Waterstart from the off?

[Herman]

Considering trying winging but not had a go yet:

Sitting or kneeling on the board to stand up seems awkward to me and I don’t like kneeling. Bearing in mind that I was able to light wind waterstart windsurf boards (holding sail foot and mast etc) a few years back and I am pretty sure I still could; would it be reasonable to start wing foiling without this kneeling or sitting stage by going straight for a traditional waterstart?

PS I realise this would favour a smallish board with straps or at least a front strap.

[adriatic]

would it be reasonable to start wing foiling without this kneeling or sitting stage by going straight for a traditional waterstart?

I would say no, because of the absence of a mast. In windsurf, the leverage from the footmast pressure plays a vital role in waterstarting.
But who knows what the future holds, this sport is in its infancy, hopefully someone will come up with some technique or gadget that improves waterstarting?

[OzBungy]

When you're a beginner starting is a bit of a nuisance because you're not used to the actions. Each step is a bit of a clump thump wobble. Your brain can object to having the wrong foot forward.

With very little practice it becomes a 1-2-3 go action. For me the key was to stop windsurfing (ride out, turn around, fall, ride back, fall off have a rest). I worked out that if my arms were getting pumped then I was doing it wrong. I relaxed, stayed out in the wind zone and just rode. Starting was easy and falls became less. I was making half my foiling gybes.

I say falls because, as an experienced kite foiler, I can't say I've had any moment of ohmygodI'mcrashing (maybe one or two). It's mostly gybe, how do you flip this thing? Wibble. Wobble. Fall in the water. Anyway, it's pretty easy and quite fun.

If you want to do deep water starts, here's a couple of videos.

[ronnie]

Waterstarting a 10 litre board at 7 minutes into this video.

[Herman]

Thanks OzBunny.

It is the method in the second vid I would look to adopt. To me that looks quite doable, but obviously it will require a bit of practice to control and maintain orientation. Looking at the vid he didn't even seem to have to scrunch up that much. Obviously in lighter wind you will have to get your knees up alongside your ears and arms well stretched. That used to be one of my party pieces as a windsurf instructor, demonstrating how little force is required to waterstart if you ball up in the right position.

Adriatic thanks, but mast foot pressure is only vital for windsurfers because their centre of effort is so far rearwards, particularly if you are not fully sheeted in. For a wing, orientation control to the wind is done with your feet as in kite surfing. Problem with the wing is you can't dive it for a big power spike so you need better technique to reduce force required for the roll up.

I am guessing that it would be like a good kitesurfer learning to windsurf on a short board without the uphauling stage maybe even a tad easier because there is no mast foot pressure complicating the issue. Do you think that is a fair assessment??

Thanks again guys. Regards Herman

[slowboat]

That Alan Cadiz video was in a massive amount of wind

[Herman]

Okay, assuming you have the right wing for your size, what wind strength can you waterstart in? My hopeful guess, and it a complete guess, is that from mid F4, 12-14knots, waterstarting should be doable with reasonable technique. If you have to wait for a F6 or 7 to waterstart winging is not for me.

[gmb13]

Considering trying winging but not had a go yet:

Sitting or kneeling on the board to stand up seems awkward to me and I don’t like kneeling. Bearing in mind that I was able to light wind waterstart windsurf boards (holding sail foot and mast etc) a few years back and I am pretty sure I still could; would it be reasonable to start wing foiling without this kneeling or sitting stage by going straight for a traditional waterstart?

PS I realise this would favour a smallish board with straps or at least a front strap.

I would like to posit a different strategy if possible.

What about a short, but high volume board where you can stand up easily and basically "uphaul" the wing to you and start standing?

I can do this very easy on my Indiana 150L (6ft x30) . It is still fun at that length and you will not have an issue with your knees.

--
Gunnar

[Herman]

Thanks Gunnar you obviously know what you are talking about. I guess your uphauling is a pretty slick whip up into the sailing position. Standing up first using the leash as an uphaul to balance against makes a lot of sense to me and would feel more natural to me than holding the wing as you stand. Far more inviting than other techniques I am sold! Can you hire a wing rig on Fuerte?

Thanks again for the advice Gunnar. Regards Herman

PS Your advice gave me a bit of a doh/urika moment with respect to my understanding why people wingsurf!

[gmb13]

Thanks Gunnar you obviously know what you are talking about. I guess your uphauling is a pretty slick whip up into the sailing position. Standing up first using the leash as an uphaul to balance against makes a lot of sense to me and would feel more natural to me than holding the wing as you stand. Far more inviting than other techniques I am sold! Can you hire a wing rig on Fuerte?

Thanks again for the advice Gunnar. Regards Herman

PS Your advice gave me a bit of a doh/urika moment with respect to my understanding why people wingsurf!

Hi Herman,

Both ways work. Holding the Surf (nose) Handle and standing up, or standing up and then using the leash to pull the wing to you (this does not work with unstable wings like the Echo)

I have a shop on Fuerteventura. www.northshorefuerte.com We have Wings, Boards and Foils for rent. I also offer coaching.

--
Gunnar