Feb 25 - No more windsurfing for a while...

Yesterday, Friday Feb 24 I was diagnosed with tumor behind my right eye. The hopeful diagnosis is psuedotumor orbitalis which is benign but without diagnostic equipment not available on Bonaire, the doctor can not be sure. Therefore, we are returning to Oregon next week. My Oregon GP is going to refer me to the Casey Eye Institute at OHSU in Portland. The good news is that a psuedotumor orbitalis is supposed to respond very favorably to Prednison and after only one dose my bulging eye is returning back to its’ normal depth in the eye socket and my vision has returned to normal.

 

We will stay in Oregon until the Fall since the trip from Bonaire now takes over 48 hours elapsed time (because of the pets). 

Feb 19 - stance tuning

3470km

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO 5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake carbon slalom 38, JP Magic Ride 118, Ride 40. Wind: 10G13 knots E

I knew the wind would be marginal but since it had been a week without a decent session, I was ready to give it a shot. First run was on the iSonic, managed to get a run across at about 21 knots. Slogged back and switched the iSonic for the Magic Ride and gave it a go. Same basic results and essentially the same speed. Not really surprising since the MR, although 6 cm wider, the width is farther forward than on the iSonic where it really isn't too useful. Waited a while then tried it again with the iSonic. Wind was a little stronger and was able to plane in both directions. 

Observation:

Last Sunday, as I mentioned, I sailed briefly 'with' Taty Frans. I had plenty of time this past week to contemplate why he is so much faster than I am, besides the obvious that he is a Pro and more skilled. But WHAT was he doing since we were on essentially equivalent rigs. To answer that I spent time reviewing the video I took of Taty and reviewing some videos that were taken of me. There were some obvious differences in our stances, which to some will likely be a 'well duh' response. Taty was much closer to the water, legs almost parallel to the water and his mast was tilted much more to windward, maybe 10 degrees off vertical where mine was basically vertical. This difference is significant to me in that I thought I was sailing much lower than I really was. My hypothesis is that this stance off-loads some of his weight from the board and the weight is carried by the sail as it is 'flying' him. I have noticed that it is not just Taty, but most of the really fast sailors here have variations of this stance. 

So, even with the light wind, I tried to mimic the lower stance. While Chatty Cathy wasn't impressed enough to significantly alter her speed pronouncements, what I noticed was an increase in stability in the slight wind gusts. This makes sense. A week ago, every gust seemed to push me a little more vertical, which I had to fight. I suspect that with this stance I'll just 'fly' a little more in the gusts. Sadly, I'm just now finally doing what Taty told me to do a year ago. I thought I was following his advice but the videos told a different story. On the plus side, I have learned a lot about slalom board control in the last year and am comfortable going faster in chop.

For Bonaire, I think this new stance will work well for me. For the Gorge, I'm not convinced that it makes sense due to the much bigger chop/swells, which might create control issues for me. As Roo says, a good sailor has to adapt to the conditions...

Unfortunately, the next decent wind is a week away - the learning experiences are coming slowly for now. 

I commented:
Regarding 'stance for Gorge': I just finished watching some of the Fuerteventura PWA Slalom 2016 races which had 'big winds' and big chop with the Pros all sailing at their power limits. Sure enough, they all were in a more upright sailing stance than what I recorded for Taty on Bonaire. Adapt for the conditions...

Roo commented:

There's a limit to how low you can go in the swell and chop in the Gorge. I prefer to drop the boom and stay low without my bum smacking the chop. With bigger sails and flat water you can crank over even further.

I commented:

Roo, Roger that! The 'bum smack' was part of what I felt would be a 'control issue'  .

Assuming mast sleeve openings are somewhat similar between sail brands, your boom height is very similar to what I am presently using, and comfortable with, here on Bonaire.

Looking forward to some decent practice sessions here on Bonaire so I will be better prepared to attempt to chase you around on the water this Spring/Summer . I'm going to purchase a dry suit to eliminate my 'cold water aversion' which caused me to tense up last year and not properly 'go for it'...

