YOU CAN MAKE IT AS COMPLICATED AS ASTROPHYSICS, OR AS EASY AS WALKING.
PETER HART INDICATES THE EASIEST, QUICKEST, MOST JOYOUS ROUTE TO GYBING –
CARVED AND OTHERWISE.
When teaching the loop, the favourite
opening gambit to mollify the victims is to
say that the loop is, in fact, a lot easier
than the carve gybe and that the Moreno twins
could loop before they could gybe. Good news
for loopers but not such good news for aspirant
gybers. If the two most naturally talented
windsurfers on the planet would rather rotate 20 foot
in the air than risk leaning on the edge, what
chance have the rest of us? Well firstly, we would
help ourselves by NOT trying to learn it on the galetorn
chop of Pozo beach in Grand Canaria, where
the Morenos practise their art, which is probably the
hardest place to gybe on the planet.
Yes the carve gybe is complicated move – but only
in the same way that the golf swing is complicated.
The precision needed to smack that little white thing
with the right part of the club is amazing – yet lots of
people do it, despite a bizarre taste for tartan
trousers. If their game goes off the rails, it’s usually
because they’re thinking too much and have
become embroiled in their swing’s complexities.
Likewise carve gybing is straightforward at a basic
level if you keep it simple and believe in your body’s
natural ability to balance in demanding situations.
In part one of this short series, I will suggest what I
think is the easiest way to get into it. Then in part
two, I’ll suggest how to tweak it and adapt it to
produce that elusive Holy Grail – the planing exit.
WHERE ARE YOU COMING FROM?
In that massive holding tank that contains aspirant
carve gybers, you find two separate camps.
1 Those who grew up on big boards (wide or long)
and who have spent many happy hours light wind
‘flare’ gybing. Their problem is that they can’t adapt
those skills and techniques to cope with more
speed and power. Most of them are trying to flare
gybe on the plane, which leaves them fighting for air
in the back seat
2 Fast-trackers. They took up windsurfing because
they love the idea of going fast. Ambitious and
mildly fit and with reasonable guidance and modern
kit, they were in the straps and planing within a
couple of weeks. Not unreasonably, therefore, they
were having their first go at a carve gybe pretty
soon after. Their natural gusto allows them to carve
the board, BUT, having never bothered with light
wind manoeuvring, they have no real sense of
where the rig should be at various states of the turn
nor of how and where to move their body to resist
the ever changing forces of a rotating sail.
In essence, all that needs to happen is for these two
factions to get together, have a party and swap
ideas and talents and they’d all move on.
However, on balance the light wind gybers are in a
stronger situation. The problem for the fast-trackers
is that their raw ambition has driven them to learn to
carve gybe. What they really need to do is just learn
to gybe, whatever the conditions.
LIGHT WIND, STRONG WIND –PLANING, NON PLANING
There is not such a huge difference between a
planing and non-planing gybe. Assuming you’re
doing the ‘step’ version of the planing gybe, the coordination
and timing of rig and foot change are the
same. As you progress from non-planing to planing,
your body angles just have to change to withstand
different forces.
The end aim is to do, to feel, to react, to experience
and to learn from mistakes, avoiding getting
involved in the brain curdling technical analysis
which makes you move and function like a badly
oiled robot. However, having a skeleton understanding of what makes a board
turn and what the differences are, in technique terms, between a planing and
non-planing gybe can help sweep away a little mystery.
Off the plane, the steering principle is pretty easy to understand. All the turning
force comes from the rig. You use the rig like a paddle, pulling left to turn right.
By leaning the rig to the outside of the turn and keeping it powered, the
pressure down through the mastfoot drives the nose around – just like it does
when you use the rig to line the board up in the beachstart.
In terms of body position, you need to resist the forward and outward pull of the
rig and so drop in towards the centre of the turning circle and back over the tail.
