Provided you have the right carrying technique, a sail can also be as tame as a lapdog in a storm. Depending on the size of the material, the wind force and your personal constitution, you can bring your equipment to the water either individually or assembled and store it there safely. You can find tips for both options here.
Carrying & storing the board
If you carry the board and sail separately, you should always bring the board to the water first. The reason: A sail left alone on the beach runs the risk of flying away in strong winds and can injure other people. The easiest way to carry large beginner boards with a daggerboard is with one person at the bow and one at the tail. Lighter boards can also be carried alone: if your arms are long enough, simply tuck them under your arms with the deck facing your body. If your arms are too short, you can also hold the board by the front loop and turn it with the underside facing your body.
Carrying across the wind
If the wind comes from the side on the way to the water, always take the board on the leeward side.
Carrying with the wind/against the wind
Always orientate the board so that the tail is pointing upwind.
Camp on the beach
Once at the starting point, put the board down with the tail to the wind and, if possible, push the fin into the sand. Now you can pick up the sail. Never leave the board on the beach at right angles to the wind! Even medium wind speeds can roll the board across the beach, and the fin can damage other material or injure people. For longer breaks, the board and sail should always be stored together.
Carry sails
Carrying in front of the body
A sail is best carried with one hand on the mast and one hand on the boom in front of the body. The mast should always be on the windward side so that the sail floats freely and easily. Depending on which direction you want to go, you can carry the sail in front of or behind your body - the main thing is that the mast remains on the windward side. Carrying the sail in front of/behind the body is the safest and easiest way to transport the sail, especially in strong winds, because the airfoil is virtually weightless as it flies with the wind. The following sequence illustrates what happens if the sail is orientated incorrectly: If you turn the sail upwind with the boom end facing the wind, you make life unnecessarily difficult for yourself. Either the wind pushes the outhaul downwards, making it very difficult to carry, or the sail flaps upwards uncontrollably - not without danger.
Carrying on the head
We also recommend carrying the sail on your head, especially if you have to cover longer distances or the wind is very light and the sail no longer flies in front of your body. To do this, set up the rig and hold it with your front hand on the mast. Take hold of the boom with your free hand and lay the sail on your head. Now you can set off. The same applies here: always carry the mast or base plate to the wind and never turn the boom end to the wind!
Store sails individually
Sometimes it is necessary to leave the sail alone for a short time. To do this, hold the sail by the mast and boom to leeward of the body, turn the masthead slightly to windward and press it into the sand. This will prevent it from flying away even in strong winds. If you don't have any sand to press the top of the sail into, you will need to weigh it down in some other way - for example with a few large stones. If these are also in short supply, your only option is to dismantle the boom: The sail then lies flat on the ground and offers the wind less surface to attack.
Collect material
Especially with small and light equipment, it makes sense to bring it to the water together. This way, you don't run the risk of the board flying away in strong winds while you are fetching your sail, for example. Put the board and sail together, with the sail on the leeward side. Now grab the upper foot strap with your front hand and the boom with your back hand and lift the material. As always with this carrying technique, the mast should be at right angles to the wind or slightly to leeward. Ideally, the board and sail remain together for storage, the sail is turned slightly to leeward with the mast top and the board folded down. The bottom line is that there is no safer way to store your equipment on the beach in strong winds. Even in a storm, it can hardly fly away.
Protection from UV radiation
Hours of waiting for the wind or an extended lunch break often tempt you to simply leave your equipment rigged up on the beach. That's convenient - but if you want to enjoy your equipment for longer, you shouldn't do that. Mono film in particular - which is basically nothing more than PVC film - is not UV-stable. The thinner a mono film is, the faster it loses its suppleness, becoming brittle and creased. During assembly and disassembly, it then increasingly develops permanent creases, which are predetermined breaking points just waiting for the next catapult into the sail. The sheet then often tears through to the next seam in one go. Another factor is visibility, which suffers particularly when flying sand maltreats the sail like sandpaper for hours on end. For this reason, sails should always be taken down or stored in the shade during longer breaks, as this increases their service life enormously.
Even though boards are less sensitive to UV light and can normally withstand the odd sunbath on the beach, it is also advisable to store them in the shade. Boards with a dark surface can heat up so much when stored in direct sunlight that they delaminate - in other words, the individual carbon and glass fibre layers of the shell detach from the foam core. The board quickly becomes soft and is basically a total loss.