Peter commented:
Barton, that was a good observation about Taty's stance! Both Nina and I played around with it today, and liked it a lot. GPSLogit announcements seemed to go up by a knot or two everytime I got down into "Taty stance". It also made it a lot easier for me to keep the front leg straight, which I otherwise can only do when fully powered, or for a short time, and to close the gap. We did not have great conditions today (planed maybe 30 minutes in 4 hours on the water), but we will try again next time. 

I commented:

Peter, good to know that I'm not just 'talking to myself', and Roo, with my postings, although mostly I'm just writing to reinforce/remember what I thought I learned, and am providing a place for me to refresh my memory in 6 months when I've forgotten it . 

Glad to know that GPSLogit showed some difference, and this observation may improve the comfort of your stance. I was only able to get a couple of short trials which were not conclusive. We may get some wind again on Saturday or Sunday...

Regarding the 'Taty Stance': the day it really struck me what he was doing differently was a day or so after I took the video. Taty was out just as I arrived at the beach, and before the wind died. He made a couple of runs close to the beach doing laydown jibes and was in 'Full Taty Stance' and FULLY powered. His stance was even closer to the water than in the video and it was very clear that he was approaching 'lift off' just before initiating his jibe. Unfortunately, he wasn't wearing his GPS as I would have loved to look at that track - he was smoking fast for the wind conditions ... [maybe not as SCARY fast as Roo in the chop at Waterfront Park, but still impressive ]

I commented:
[May 21]
Just finished a very interesting FB message chat with Taty Frans (he is in Costa Brava Spain for the PWA Slalom race). I was amazed he spent the time to immediately answer my questions regarding stance/harness lines. Here are his thoughts...

• About the chops hitting my body it's a fact that it could happen but i always adjust my body position depending on the conditions
• And if I am sailing in windy conditions with bigger chops 30 inch or even 32 inch lines
• For flat water - 28 or 30, depending on sail size. His general rule is : everything from 7.0 and smaller is 30 inch, bigger then 7.0 is 28 inch
• He said I could use 28
• Longer lines gives you more space to play with your body position and adjust your body stance while sailing
• In the past when I was with Maui Sails I was using only 30 inch lines and I like it still do prefer long lines
• The reason for longer lines is because then you are more far from the sail
• The shorter the lines the more upright you are on the board, so every chop you encounter you will feel it directly and you will be moving constantly and will be slowing down unless you are committed.
• 28 inch lines will be good enough for you. Then you can try 26 vs 28, But it depends on the conditions if you need 26 or 28 inch lines. You should use 28 in choppy, And 26 in the lake. All pro do use longer lines in choppy.
• Taty says he does NOT change boom height, it stays the same while he is changing the line lengths.

Feb 14

3459km

Bonaire Lac Bay, NP EVO5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake carbon slalom 38. Wind: 12 and dropping

This afternoon the wind was a little too mellow. Got one run across the bay and a slog back. 4PM wind bump failed to materialize...

Spent some time inspecting the sail after I realized that the Mylar in the bottom panel had a 2 inch split. Found another split in the panel above the boom. I knew the Mylar was getting brittle, but was not prepared for this rapid deterioration. Looks like I'll be investigating repaneling this sail or springing for something new/newer... 

Roo commented:

Just use some Mylar repair tape, should keep it together for the rest of the season. Looks like ARooBar could turn on for the next 2 days here, hopefully the freezing rain doesn't close the freeway to get there. Been 3 months since I sailed, hope i remember how to do it.

I commented:

I taped the splits this afternoon. I have no problem taping the sail, until the Mylar disintegrates to the point that the sail panels are mostly tape . A friend here does sail repair (Mylar panel replacement) so I have a local repair source as long as he has the correct thickness Mylar. The question will be at what point it makes more sense to replace the sail than to repair all the panels. Might be kind of fun to have something like a new Sailworks NX on the water here considering that almost all the race sails here are hand-me-down-from-the-pros, or the Pro's newest Gaastra Vapors and Severne Reflexes. Only one other person using NP EVOs, and EVO5 at that. 

The wind looks to be slightly improving here for the next couple of days. I'll try to 'do good' so the Speedsters can get some numbers on the board .

Enjoy your sessions! Be slow and safe getting there and then rip it on the water. Your 'muscle memory' is so entrenched that you could do it in your sleep!