On the plane, the board’s speed and the act of banking it on its edge make it
turn. The forces involved are complex, but basically the inside edge deflects
water (think of a plume of spray thrown up by a waterski). Thanks to Newton’s
‘every action has an equal and opposite reaction’ first law of motion, the water
goes one way and the board goes the other.
This may help explain why many carve gybes die. If you try banking the board
over at slow speeds, not enough water gets deflected to make the board turn.
And that’s also why, if you don’t carry enough speed through the gybe, you will
just sink on the rail and stop. This won’t be the first time you hear this, but in the
carve gybe, speed, although it may not always feel like it as you cannon into the
mast, is truly your best friend.
In terms of body position, you have to stay in balance with the acceleration of the
board and the centrifugal force of the turn by projecting in towards the centre of
the and forwards towards the mastfoot.
AN IDEAL PROGRESSION
In Nirvana, you, a 75 kg adult, take a wide board of between 150-180 litres.
Then using perhaps a 6.5 in 5-8 knots, you tackle the light wind gybe. With
every session the wind magically rises by two knots. More power forces you to
assume more dynamic body angles. On the third day, it’s a solid force 4. You’re
planing and start to ease into the gybe by banking it over and carving rather
than using the rig. The board drops off the plane half way through but you know
how to use the rig to finish it off.
When the next day the wind builds to 20 knots, you borrow a 130 litre model
which planes faster and which you can bank harder into the turn. You start to
carry that extra speed right through the wind and
suddenly you’re performing the rig and foot change
on the plane … and the following day you enter the
PWA Wave Finals and win. In the real world, you try
the carve gybe on whatever board you happen to own
and in whatever winds happen to coincide with your
day off. The first session it’s force 6 and raining. The
second session (4 weeks later) is 5 knots and foggy.
Whatever cruel hand Nature deals you, the message is
to go out in that light wind and learn to gybe with style
and consistency.
The light wind photo sequence tells a thousand
words. These, however are the key points that you
need to take with you from that light wind technique
into the carve gybe.
Feet Positions Perform the light wind gybe, where
possible, with the front foot in the footstrap. That means
setting the straps up in the friendly inboard positions. If
you don’t have that option and the wind is too light to
allow you to get anywhere near a strap, then at least
stand with the feet in the same relative positions as if
they were in the straps – i.e. one in front of the other,
the same as for the carve gybe.
Back hand down the boom Whenever you need
more leverage on the boom to sheet in – it might be
sailing in strong winds, going for a loop, duck gybing,
carving gybing or just light wind gybing - move the
back hand down the boom towards the clew. If you
don’t, it’s like trying to open a door using a doorknob
mounted in the middle. How far back you move the
hand depends on how hard and suddenly you want
to sheet in. About two feet back from the normal
sailing position usually does the trick.
Head steering the body Turn the head to look in the
direction you’re gybing and so many things will fall
into place naturally. Coming through the last half of
the turn, looking over your back shoulder towards the
exit of the turn, helps you stay committed and
orientated and gets the whole body moving in the
right direction. It’s just the same as for the carve gybe.
Back hip in The hips represent your centre of
gravity – your weight if you like. The way to resist
the outward pull of the sail (the pull that makes you turn) is to push your back
hip towards the centre of the turning circle. This is the same committed body
angle you need to take up in the carve gybe.
Counter-rotation (hips in, shoulders out) The key to windsurfing, gybing and
life as we know it, lies in being able to twist at the hips and get the upper and
lower body facing different directions
and doing different things. In the light wind gybe, you lean the rig to the outside
of the turn to create the turning force, at the same time you have to drop the
hips to the inside to resist the pull – shoulders out, hips in. Unless you angulate
at the hips, it can’t happen.
Sail powered In both gybes, the sail needs to be held at its most efficient
angle to the wind all the way round. Because you’re constantly turning, you
have to constantly alter the rig angle, sheeting out all the way through the wind
up to the point of rig release on the new tack. The timing of the change is the
same for both gybes – release on a broad reach and sheet in again across or
just off the wind.
