The Secrets of Windsurfing

By George Chountas

Congratulations for your choice!

This fast track skill guide is an excellent way to discover the word of windsurfing in no time.

Furthermore:

- It will save you a lot of money on gear and lessons by drastically reducing your learning curve.
- You will be able to calculate the right gear and setup (regardless of your level of experience), by applying proven mathematical formulas.
- You will be able to implement professional advice and techniques to your sessions immediately.
- This guide has more information that you will ever need to know about the sport and give you an edge over more advanced athletes.

Thank you for choosing me as your guide to this wonderful journey.

Sincerely yours,
George Chountas

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781447722298

Book preview

INTRODUCTION                  

Dear reader,

Congratulations for your choice!

This fast-track skill guide is an excellent way to discover the word of windsurfing in no time.

Furthermore:

It will save you a lot of money on gear and lessons by drastically reducing your learning curve.

You will be able to calculate the right gear and setup (regardless of your level of experience), by applying proven mathematical formulas.

You will be able to implement professional advice and techniques to your sessions immediately.

This guide has more information than you will ever need to know about the sport and will give you an edge over more advanced athletes.

Thank you for choosing me as your guide to this wonderful journey.

Sincerely yours,

George Chountas

INDEX

INTRODUCTION

INDEX

THE WINDSURFER BLUEPRINT

DRAWING NOTES

Board

Sail

RIG

1. Top / Head

(1) Peak

2. Clew

3. Tack

4. Leech

5. Luff

6. Foot

7 & (7). Batten

8. Cambers / Camber Inducers

9. Monofilm

10. Eyelet / Grommet / Cringle

11. Mast

12. Mast Extension

13. Trim Cup / Mast Base / Mast Base Cup

14. Base / Mast Foot / Universal Joint

15. Boom

16. Boom Head

17. Boom Tail

18. Harness Lines

19. Uphaul

20. Outhaul

21. Mast Track / Track / Mast Box

22. Deck

23. Hull

24. Scoop Line / Rocker Line

25. Rails

26. Footstraps

27. Fin / Skeg

28. Fin Box

29. Daggerboard / Centerboard / Keel

30. Daggerboard Box

EQUIPMENT PROTECTION

Deviator

Jez's knob

Nose Bumper, Boom Bra, Mast Pad

Tack Fairing & Mast Foot Protector

TECHNIQUES & TIPS

Rigging

Cambers

Boom Trimming

Harness Line Positioning

Harness Line Length Setup

Downhaul Trimming

Outhaul Trimming

Mast Foot Plate Positioning

Footstraps

Beach Parking

Departure

Arrival

Uphaul

Board Steering

Static Steering

Luffing Up

Tack

Bearing Away

Dead Run

Jibe / Gybe

Planing

Pumping

Accelerator

Gusts

Catapult

Waterstart

Jump

IMPORTANT RULES!

LOOK

KEEP THE FRONT HAND STRAIGHT

HAND POSITIONING

FEET POSITIONING

MAST FOOT PRESSURE (MFP)

BOOM

GO FAST

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Board Width Function

Cutouts

Air Travel

Board Construction

Board Repair

Sail Repair

Fin Repair

Equipment Maintenance

Uniforms

Sail Differences

AR (Aspect Ratio)

Sail Quiver

Delamination

Warm Up

Water Condition

RIGHT OF WAY

THE WIND

Compass Rose

Barometer Systems

Wind Direction In Relation To Shore

About Winds

Observation & Wind Prediction

POINTS OF SAILING

HOW TO GET STARTED - Q&A

TRIMMING GUIDELINES

SAFETY RULES

DICTIONARY

Apparent Wind

Bear Away / Bear Off

Center Line

Center of Effort (CE)

Center of Lateral Resistance (CLR)

Clew-First

De-rigging

Eye of the Wind

Gust

Head Up / Luff Up

Leeward / Lee

Low End Speed

Lull

Nose / Bow / Fore

Overpowered

Port Bow

Pre-Shape

Rigging

Sea Breeze / Onshore Breeze / Thermal Wind

Semi-sinkers

Sinkers

Spin-Out

Starboard Bow

Tail / Aft / Stern

Top End Speed

Trim / Trimming

Underpowered

Windward / Luv

GREECE SPOTS & WINDS THAT WORK

THE WINDSURFER BLUEPRINT

DRAWING NOTES

Board: The piece of equipment that the rider steps on. It’s volume and shape dictates the allowed weather conditions and windsurfing style.

The Board

Sail: The driving force of the windsurfer and the piece of equipment that separates surfing from windsurfing.

The Sail

RIG: A term to describe the equipment subset which contains all components from the mast base upwards.

The Rig

1. Top / Head: The top corner of the sail. A sail can be fixed top (fixed plug to the end of the mast sleeve) or vario top (adjustable strap, such as the one shown).

(1) Peak: The upper corner of the sail (shown on the left side of the picture), between the top and the clew. Its existence creates the extra surface we call roach.

Roach: The area of the sail over an imaginary line which connects the top to the clew.

2. Clew: The back corner of the sail.

3. Tack: The bottom corner of the sail.

4. Leech: The back side of the sail (between the top and the clew).

5. Luff: The front side of the sail where the mast is installed (between the head and the tack). On sail specifications, Luff indicates the correct length in which the sail trims well.

e.g., Luff 4.40 – Mast 4.30 means that this sail trims properly with a 430cm mast, using an extension of 10 cm (in order to reach Luff at 4.40).

Luff Tube / Luff Sleeve / Mast Sleeve: The slot of the sail where the mast enters.

6. Foot: The surface of the sail under the imaginary line which connects the clew to the tack.

7 & (7). Batten: Flexible rods (from fiberglass or carbon) nearly perpendicular to the mast, which support the aerodynamic profile of the sail. We observe two types of battens. Full length battens (or full battens) and some smaller (the mini battens).

Full Batten (shown left): They support the sail’s profile with tension (which may be adjusted through an Allen key or screwdriver). They use the full length of the sail (from the luff tube to the edge) and may even support a camber inducer.

Mini Batten (shown right): Battens of small length which are fixed (tension in not adjustable), and start from the leech, without the ability to support a camber inducer.

8. Cambers / Camber Inducers: U-shaped plastic parts at the end of a full batten, designed to push the mast. They exist on race and slalom sails, used to shape a stable aerodynamic profile. This adds to sail speed and stability, at the cost