Feb 12 - sailing 'with' Taty

3457km

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake carbon slalom 38. Wind: 15G17 ENE

Fun day today. Today was the day that I got a qualitative answer to the question of how much of speed is equipment and how much is skill. Equipment is necessary but a large percentage is clearly skill. Taty Frans was out on his 2017 iSonic 107 and Gaastra Vapor 7.9. Just the two of us on the water and he and I did some laps together, or rather I should say that he was lapping me while testing his gear . It was fun to have a few head-to-head drag races (didn't last long...) and then to sail behind him as he disappeared into the distance. I got an up-close-and-personal view of his sailing style. Clearly, I have no excuses except lack of skill since we had roughly the same equipment and when he was blasting past me we had the same water and wind conditions. I'm not a good judge of closing or opening speeds but would guess that most of the time he was approaching ten knots (maybe more) faster than I was when we were doing the beam reaches. And we won't even discuss my jibing humiliation  . One thing that I noticed was that after a jibe, he would stop and look at his upper right arm (GT31) to evaluate his run. After the session, when I mentioned GPSLogit and the speed chat feature and waterproof Bluetooth earbuds, he was initially surprised and then very interested. We will see if anything comes of it.  I showed him my GW60 and expect him to have one very soon . 

Feb 11

3425km

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO6 7.0, iSonic 107, Drake carbon slalom 38. Wind: 15G19 ENE

Weird wind today. Rain squall came through half way through my session time - messed up the wind for too long...

Little-By-Little: on the positive side, my alpha speed is slowly approaching the speeds I recorded last year in stronger winds on my Gorge Gear, so maybe I'm starting to get used to the slalom/race equipment.

Windxtasy commented:

I applaud your regular dedicated practice. You will achieve your goals with that attitude.

I commented:

Thanks Anita! I have found that I have to do regular practice sessions limited to a couple of hours a day. I found the slalom/race gear to be much more taxing on this 69 year old body than the 'cruising Gorge Gear' and my body just can't handle what it did 30 years ago. I suppose I could do the 'gym thing' to really get in shape but, hey, I'm lazy and retired. 

Roo commented:
Keep at it Barton, you're becoming a machine. Muscle memory is the key to nailing jibes, once your body gets used to doing good ones it gets easier to replicate. Getting your feet sorted is critical, try and keep them out on the rail after the switch so the board keeps turning and creating lift so the speed stays up.

I commented:

Thanks Roo, the encouragement helps! 

I have been attempting to use the tip that Eddy Patricelli gave me which is:

If I were to put on my instructor cap, I'd recommend switching your feet sooner in the jibes. Pivot and step sooner -- staying down. It's tough to do, largely because the sensation of carving feels so good you don't want to disrupt it. But my $.02 on planing out of jibes consistently, with lightening fast, easy, magical, non-taxing sail flips, requires the foot switch to come early. Initiate the carve, get low, and as you approach dead downwind, pivot and step staying low.

For the pivot and step, it helps me to pretend as if I'm taking my front foot's heel and stepping on my back foot's big toe. For a split second, it resembles a ballet plie. Doing so ensures your weight stays on the carving rail as your feet switch. 

Done well, the jibe ends on a broad reach on the new tack and - this is important - at full speed. It's that full speed part that makes the sail flips easy. You're running with the wind, often matching or exceeding its speed. The sail rotates easily in this dynamic. No more awkward sail flips that require recovering and muscling that depletes energy. You grab it, drop down -- hanging down on the boom as the battens rotate, and shazam! You move for the straps with energy to spare and yeah, put into your next PR!

Feb 10 - Taty Frans laydown jibe video

* 

3411km

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake carbon slalom 38. Wind: 14G17 knots ENE

Back to mellow winds. Winds too much out of the north for any mangrove speed runs. Jibes getting more consistent but still apparently not comfortable leaning as far forward as required to do the laydown. Most jibes probably still more like 50 - 60 degree angle with the water. On the other hand, the alpha speed shows that some of the jibes are at least working as well as my old style jibes. 

