WIND BOHEMIA

WINDSURFING SAIL TRIMMING

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:31:00 +0000

Having a well balanced equipment is of great importance, but it all means nothing if the gear is not tuned right. If you find yourself having trouble trimming your sail, then this post is meant for you and making your windsurfing life much easier.

Let's begin by choosing the right parts of the rig first. You'll notice on the sailbag, or the sail itself, a tag that has all the info you need.

It says how much you need to extend your boom, your mast extension, and naturally, what size of mast you need in the first place.

This example shows a 5.4 m2 sail that requires a boom sized 1.7-1.73 m, and a mast 430 + extension set at 6-9 cm (or a 400 cm mast + 36-39 cm extension).

I used a 430 mast, and set the extension on the right size.

You'll notice a pair of holes on the mast extension, next to the size nubers (5, 10, 15...). There is a pair of needles that should fit perfectly in the holes, once you have set the plastic ring on the correct position.

The next step is to pull the mast and the extension in the sail sleeve (tip - always check if it's pulled all the way to the top of the sleeve, and if the mast sits right on the place where the two parts of it join).

Now it's time to set up the downhaul. The rope between the sail and the mast extension should not be mixed, it must follow a certain order, from left to the right (because it would not be possible to tighten the rope enough later on...).

The next step is to pull the downhaul rope. This is a very important part of the trimming process. The formula to be applied here is more wind=more downhaul. A minimum amount of downhaul should be untill you start noticing curves on your sail.

This requires a certain amount of strenght. I recommend sitting on the ground, pushing one foot against the extension, and then pulling the downhaull rope. (tip - make a knot at the end of the downhaul rope, and then use your harness hook to pull it).

The last phase is setting up the boom. At the start, we found on the sail a label that has the info we need - 1.7-1.73 cm boom lenght. So we need to extend the boom to the right size (similar as the mast extension). Then we need to attach the boom to the mast (tip - take care that the uphaul rope should be facing the bottom of the sail).

You'll notice that there is an inscription on the sail sleeve with a scale from S to XL. That describes the position of boom on the mast. An allaround position is M. If you set the boom lower, it will be easier for you to waterstart, and if you set it higher, it will be easier to use the footstraps. Note that the boom should be cca. at your shoulder hight when standing on the board.

Now setup you outhaul rope, that connects the sail and the boom, but also shapes the rig! This rope is very important for finetuning your rig.

When overpowered by the wind, tighten the rope, when your sail does not have enough power, release the outhaul a bit. You should keep in mid that the battens on the sail should always be able to move from one side of the mast to the other. This rope can make your sail useable with a greater range of wind, instead of using just one position. Don't be afraid to experiment with it during a session.

SURF REPORT #2

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:51:00 +0000

It's been really busy last couple of weeks, so I have to apologise for neglecting my blog...

Even worse is the fact that I missed two days of very good JUGO, but I managed to put this saturday to a better use.

According to weather forecast for this saturday, a solid Jugo of cca. 15-20 knots was expected, staring from early morning and it was supposed to last almost through the entire day. So I set up my alarm clock on 6 AM, so I could be in the water allready at 7:30 AM., but at my dissapointment, when I woke up, there was no wind at all...so I fall back to sleep.

Couple of hours later the wind started to rise!!!

I drove straight to the spot - DUNAT, but not on the same location where surfers usually gather during BURA, but a bit futher to the western part of the island. When I got there, the place was crawling with surfers on the beach, instead on the water. So a friend and I decided to try another spot, placed cca 5 minutes along the coast from this one. When we got there, still no luck. At that point we were ready to go back home, but we decided to try our luck on the spot where we usually go for Bura (the was deperate to try out his new board).

As the saying goes, THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM. As soon as we got there, the wind was really gaining in strenght. We started smiling like two idiots and unloading our equipment out of the car. As I opened my sail bag, I was really surprised by the sight: along the mast sleeve on my sail, there was a hole, cca. 10 cm in diameter, made by a mouse!!! ON MY FAVOURITE SAIL!!!
THIS MEANS WAR!!!

The sail was still useable, so I managed to pull a solid 2 hrs wsurf session, and to be honest, after that I wasn't angry any more, which is just another proof of how pacifying wsurfing actually is.

WINDSURF SAILS

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:12:00 +0000

After completing a windsurfing course, or learning form a friend or on your own, each beginner has to make a few important decisions. First of all is choosing your equipment. To make your life easier, here is some general info on sails.

