I have to respond to my critics about using the back of the board to
fly the sail. First of all, he's learning to waterstart--LEARNING. So
what's wrong with making it easier? The windsurfing instructors on
Maui teach you to use the back of the board--no better instruction
than that.
Secondly, as stated earlier, I've seen a lot of people struggle to fly
big sails, swimming to the top, poking the sail up, swimming it down,
all the while trying to control the sail and board. If they're lucky
enough to keep the sail flying while they work their way down to the
board, they're so tired they can only lie there like a dead fish and
wait for a gust. And they think this is the way waterstarting is
supposed to work.
Nobody I've met who I've seen fly the sail the walk-down-the mast way
-- NO ONE -- has ever complained about using the back of the board to
fly the sail once I've shown them how, if they can do it; i.e, their
boom is low enough. I would never advocate lowering the boom
specifically to do this, but as we say in Hawaii "if can, can; if
cannot, nevah mind."
He wants to get a new board anyhow. Why not get one that helps with
this im****tant skill, can be had cheap, and is still plenty sailable?
The new big wide boards are great; you can uphaul on them, but also
get planing in some reasonably strong wind on them. But after that?
You're not really ready for a true shortboard, and you won't need
another widebody floater.
I'm just trying to look at the logic of the situation--get what works
and what makes sailing easy and allows you to develop skills easily,
and hopefully doesn't cost an arm and a leg and then has to be dumped
in a season because you've outgrown it. I think it's windsurfing's
failure to recognize this course that's helped lead to the downturn in
the s****t.
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