Taty Frans was on the water today testing out his new Starboard iSonic 127 and Gaastra Vapor 7.9. Here is a short video I took so I could analyze his stance and laydown jibe techniques: https://youtu.be/0DBja5_gEO4

Feb 9

3388km

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO6 7.0, iSonic 107, Drake carbon slalom 38. Wind: 18G21 knots ESE

Another workout day. Wind direction was back to 'normal' and with the 107/38 board/fin I had no issues pointing to get to where I wanted to go. The southerly run was still bouncier than I prefer, but better than yesterday. Got a 28.9 max speed but the gust wasn't big enough to hold it for two seconds. Given the conditions, I'm satisfied with the today's numbers as I felt pretty much on the edge during the speed runs and I think the jibes are progressing.

Little-by-Little: Today was a PB for the 7.0 sail for 5x10 speeds by 0.35 knots and my third fastest 5x10.

Tide was a little higher than yesterday so ventured some speed runs into the mangrove. Had one fast run in followed with a nice jibe - I know I must have been dragging weeds for a while but the run in speed and jibe speed were fast enough to slough off the weeds by the time I hit blue water. Felt good  and turned out to be today's Alpha jibe. In analyzing the 'mangrove jibes' in GPSResults, if I had tightened up the jibe exit that was used for my NM, that was the fastest jibe of the day and would have been the Alpha jibe. My jibe focus today in the mangrove shallows was on getting the sail down using Roo's tips and keeping the board balanced when switching feet using some tips from Eddy Patricelli from Big Winds (in the Gorge). It is a good feeling when it all comes together. Now to do it without the weed anchor .

The jibes at the end of the southerly speed run didn't happen. First jibe was biffed when I was startled by snorkeler - had never seen anybody in that area before. Fortunately, not a close encounter but is messed with my concentration and timing. Biffed some other jibes as well so I would have an excuse to float in the water, rest, and practice clearing the race sail. Guess I need more Cheerios...

Feb 8

3364km

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO6 7.0, iSonic 90, MFC KP-RC 36 Wind: 19G22 knots ENE

Got a late start today but that was OK because it didn't take long for me to get worked over by the chop and the gustier winds.

The bay had a different personality today. Add 5 knots of wind with gusts and change the wind angle slightly and my mellow sailing spot became decidedly more feisty. My normally 'slightly choppy' southerly speed run now had washboard chop - no coasting here... The northerly cant to the wind, different board and fin, and beating into some rather large chop made it difficult for me to point high enough to get to my desired mangrove shallows area which was packed with freestylers anyway. This meant only one run into the shallows (first run when tide was barely high enough).

The 36 cm fin solved the spin-out issue from yesterday. Next time we have similar wind I may plug the Drake 38 cm fin in and see if that improves upwind pointing,

From a 'numbers' standpoint, even though the wind was stronger, the increased chop cancelled any speed hopes I had for today. As Roo is fond of saying, 'HTFU Princes Mangrove', and he is correct. Today started to remind me of the Gorge on a mellow day - boy do I have some work ahead of me before I'm 'Gorge competent' .

Roo commented:

I'd call that progress Princess M. You are starting to read the wind and water conditions to understand how to sail them. Now it's time to start tuning for the conditions, every day is different. When it's choppy add more downhaul to get the upper portion of the sail offloading so you can stay sheeted in and loaded up, that's the fast way through chop. You also need a bit more fin in chop so you don't get bounced into spinout. I prefer big sail small board in nasty stuff.

Feb 7

3349km
Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO6 7.0, iSonic 107, Drake carbon slalom 38, iSonic 90, MFC-KP 34 and 36. Wind: 17G20, 19G22 knots.

Today the wind was a little weird. When I arrived it was 17G20 so rigged the 7.0 and was looking forward to using the iSonic 90 as a change of pace since I've been on the iSonic 107 for the last 2-3 weeks. Got a good run across and said 'H*ll with the low tide' and did a mangrove run, which worked except for the weeds on the fin and then made one southerly run... but then the wind started to die off to about 15 knots or less so I limped back to the launch area. After a rain squall passed to the north, I switched to the 107. Had some good runs on it then the wind picked back up to the 19G22 range. Switched back to the iSonic 90 but I struggled in the gusts because the fin (34 cm as recommended for a 7.0 on the 90L board) was breaking loose in the chop. Came back in, plugged the 36 cm fin in and had a few good runs before I had to call it a day. Guess I must sail extra heavy on the fin...

