All on Boardsailing!

the olympics' latest sport is fuel efficient, fun and a breeze to learn

If you've Dismissed boardsailing, or "windsurfing" (after the original, patented Windsurfer board), as just another water-borne fad that's bound to crest and blow back out to sea once the wave jockeys have tired of it, this year's summer Olympics may change your mind. As an official event for the first time, Olympic boardsailing will be launched in the yachting category, with competitors sailing a grueling triangle course that tests both their tactical skills and their board-handling talent. Since boardsailing has been popular in Europe for almost ten years, with more than 5,000,000 enthusiasts taking to the waters of practically every available windy lake and bay, it's a good bet that the gold will go to someone from the Continent. (Only one competitor is allowed from each competing country, and those crafty Europeans have been practicing for years.) But in tandem with the yachting event will be a side show in which Americans may feel more at home: a demonstration of the incredible free-style gymnastics and balletic pirouettes, splits and hot-dog maneuvers that one can perform on a sailboard, plus organized slalom and longdistance races to illustrate further the versatility of the sport. (If you don't see yourself as a yachtsman, who doesn't want to be a hot dog?) Such versatility has been the hallmark of boardsailing since its inception in 1966, when Southern Californians Jim Drake and Hoyle Schweitzer mated a surfboard with a sail and shoved off a new industry.

Despite the varieties of windsurfing experiences one can enjoy, from racing to wave sailing to free-style sailing, it's still that first thrilling ride across the water that creates in beginners an insatiable appetite for more, just as that first powder run takes skiers back to the slopes time and again. Here's how to set sail.

The Equipment

Although boardsailing is often thought of as a vacation activity, it can also be an afternoon pastime at the local pond, as boards can be sailed on just about any body of water when the wind is right. Rigging up takes only about 15 minutes; that, plus the fact that the equipment can be transported via cartop carrier, makes boardsailing an ideal getaway sport.

All sailboards consist of a hull (the board), a mast, a sail, a wishbone boom and a universal joint, which joins the mast to the board. The mast, sail and boom are known collectively as the rig. There is also a removable daggerboard, which is comparable to a centerboard on a sailboat, and a small fin, or skeg, at the stern. The daggerboard and the skeg help in steering. The thick rope that is strung from the front boom end is called the uphaul (it's used to haul the sail out of the water).

Beginners can purchase a basic board for as little as $600, complete with mast, boom and sail. A basic all-around board is about 12 feet long, 23 inches or 24 inches wide or wider and weighs 40 to 50 pounds. A cartop carrier, similar to the type of roof rack designed to transport snow skis, will run about $100.

Your choice of board will depend on your size and on the type of sailing you intend to do. A heavier sailor (175 pounds or more) generally needs more flotation and a larger sail (the average beginner's sail is about 59 square feet) to get a board moving as fast as a lighter sailor can.

The more advanced sailors go for shorter (some as short as seven feet), narrower, lighter-weight (in the 20-to-30-pound range) boards known as "fun boards." Fun board is a misnomer of sorts, since all boards are fun to sail, but it describes a board that has foot straps and no dagger-board and is designed for sailing in high winds (25 knots and more) and waves. There are production fun boards available, but many sailors prefer to buy a custom-made board, comparable to a surfboard, with special graphics. Custom boards can run from $600 to $700, rig not included.

Boards designed specifically for racing can cost around $2000. The type of racing board known as a Division II has a rounder hull and is much less stable than an ordinary board.

While boardsailing is a relatively established sport, it is undergoing constant innovations in equipment. In recent years, one such change has been the advent of the "all-around fun board." Stable and wide, like an all-around board, the all-around fun board usually includes foot straps and adjustable boom that enable a sailor to convert the board for higher winds as his own skills improve. A beginner who plans to get serious about the sport would do well to purchase this type of board.

Getting Under Way

While the sport is undeniably convenient, one shouldn't be misled by its apparent simplicity. Even the most agile athletes have been humbled by their first experience on a sailboard. There is a technique to be learned, and it's best learned from a certified instructor (usually associated with a retail shop). Two to three hours of instruction will cut down the frustration considerably.

While nailing down the basics of boardsailing, plan to get wet more than once and expect to learn to sail in one direction but not be able to figure out how to get back. If one is prepared for those common first-time experiences, initial failures will soon be forgotten.

Whether the first lesson is on a land simulator or in the water, learning to pull the sail up slowly without falling off the board is the biggest hurdle to get over. With feet planted firmly on each side of the mast along an imaginary line that divides the board in half from bow to stern, practice pulling the rig out of the water by going hand over hand along the uphaul. Common mistakes that contribute to a dunking include (1) not keeping a straight back; (2) pulling the sail out of the water too rapidly; and (3) not balancing with the arches of the feet over the center of the board.