Rig and foot change The action of changing the rig and stepping is also the
same. The key points to both are:
Rotate and move the front foot first (the one in the strap)
Don’t get too close to the rig and don’t put yourself between the mast and the
water. As the rig rotates behind you, ease the shoulders forward, and as you
throw the rig forward to sheet in, move the shoulders back.
When you release the rig to flip it, the mast has to be upright. For it to stay
upright when it rotates, the front hand has to slide right to the front of the boom
so it acts like a hinge.
THE CARVE GYBE
You probably will, as mentioned, first try the carve gybe in whatever wind and on
whatever water are available to you. However, let it be known that your chances
of success decrease in direct proportion to the size of the chop. The flatter it is,
the faster you can sail within your comfort zone. And speed, for at least the
second time, is the oxygen of the gybe. Without it you will expire. Then, of the
course, there’s the equipment. Please forgive me while I quickly go off on one.
KIT ISSUES
I was on this same soapbox in the Feb. issue of Windsurf. Sorry for the
repetition but I have to tell you about learning to carve gybe on very big boards
and what hardware and set-ups are going to help and hinder your cause.
Big, wide boards (approx 90 cm and wider) are, under the feet of most people
in most conditions, harder to carve gybe than smaller ones. It’s controversial
stuff, for surely volume lends you extra momentum and therefore extra time and
room for error? And, surely they plane in lighter winds, which will also make life
easier. Well no – not really.
They plane in lighter winds because they can support a huge rig. But then using a
big rig (8.0 plus) to learn to gybe is a nightmare. It’s slow and unwieldy to flip and
(accepting the fact that you WILL fall), it’s exhausting to recover from the water.
Ok so you wait for a little more wind and load it with a smaller rig – a 6.5. But
take a 200 litre and 130 litre board with a 6.5 in the same 15 knot wind and the
smaller board will plane earlier. It’s simple physics. There’s less of it so it needs
less power to push it along. If the thought of sailing a 130 spooks you, then
unless you’re a giant and genuinely need the volume of the bigger board to
float you, then it’s possible you need a few more happy reaching miles under
the belt before giving the carve gybe a try.
Footstraps All boards (big and small) are easier to gybe when the front straps
are mounted inboard near the centreline. The problem of using the inboard
settings on a very wide board is that it’s hard to control the board in a straight
line. The outer settings meanwhile leave you with a wildly wide and
uncomfortable gybing stance.
In the photo sequence, I am using a 180 litre allrounder with the front straps half
way between the rail and the centre-line - a good compromise.
…And a word about training straps … Most wide allrounders offer a variety of
positions for forward training straps, which are good for helping you get used to
the feeling of footstraps at low speeds. Given a marginal breeze you can even
get a sensation of semi-planing. But AVOID them for carve gybing for 2 reasons.
1 You’re standing too far forward to control the angle of the inside edge.
2 If the wind gets up even a little, you find yourself way too close to the rig and
are fighting for survival at which point carve gybing is scrubbed from the
agenda. Wherever possible, use the straps that are at the same level as, but
inboard of the most aggressive positions.
Strap adjustment Get into good habits from day one by making sure the strap
accommodates your whole foot to the point where you toes are visible. It
becomes ever more important as you look to gybe smaller board.
NOW LET’S DO IT
Being able to do a tasty non-planing gybe with a confident rig and foot change
leaves you in the happy position of being able to focus on what is really
important in the carve gybe. Think of nothing but the following and you have a
good chance of scoring a dry one. Details can be added later.
1 Speed IN Abolish all thoughts that slowing down will somehow buy you
more time as well as reducing the risk of a serious impact injury.
It’s just the opposite.
With speed comes stability as the board sits higher in the water.
You have more momentum and so can describe a longer arc –
that’s the way to buy time.
The apparent wind moves forward and the power in the sail softens,
which allows you to drive the board into the turn without the rig pulling you
out of shape.