Observations: to no one's surprise, the NP EVO6 7.0 was easier to attempt to lay down in the jibes and the iSonic 90 could carve tighter turns than the 107. Unfortunately, with the low tide and the mangrove area clogged up with freestylers, getting a good jibe run over there without cutting off, crashing into, or otherwise annoying the freestylers made jibing practice there a little dicey. On the southerly runs I admit to being, dare I say it, 'lazy' and coasting into the jibes as a way to relax as the iSonic 90 was definitely twitchier than the 107 and required more concentration to keep it in control, especially with the 34 cm fin.

Forecast for tomorrow looks as good as or better than today. Will attempt an earlier launch time so I can get a more robust session - the house construction can wait .

Feb 5 - Jibing tips, speedsailing practice video

3329km

Bonaire Lac Bay. NP EVO5 7.8, iSonic 107, Drake carbon slalom 38. Wind: 15G18 E knots.

Little-by-Little: New 2 Sec PB for the EVO5 7.8 by 0.6 knots - caught a nice gust . Also a new PB for 5x10 by 0.1 knot. Both previous PBs were set three days ago ...

Making some minor improvements on jibing. Tide is really low now when I'm sailing so don't get to run very far into the smooth water of the mangrove area. Late this afternoon decided to buck up and jibe immediately after exiting the bigger chop - that worked. Next step is to jibe IN the bigger chop .

Biffed a jibe on the southerly run and decided it was time to truly find out if I could clear a race sail with a fully loaded luff sleeve in water too deep to touch the bottom. Let the sail fill with water. Initially the camber was popped downward and I quickly decided that needed to be corrected. Once the camber was popped upwards I swam the mast tip into the wind and slowly started lifting it out ouf the water. This took a little time but soon the sail was clear of the water and easy to waterstart. So, the technique worked great in Lac Bay in relatively calm water. Out in the choppy area it would be more of a hassle but doable. Doing this in the Gorge? I'll probably hyperventilate the first time I would try it. Fortunately, for now, I have no race sails in the USA... but I may need to get a 5.8 or 6.4 Race which seemed to be the sail Roo used a lot last summer... Sail recommendations?

Roo commented:

Thats better, getting to grips with the race monster and taming it. 6.4 is a sweet size, the NP EVO 6 set up for RDM works a treat. I would look for something that rigs on a skinny. Should be able to find you something when you get back in town. Me thinks you are starting to get serious about going faster!

I commented:

I'm afraid this 'speed' thing is a disease . I think I am cured and then I get back on the water and the first thing I try to do is 'put the hammer down'. One of my Canadian friends down here that windsurfs (a year younger than me) keeps looking at me like I'm crazy and says I'm going to hurt myself. He could be correct on both accounts, that is why I opt for as much protective gear as possible .

I posted one of the sailing video segments to YouTube and my wife saw it today ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nEgnc6fNfs ) (she hasn't felt well enough to go to the bay with me so hasn't seen the race sails). Her first comment was that I needed to get more colorful race sails. We did a quick web search. She approved of Gaastra and the new NP EVO 9 and thought the Sailworks colors would also be acceptable . How is that for focusing on the fundamental requirements of the equipment?!

Peter commented:

Nice numbers and great video, Barton! You're looking fast!

I'm working on improving my jibes on slalom gear, too. One thing I noticed in pro videos is that their timing: they step forward at the same time as the clew goes forward. Matt Pritchard once told me "imagine a line between the clew and your foot - the clew goes, your foot goes". In your first jibe in the video, you are stepping a bit late, when the mast is already back. That puts all the weight in the back. You can see that this sinks the tail, which kills speed. Try stepping as you open up the clew.

I commented:

Peter, thanks for the tip from Matt Pritchard - makes sense and when the jibe works (like the second jibe you can barely see), the timing was much closer to Matt's tip. 

I have to admit that on the first jibe I was 'coasting' a little bit as I had already 'outsailed' the wind and was in the ever-present wind shadow in that area if I sail too far.

My goal is the laydown jibe, which I am a long ways from hitting. There are enough good sailors here on slalom gear that every day I get to see how a laydown should be done. At the end of the video there is a young Bonairian fellow (maybe 15 yo) on a NP EVO5 5.6 sail - he does amazing laydowns...