Sails are usually measured in m2, ranging form cca. 3 m2 to 12.5 m2. The rule applied here is: STRONGER WIND = SMALLER SAIL.

You have probably noticed a label on the sail saying something about:

LUFF LENGHT - the "height" of the sail, determines the size of the mast you will use

BOOM LENGHT - determines how much you will extend the boom

Terms such as wave/freestyle, freeride or flatwater/race sail determine the design type of the sail (for egzample:...a wave sail will have stronger stitching, but a flatwater sail will have a greater endspeed...)

ASPECT RATIO is a ratio between luff and boom lenght. The higher this number gets, more manouverable the sail is. Wave sails tend to have a high aspect ratio in opposite to race sails.

The sails are often divided on sails with or without cambers. Cambers are positioned between mast and the battens. Camber system can be usually found on flatwater sails that are larger than 6.5 m2., giving them more pull and power.

When choosing a sail, consider the style of surfing you plan to persue (wave, race, freestyle...), and also the average wind power you will sail on. In my case, a best allround sail saize was 6 m2, so i choose that sail size for my first. Later as you progress, you will upgreade to more sail sizes to cover all the wind conditions you will sail on.

- after a wsurf session, don't leave your sail rigged

- wash it if you are sailing in saltwater

-don't leave it standing on the sun - it damages the materials...

- sails with cambers are usually harder to trim

WATER START

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:02:00 +0000

Assuming you have mastered starting in shallow water - the beach start, then you are just one step away from waterstarting.

The ground rules are the same. The hardest thing is getting the board and the rig in the right position in relevance to the wind. That could prove to be a bit more difficult in deeper water than in kneedeep water, specially when using larger sails (read heavier), but technique from beach starting remains the same. Always make the wind work for you, not against you.

Here are some facts and tips you should know about waterstarting:

- for some beginners it helps to put the boom (rig) on the tail of the board, and then raise the sail. If you do that, make shure the boom is not set too high.

- waterstarting requires a stronger wind than beachstart

- make sure your board faces downwind

- start from the top of the mast, and then progress moving to the boom

- the foot work is the same as beachstart (always put your "back" foot on the board first, the front second

- while rigging the sail, set the boom a bit lower. That way you will be closer to the board,
and it will be easier to climb it.

BEACH START

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:47:00 +0000

Based on the results of the poll that has just closed, I've decided to bring beach and water start a bit closer to the beginners.

Standing on the longboard during a lightwind surfing session and getting the sail out of the water is a good way to start, but as soon as you begin sailing on stronger winds, you will notice that that is also one of the most exhausting manouvers if you try to perform it in a stronger wind (not to mention that it is a very difficult one if you are using a sinking board). Like most of the things about windsurfing, it's all about utilising the wind and letting it work for you, not against you. So to put it in a few words, why raise the sail and spend energy, while you can let the sail lift you out of the water, put you on the board and save your strenght? I'm gonna start with BEACH START first, so this if how it works:

- first of all you need a wind that is strong enough to lift you out of the water. The minimal amount of wind depends on your weight and sail size.

- beach start is performed as the name states - at the beach, or better said in shallow water. The shallower the water is, the easier it is to pull the start through, but think about your board fin! Consider the fact that the fin is very easily damaged, so make sure that the water is deep enough.

-Start practicing by positioning the board and the sail as shown on figure 1. The Board should be facing downwind, and the sail should be floating at the surface.

!!! TIP !!! Start lifting the sail from the top of the mast

Figure 1.

As you lift the top of the sail, and if you have everything positioned as it should be, you will notice that the wind is "filling" the sail and you shoul be able to lift it with almost no effort. Keep both of your arms on the mast, as you progress towards the boom. Make sure that the board keeps facing downwind.

Figure 2.

At this point you should be able to hold the mast with one (left) hand and the boom with the other (right). By moving your right hand closer or further from your body, you will notice that the sail gains less or more pull. That is called SHEETING IN or OUT. When you sheet in, the sail starts to pull, and when you sheet out, it loses the pull.

Figure 3.

This is the final step in the process.

- keep the board facing downwind

- get as closer to the board as possible

- sheet in as much as possible as you put your back (right) foot on the board first (1.)

Figure 4.

-If all is good, and all the conditions are satisfied, the sail should lift you out of the water. Put your front foot on the board (2.).

- As soon as you climb the board, make sure to sheet out, so you don't get catapulted.