2 Preparation – maintain speed It’s all very well reaching towards the gybe
with the speed of a bolting mustang but you have to be able to carry that speed
into the turn. In the preparation phase of the gybe, you need to check for
strangers, move the back hand down the boom, move the back foot from the its
strap to the inside edge and unhook (the common sequence) without upsetting
the general trim and balance. Basically you have to stay sheeted in and do all
the above across the wind before you bear away.
The trick is to make all movements subtle. You don’t need to heave on the
boom to unhook, a gentle tilting of the hips will suffice. You don’t need to move
the back foot onto the inside edge as if you were crushing a cockroach –
just slide it across.
You can learn to carve gybe on just about ANY board. The 180 litre
allrounder in the main sequence is fine, especially if your chosen sailing
area is famous for iffy breezes. However, this is the preferred scenario for
anyone keen on making the gybe more than just a means of turning
round. 130 litre board, 6.5 sail, 18 knots of wind AND… look at the water,
gloriously flat. Chop is as helpful as tying a bucket to your fin.
The smaller lighter board actually planes earlier and will be faster. Athough
more sensitive to leaden feet, it has the potential to carry more speed
through the back half of the turn. With speed, the rig and foot change, the
traditional stumbling blocks, are a pleasure.
Unhooking persuades many, through laziness it has to be said, to open the sail.
Instead, grit the teeth a little and take the strain on the arms by extending them
and just lowering your backside. Hold still, give it a second to settle – you’re
ready.
3 Body anticipation When you bear away and carve, the board will accelerate
and change direction. You need to take up a position where you can dominate
and drive the rail to balance the forces thrown up by a fast turn. It’s like riding a
bike. You bank into the corner – then you turn the handlebars. Turn the
handlebars first and you carry straight on in to the hedge. Stamp on the rail to
start the carve with your body still hanging back over the tail and the board
carries on the gybe without you.
The secret lies in a gradually bearing off wind and letting the rig pull you
forward and inboard so you don’t start carving the board until your shoulders
are over or in front of the feet.
4 The Carve The best advice you will ever hear is “keep an even pressure on
the inside edge and all else will fall into place.”
Banking the board to carve it round is a joyous event. Imagine a pedal under
your foot supported by a strong spring. You have to gradually push the pedal
down and then hold it there until you’re through the wind. If you release it
prematurely you will catapult off the back.
If you physically can’t hold the rail in, you’ve lost your shape, dropped back or
stood up too tall. Bend the ankles to project the body forwards and bend the
knees so the legs can work like pistons and keep that rail buried.
Controlling the turning edge and keeping the board carving at the right angle
despite lumpy seas is an acute skill developed through many arcs.
5 The rig – keep it simple.
The rig’s role in the carve is simpler than for the non-planing gybe. It’s not
providing a turning force (unless you drop off the plane) – just forward power to
pull you through the turn. Through most of the gybe up until the rig change, if
you look forward, you should see your front hand, the mast and the nose of the
board all in a line. Just as with the non-planing gybe, don’t forget to keep
opening the sail all the way round to keep presenting the maximum surface to
the wind.
It’s at this stage, that you might be craving intimate details about how to
complete the perfect rig and foot transition because that seems to be the stage
where it always goes wrong. Sorry to disappoint you but a scrappy end is merely
the symptom of a flawed beginning and middle. A sweet rig and foot change is
impossible if you’ve lost speed, body form or generally been thrown out of
shape. In the carve gybe, as with just about every other sporting endeavour, do
the basics well and all else will follow.
Having said that, next month I will be looking at how some attention to detail
can take you to the next level of gybing.
IN THE MEANTIME:
• Embrace your speed
• Start settled
• Anticipate the change in direction
• Let the rig pull you into the turn (don’t fight it)
• Look the way you’re turning,
• Lead with the hips
• Keep an even pressure on the inside edge