On the positive side, on the second jibe in the video, at least the mast was partially layed down .

Thanks again.

Peter commented:

Barton, laydown jibes are very cool, but like duck jibes, they belong more into the trick category. One could argue that the duck jibe is easier to plane through, but you almost never see it in slalom competition - even the Bonaire guys rarely do it :-). The same is true for the laydown jibe (mast almost parallel to the water). I have heard it was functional or even necessary on old gear (like 1990s), but you'll rarely see it with modern gear in competition.

I don't mean you should not learn it - it is a very cool move. Working on it can also help to get the mast more into the turn; jibe learners and improvers tend to keep the mast too vertical. For illustration, here's an image of a jibe by Phil McGain at the Maui slalom races a few years ago:

For comparison, a laydown jibe by Peter Volwater (not in competition):

Roo commented:

Your jibing problems have nothing to do with your feet, your hands are the problem. Two moves will sort them out and have you blazing out of every one. Will tell you when you get back. You should be able to switch you feet at different times depending on the conditions and water state. I think I would take my advice from someone who can rip out alphas above 26 knots! The laydown will come when you get your hands correct.

Roo commented:

The laydown is a funtion of speed, the faster you go the more the sail lays down to be able to do a tight turn. For wide arcs don't lay the sail down as much. The beauty of a laydown is it depowers the sail and engages more rail to allow a tighter turn at high speed. It also loads the rail so it doesn't bounce out in chop. It stronger winds and nasty water the laydown is invaluable for maintaining control and turning quickly.

I commented:

Thanks Peter and Roo for your interest in helping me improve.

Roo, your second comment about laydown and speed resonates well with me. At the end of the southerly runs when I'm in a wind shadow and slowing down, attempting a laydown feels very uncomfortable. OTOH, in the mangrove shallows where I'm entering the jibe at 25 to 28 knots, attempting to lay the sail down feels very comfortable (and even necessary). Your further comments on the laydown are exactly why I thought it would be good to learn as I consider most of the Gorge to fall into the 'stronger winds and nasty water' category .

I'll going to send you an email as I have the 'sail itch' and want your opinions - Thanks.

Roo commented:

Happy to help mate. Once you master the laydown the duck jibe is easy. The first half of the turn is just the same. The key to a good jibe, laydown or duck, is speed; the slower sailors tend to have trouble doing them.

Peter commented:

As I said, nothing wrong with learning the laydown jibe. Maybe Roo knows better why the Pros are not doing them. Check, for example, the PWA final from Fuerteventura last year - https://youtu.be/gyoe4Uxlqfo. At 40 seconds and 2 minutes, you get a pretty good perspective. The most common mast angle in about 45 degrees. They had about 30 knots and quite a bit of chop. They also typically reach top speeds of 35+ knots in races. But their objective is maximum speed with control through the jibe; if your objective is tighter turns, laying down the sail more may be the way to go.

If you find yourself in a jibe where the mast is closer to 45 than 90 degrees (let's call it a "slalom jibe" to differentiate it from the laydown) in chop, there are a couple of things that will help to reduce bounce. One is to make sure that the mast goes forward and into the turn, not just to the side. The other is to conciously increase mast foot pressure by hanging or pushing down with the front arm. The downward pointing elbows in the pictures above are an indication that Phil and Peter are doing just that. Try it out, I find the effect quite remarkable.

I commented:

Wow, all sorts of help today, and Roo just changed his avatar!

Thanks Roo. Way back in 1997 we had a vacation trip to Aruba where I actually became proficient at duck jibes (in flat water). Never seemed to have quite the same success in the Gorge - probably was too slow in the Gorge chop... At the time, I envied the guys doing duck jibes in the Gorge as they looked so smooth, quick and easy. 

Peter, I have wondered about the 'slalom jibe' as in the PWA videos, but also pro practice sessions on Bonaire, they are not going full laydown. On the other hand, when they are not 'practice racing' on Bonaire the laydown becomes much more evident, maybe because it is more stylish and extreme for the tourists on the beach .

My objective for the laydown is survival . Actually it is tight turns so I can complete the jibe on the face/trough of a single wave, be in control and not be bouncing all over the place. 