- When you put your back foot on the board (1.), make sure you don't place it too close to the tail.

SURF REPORT #1

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:14:00 +0000

Since I started wsurfing, considering the number of days that were windy enough to enjoy a good wsurf session, this year was definitely the worst! Last two days were a exception to that rule. The bura we had, was not too strong, but it was a real refreshement. I used my 6.6 m2 sail with 134L board, and it was just enough to plane.

Too bad I had to work, so I could not arrive at the spot sooner than 5 P.M., but I still pulled a solid 2 hrs session. Here are some shots of bura I made with my cell. in the morning before going to work.

At that time the wind had a speed of 40-50 knots, but it fell to 30 in the afternoon. The thing about bura is that it never blows with constant speed, rather with strikes that last for couple of minutes. So even if the wind grows weaker, you can still hope for a bright moment.

A tip for the newcomers: when trimming a sail, always consider the strenght of the wind! With correct amount of downhaul, outhaul and other "rope pulling", you can fine tune your sail, and optimise it for the wind conditions you are facing at the moment! A good tuned and balanced equipment can save you a lot of headache!

WINDSURF SPOT - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:28:00 +0000

In this post I'd like to introduce my favourite surfspot - the DUNAT BAY. It's situated in Europe, Croatia, on western side of island Krk.

There are several great things about this surfspot:

1. SAFETY - it's a closed bay, with only one entrance from the southern side, so if anything happens during your windsurf session, there's always a coast nearby.

2. APPROACH - the spot is right next to the road - you don't have to carry your equipment from the car to the water

3. WIND CONDITIONS - in this region, there are several types of wind that should be considered when talking about windsurfing. The most important is BURA.

- BURA is a wind that comes in the strongest version during the winter, but even in the summer, it's great for windsurfing. It' lasts for 3-4 days, and on Dunat it provides flatwater conditions. It's a cold wind that comes from the mountains to the sea, with a SW direction.

- The second most important wind of note is JUGO. Jugo is a warm wind, that blows from the coast. It is usually connected with rainy weather. As stated in the name (JUGO - translates to something like SOUTH / SOUTHERN from Croatian) Jugo comes from S / SSE direction and provides waves conditions in Dunat bay.

4. HISTORY - during a session break, while recovering your strenght, you can always explore around. Here is a picture of an old church, built in the 9th century, situated in the bay.

5. ALTERNATIVES - when there is no wind, you can always go wakeboarding at one of the largest ski lifts in Europe that is also situated in the bay. There are also great MTB tracks, restaurants and bars located in the vicinity.

6. ISLAND WITHIN AN ISLAND - the coolest thing about this spot is a small island called KOSLJUN that is located inside the bay. It's inhabited by several monks that live in a monastery, but also take care af a small museum, that you can visit with a ferryboat from the nearby village Punat (eastern side of the bay).

Here is a picture of the entire bay, taken from the mountain southern from the bay.

Enjoy the view!

WINDSURFING HISTORY

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:43:00 +0000

For last couple of days, there has been no wind at all! All of you that took their chances and started to practice and sharpen their windsurfing skills, will know how frustrating it can be...so I browsed through some old books and magazines I saved over the years and found some very interesting things. A picture is worth more than a thousand words, so here are at least a

1 000 000:

...here are some of the older board designs:

...here are some of the experiments (prototypes):

...here is something for those that always complain that their equipment is too old:

...and here is a really old one from the legendary Robbie Naish:

WINDSURFING TIPS

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:54:00 +0000

I don't want this blog to turn out to be too technical, so I intend to write more about those little things that could make a beginner windsurfer's life mutch easier.

Let's assume that you have already mastered some basic skills. By that I mean getting the sail out of the water, "catching" the wind, surfing in the desired direction and returning to the location on the shore where you started from. By my opinion, these are all the necessary things a windsurfer must know, before he even attempts to wsurf on stronger winds. When you decide you can handle the real action, keep in mind these tips:

- Surfing on a stronger wind requires a different technique and a different type of equipment.

- The most important thing about windsurfing is balance - balancing your own skill and weight, size of the board, sail and the fin, against the power of elements of nature - wind and water.

- Don't ever allow yourself to underestimate the wind, especially if you are surfing on a spot that is not your local and you are not fully familiar with the climate.

- Start watching the weather (wind) forecast

- Keep you eyes open! Always check out what equipment setup (sail size) other windsurfers are using, and don't be ashamed to ask for help.