Actually sailing the board is a rather simple, ready-set-go process (see illustrations). First, pull the rig out of the water. Sight a target on the horizon, pull the mast past your shoulder so that you're sighting the target through the window of the sail and rotate your hips square to the target. When you're ready to sail, just grab the boom with your back hand, move your front hand to the boom and pull the sail toward you by turning your hips back. This is called sheeting in, and once you're done it, you'll feel the pressure of the wind on the sail and realize you're moving. Trouble-shooting solutions for technical problems include keeping the head up, arms comfortably extended, holding the mast instead of the uphaul, keeping knees bent and not sheeting in until you are prepared to move. That last point will help you avoid a common mistake. The beginner is told to grab the boom with the free hand, and that is automatically translated into a sheeting-in motion, which causes unexpected pressure and, usually, an unplanned dunking.

If the pressure on the sail seems uncontrollable, there is an automatic braking system. Simply let go with the hand farthest away from the mast. The sail will luff, or flutter, in the wind and you'll stop.

How to Steer

Once the initial thrill of making the board move has worn off, the novice is likely to realize that he knows how to sail in only one direction, and that direction takes him away from shore. That is why it's always a good idea to practice on a small lake or in a roped-off area.

Steering a sailboard is as simple as tilting the rig forward, or aft. The universal joint makes that possible. To tack, or turn the bow of the board into the wind, you have to lean the rig back. The farther aft it's tilted, the quicker the board will turn into the eye of the wind. As the sail passes through the eye of the wind, which will cause it to luff, the sailor simply holds onto the mast with one hand, having let go of the boom with the back hand, and steps around the front of the mast to the other side. To go again, straighten up the mast, sheet in on the new tack and sail.

To jibe, or turn the board when going downwind, you lean the rig forward until the wind is pushing from directly behind the sail. To force it around, keep leaning the mast forward until the sail can be flipped around the from of the board through the eye of the wind. The sailor will then be holding the rig on the opposite side and will be sheeting in with the hand that used to be the fore hand. For beginners, tacking is much easier than jibing.

Breezing Along

If you aren't already a sailor, understanding the wind can be perplexing at first. There are so many details to remember about proper technique that the additional burden of figuring out what point of sail you're on is enough to mentally deep-six most beginners. Follow this tip, however, and you'll find sailing a breeze.

Think of the wind as a clock. It blows from 12 o'clock. You cannot sail between about ten o'clock and two o'clock, because your board, which is the hour hand of the clock, would be pointing almost directly into the wind. This would cause the wind to hit both sides of your sail at once, or luff, and you to fall into the water.

When you sail at six o'clock, you are directly downwind, also known as running before the wind. At three o'clock and nine o'clock, the wind is hitting you from the side, and you are on a reach. Reaching is the easiest point of sail for most beginners and the most fun. But it's reaching that leads to the problem of sailing away from the launching site and not being able to sail back to it. You can always drag (concluded on page 153)Boardsailing!(continued from page 108) your equipment along the shore to get back to your starting point, but it's much easier to learn to sail upwind. To practice (this would be heading between two and three o'clock and nine and ten o'clock), try sheeting in tighter, until the sail is almost over the stern of the board. If it luffs, sheet out. Gradually, you will begin to understand when you're sailing "close" to the wind or pointing high up into it.

Muscle Power

Beginning boardsailors make it look as though it takes Herculean strength to pull the sail out of the water. While it can be physically taxing, boardsailing is a sport of technique rather than strength. That's why a petite 95-pound woman can be just as good as, or better than, a six-foot-tall, 200-pound man. Harnessing the wind will strengthen your back, biceps and thighs, but it won't necessarily strain those muscles unless your technique is wrong. Experienced boardsailors have a grace and style all their own. With feet delicately positioned along the edges or rails of the board, they will extend themselves over the water almost horizontally, hips turned forward, daring the wind.

Beginners are prone to stiff backs from not keeping knees bent and bottoms tucked in. Undoubtedly, you'll discover muscles you never knew existed in your forearms, and tender hands are likely to develop blisters. But all of those are minor annoyances compared with the great thrill of driving a wind-propelled board across the water. The more you sail, the more attuned to the sport you will become. Like a horseback rider, you will develop an instinct for every whim, every motion of the elements, be they wind or wave.

First Waves

For more current information about the sport, there are four major U.S. publications devoted to boardsailing. They are WindRider and Board & Sail, which concentrate on instruction for all skill levels and equipment reviews, Wind Surf and Sail Boarder, which offer high-tech and lifestyle information and favor the surfer aspect of the sport. All are distributed world-wide. Most European countries, Japan and Australia also have publications.

Other Rewards

You don't have to be 21 to enjoy the sport of boardsailing, but after a day on the water, you'll feel as though you are. There's a mental release that happens as you dance across the water, married to the wind. It's a thrill unlike any other and one that you'll want to keep experiencing again and again. Now that you've read all about it, go ahead and get your feet wet. The wind and the water beckon.