.
7. With your forward hand, reach over your aft hand and grab the boom near the mast on the side of the sail towards the back of the board.
8. With your forward hand (the one on the boom) pull the boom over to your forward shoulder. The mast should be about vertical. You can let go of the uphaul. This is a relatively stable position.
9. Reach out along the boom with your aft hand. In one motion, tilt the rig towards the front of the board while pulling the boom in with your aft hand.

   At this point, a number of things could happen, depending on how strong the wind is, how heavy you are, how big the sail is and a few other factors.

   • If the wind is very light, you will have to hold the rig up.
   • If the wind is heavy, the wind in the rig will hold you up. This means you will have to lean back and let the boom support your weight. It will take practice to learn how to balance. You will fall a lot:
     • In the beginning you will probably not lean back far enough, and the sail will pull you off the board. You will fall onto the sail.
     • After a while you will probably lean a bit too much and the sail will not hold you. You will fall backwards into the water.
   • Finally, you will successfully sheet in the sail without falling. At this point the board will start moving forward. If you are like most people, the board will turn up into the wind, the sail will fill on the backside and will push you into the water.

     You control the direction of the board the same way you did in step 1: tilt the mast towards the end of the board which you want to move away from the wind. Therefore,

     • to head up into the wind, tilt the mast towards the back of the board.
     • to fall off away from the wind, tilt the mast towards the front of the board.

       NOTE: Normally the mast will be tilted towards the front of the board to sail a straight course, so tilt the mast towards the back of the board really means don't tilt the mast as far towards the front of the board.

     When you uphaul and start sailing the mast will need to be tilted towards the front of the board. To keep from being thrown from the board, try tilting the mast further forward.

10. Once you're sailing, tilt the mast toward the front or back of the board as needed to keep the board from turning.
11. Once you're stable, step towards the back of the board with your aft foot, and move your forward foot behind the universal so both feet are aft of the universal. You will have to control the tilt of the mast as you do this, or the board will turn into the wind and you'll be pushed backwards into the water. You are now in the normal sailing position.
12. Sail on a beam reach for a while. When you get towards the end of the novice area. release the boom with your aft hand and grab the uphaul with that hand. Now turn the board around as in step 1 and sail back in the other direction.
13. Practice sailing on a slightly close reach and a slightly broad reach.

    As with a sailboat, you want the sail as far out as it will go without luffing (the sail luffs when the wind hits the wrong side of the front of the sail). Trim the sail by letting it out until it starts luffing and then pulling it in so it stops. Do this on the different points of sail.

    If you get hit by a gust, you have to sheet out the sail quickly to keep from being pulled off the board and onto the sail. In order to do this, instead of letting out the boom with your aft hand, try pulling the mast to windward with your forward hand. This accomplishes the same thing with much less motion.

14. Once you're comfortable with this maneuver, sail the board back to the dock. You will probably be too tired to continue, and you'll do much better if you don't try to proceed until you've had at least one night's sleep. Start on step 3 another day, or just repeat this session until you are comfortable with it.