- Use short 5 minutes breaks during a session. That way you will definitely be able to endure longer on the water.

- There is always a possibility that some part of your equipment could break, so keep in mind that someone should always know where you are (stay in the line of sight).

That's enough for now, time to go practicing!

WINDSURFING BOARDS GUIDE

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:10:00 +0000

Everything is clear about this post, as stated in the title - it's dedicated to boards. So to get starded, here is a general overview of board parts:

There is a large variety of boards on the market, but don't get scared, most of them are used by more skilled windsurfers. Different board designs offer different characteristics, so there are many factors to consider when choosing a perfect board.

Let's browse through the board parts:

1. NOSE (bow) - if the board is going to be used in wave conditions, a higher nose is recommended, a lower one for flat water usage

2. UNIVERSAL (joint) - a point where the rig is joined with the board. It can be adjusted(more to the front or to the rear of the board, depending on the wind, sail/fin combination...)

3. CENTERBOARD - is a sort of an "adjustable" fin that can be pulled in the board or drawn out (as shown on the picture), during the windsurf session. It allows greater stability of the board, and it makes surfing directly into the wind direction possible. (note: it's very hard to plane with the centerboard drawn out). Only beginner boards come with centerboard, later as you progress, you won't need one.

4. FOOTSTRAPS - are used for greater control of the board, allow advanced manouvres, and protect the surfer from being "catapulted" from the board. To use them, one must achieve greater speed (planing) with the board

5. FIN (skeg) - comes in various sizes and designs. It's lenght is defined mostly by sail size, so please note that the same surfer using the same board but with two different sail sizes, is probably going to need two fin sizes too. If the fin setup is not correct, SPINOUT will probably occur. The style of windsurfing u use will also determine the design of the fin.

6. TAIL (stern) - various designs, depends of the wsurf style, also determinates fin selection and board stability.

These are the most general board characteristics:

- lenght - (cm/ft)modern boards tend to be shorter than the older designs

- width -(cm/ft)modern board designs are lot wider then they werw couple of years ago.

Both lenght and width, or better said ther ratio, directly derives the board stability.

- volume -(ltr) determines if the board is going to float or sink under the surfer. Sinking boards are smaller than cca. 100 ltr (depending on the users weight). Recommended only for skilled surfers.

- weight - the lighter, the better

Before buying a board, make sure to consult with your local trader or with a more experienced windsurfers. When starting out, consider also buying a used board, just untill you decide if that is the windsurfstyle you are going to persue further.

The rocker is the curvature of the board from the nose to the tail. A board with less of a rocker tends to ride faster, while one with more turns more easily.

MY FIRST BOARD

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:40:00 +0000

Couple of days ago I decided to make myself useful (for a change) and throw away some old junk that was piling up in the garage for some years now. I knew that there will be some really useless and worthless stuff, but I was very surprised when i stumbled upom my very first windsurf board! That's when the trip down the memory lane started.

I was around 12-13 years old when I stood the first time on that board. My older brother and cousin were just starting to learn the basics of windsurfing, and I can't even describe how cool it was for me when I found out about it. Don't get me wrong, the windsurfing today, and the wsurfing 15 years ago, are two completely different things. It was only lightwind wsurfing for me then, but it was so much fun! At the beginning I could barely get the sail out of the water, but that did't discourage me. After around 10000 falls, wrong steps on the board and things like that I finally managed to wsurf! I used that board for years later, and with some small repairs, I bet someone with enough desire to learn, could still use it. Here are some facts about the board: I could not carry it alone 15 years ago, and I can barely do it now. It's around 400 cm long, 60 cm wide, and cca. 15-18 cm thick, which calculates to arround 350 ltr volume. It had a wooden centerboard, no footstraps, and it was really slippery (belive me, I know). But at least I learned how to repair a board and how to paint it. Here are some pictures with the last paintjob :) (sorry about the dust, it has not seen the light of day for more than 10 years...)

GONE SURFING

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:47:00 +0000

This saturday was a great day!

A friend woke me up at 9 AM, saying "Are you crazy, why are U still at home?!?" The wind is up, get your things and move your ass here ASAP!" There's no need to explain that it was not necessary for him to call me twice :) It took around 45 minutes for me to pack my equipment in the car, grab something to eat, drive to my nearest surfspot (around 5 km) away, rig the sail and get in the water... that's when the magic began. I used my 105 l bord combined with the 6.1 m2 sail, and I have to admit, at the start, I was a bit overpowered, but it felt good! If I must describe it with one word, I definitely choose FREEDOM! Sadly, it only lasted till 1 PM...the only thing that comforted me is that as the wind stopped, I was not part of the evidently dissapointed windsurfers that came too late...