Roo commented:

When you are doing downwind slalom at high speed tight jibes aren't required as you have lots of room, once the course is tighter in choppy nastier conditions they come into play. In the video you can see the huge wide arc they take. On wider boards and sails that is what works in PWA racing. In other videos you'll see a lot of pros lay the sail down for a second or two to engage the rail then stand it back up to finish the turn. A good sailor uses the right manouvre for the conditions. Here's a good example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JlKei3UcHw from 1:58 to 2:03 you can see them use a variety of jibes at the same mark. You need to master all the different variations to be able to use the best one at the most appropriate time. Lots of variation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cIfarz8Amw

I commented:

Roo, the TWS video is GREAT. Interestingly, they made a point of bending the knees/getting low just after unhooking from the harness. I don't recall that being stressed in the other videos. When I jibe in the mangrove shallows, I found I absolutely had to do this to maintain control and had been wondering if it was something I should be doing...  I'll be a happy sailor when I master this jibe . Thanks!

Peter commented:

Dasher emphasizes bending the knees in his 12-step jibe video: "The more you bend your ankles and knees, the more jibe foregiveness you shall receive". Once you hear him say that on the video, it's hard to forget...

In Alan Cadiz' jibe video (it's a bit older, but apparently still sold at http://hstwindsurfing.com/jibing-with-alan-cadiz/), he shows a lot of jibe variations. He says something like "first learn to sheet in, then oversheet, then laydown". I sure agree with Roo that learning different jibe variations is a worthwhile undertaking - it's fun and gives you more options. You might find the "slalom" jibe a bit easier to start with, especially in typical Bonaire conditions with big sails. But there's nothing wrong with playing around with different variations right away - learning is not always a linear path. My jibes always get better after ABK camps, when I work on 360s, push tacks, and similar stuff, but not on jibes.

Roo commented:
Wow this thread took off! Best thing is to get someone to video you then analyse what you are doing. It's hard to improve if you don't know what you are doing wrong. Break the jibe down into segments then perfect each before stringing them all together. Once you have it mastered find the nastiest bit of chop and jibe in that, if you can still do what you have practiced in a worse case scenario then you have owned the manouvre. Jibing and speed are my favorite parts of the sport, the satisfaction coming into a turn hot, laying down the sail and ripping a perfect jibe then blasting away is an incredible feeling that few get to experience, especially when you are overpowered and in nasty water!

I commented:

Peter, thanks for the help. I guess, by default, I've been creeping up on the 'slalom' jibe. Soon, I hope to blast past the slalom and on to the laydown .

Roo, your last comment is perfect coaching, thanks! 

I completely agree on what makes this sport satisfying. I still remember and savour the days twenty years ago of sailing the river mouth in Florence Oregon, when I had jibes nailed on my Hi-Tech 8'4", sailing in 25 knot winds on a 4.5 on an outgoing tide with nice swells, doing bump and jump across the river followed by a good jibe -SWEET . My goal is to recreate some of that experience with speed sailing and then maybe some Gorge bump and jump. Thanks again for the guidance and help.

Eddy Patricelli (Big Winds) commented:
Wow, Barton. This is great stuff. Love the blog. And your stance looks great on video. The jibes are good too - especially the aggressive one displayed on the run back out. 

If I were to put on my instructor cap, I'd recommend switching your feet sooner in the jibes. Pivot and step sooner -- staying down. It's tough to do, largely because the sensation of carving feels so good you don't want to disrupt it. But my $.02 on planing out of jibes consistently, with lightening fast, easy, magical, non-taxing sail flips, requires the foot switch to come early. Initiate the carve, get low, and as you approach dead downwind, pivot and step staying low.

For the pivot and step, it helps me to pretend as if I'm taking my front foot's heel and stepping on my back foot's big toe. For a split second, it resembles a ballet plie. Doing so ensures your weight stays on the carving rail as your feet switch. 

Done well, the jibe ends on a broad reach on the new tack and - this is important - at full speed. It's that full speed part that makes the sail flips easy. You're running with the wind, often matching or exceeding its speed. The sail rotates easily in this dynamic. No more awkward sail flips that require recovering and muscling that depletes energy. You grab it, drop down -- hanging down on the boom as the battens rotate, and shazam! You move for the straps with energy to spare and yeah, put into your next PR!