SECOND SKIN

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:01:00 +0000

To keep a promise I made in a previous comment to one of my posts, this one is going to be about "practical fashion" in windsurfing, or to be more exact about wetsuits.
As you start do discover wsurfing and incerase your skill level, your desire to conquer greater winds will be greater also. The problem is that during summer, you don't get as much strong winds as during the spring / autumn, or the strongest in winter. In summertime, a long or short sleeved lycra T-Shirt will do just fine, but when the things start to get more serious, a wetsuit should definitely come as a priority.
Wetsuits are made of foam NEOPRENE, a synthetic rubber material that provides the wearer with warmth, protects from wind and sun, and also "softens" the potential fall (don't get scared now :). Over the time, the designes of wetsuits have evolved, adding other layers (better wind protection), better seams etc.
Generally, there are two basic types of wetsuits - WET (warm water )and DRY (cold water).
The DRY type is used only for really cold conditions, and prevents the direct contact between water and the surfer. The WET type allows small amounts of water to come inside the suit, but the water very soon gets warmed up to the body temperature, and continues to warm the body afterwards.
Most people use the wet type, and when needed, wear the lycra t-shirt for extra warmth, but in the end, it all comes down to the conditions you surf in.
Wetsuits come in various thicknes (2/3 mm or more) and in various models (vest, jacket, shory, long john, full suit (steamer)).
A couple of tips for the end
- don't confuse windsurfing and diving (no wind protection) wetsuits
- be sure to get the exact size
- be sure to get the optimal thicknes

READY, STEADY, GO !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:33:00 +0000

Have U ever thought "I want to start wsurfing, but I don't even know what I need?". Seek no further, because U will get all your anwers here :)
First of all, most of people think that wsurfing requires a great amount of physical strenght, that they are not in a good shape, so they end up giving up before they even start - don't do that mistake! Belive me, wsurfing is 80% about technique, and only 20% about strenght. You should keep one thing in mind - technique gets better only by practicing!
When you finally decide to do it, here is the list of items you need:
-a board - comes in different sizes (volumes - ltr)
-a rig - consists of sail, boom and mast.
Beginners equipment is something you will use only at the very start, and as you progress in skill level, you will overgrow it very soon. At this stage, the board is usually bigger, the sail is smaller and made of more durable materials.
Most of wsurfers have more boards and sails in their collection, because each size is designed to optimize the utilisation of certain wsurfers skill level and weather conditions (wave size, wind power).

I personally, learned wsurfing myself, but it's much faster and much more fun if you do it with someone who can teach you. The most important thing is NOT TO GIVE UP! Belive me, it gets better and better with each session you do. In the beginning, aim for lightwind conditions. Your first goals should be to learn how to get on the board, how to raise the rig out of the water, how to "make a turn", and how to get back to the place at the coast you started from. This phase will probably take no more than a couple of days, depending on the wind and equipment conditions, and naturally, your teacher :)

ADDICTED ?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:01:00 +0000

I'm proud because I can say I've got no addiction at all!
I don't use drugs, I don't drink alcohol, and I don't smoke, but there is still some little bug inside my head that never stops poking whenever I see trees bending from the wind, or the waves at sea turning white... that's the moment when I stop thinking about anything else but windsurfing, and start making plans. The plans mainly consist about me getting out of any previously made arrangements for that day, getting home as soon as possible, grabbing my board and my equipment and driving to the closest surfspot. I don't expect someone who never expirienced the sensation windsurfing provides to understand what I'm babling about, but I guarantee that once you succed to plane with your board for the first time, that's the point of no return, that's when you can join the "WINDSURFING ADDICTION CLUB".
So I guess, it would be in order for me to correct the first sentence, there is an addiction in my life!

HE WHO DARES, WINS!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Wind Bohem) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:51:00 +0000

First of all, I'd like to greet everyone that finds his way to my blog. The idea behind it is to put out my general thoughts about windsurfing and describe my experiences about it. If I succeed to bring windsurfing closer to someone who is interested in it, but for some reason never took or had the opportunity to enjoy all the benefits and positive factors this sport has to offer, then I will consider this blog to be successful.