The water start is one of the absolute key manoeuvres in windsurfing, as it allows you to ride small and sporty boards without the hassle of catching up with the sail. For many, one of the biggest problems is not the final ascent, but turning the equipment into the right position in order to be able to waterstart at all. Because pushing the sail up out of the water is often perceived as tedious, many riders try to avoid this problem by mounting the boom so low that it can be placed on the tail of the board. For easier water starts, they accept that they will be travelling with a boom that is too low after the start.
Anyone who has read the first two parts of this beginner series will know that a boom that is too low results in poorer planing. That's why we want to give you the following tips to get to the root of the water start problem and get on the board with little tricks and good technique to save energy.
To do this successfully, you should use a light wave, freemove or freeride sail without camber (profile braces on the mast) and a large-volume board on which you can still launch sheets in a relaxed manner if necessary (body weight + 50 to 60 litres = recommended board volume).
Turn the material into the basic position for the water start
The rig usually lies on the leeward side of the board after a fall. In order to water start, the mast must first be turned so that it is at right angles to the wind or with the top of the sail slightly to windward - this is the "basic position" of the water start! The following therefore applies: Grip the mast above the boom and pull the sail on the mast with strong swimming movements to windward until the mast is at right angles to the wind. By actively pulling the sail to windward, you also prevent the boom end from getting stuck under water. In the basic position, the sail lies flat on the surface of the water and the mast lies cross-wind to windward.
Change direction before the start
As soon as the sail is in the basic position, you can theoretically start the water start. But what if you would actually prefer to launch in the other direction? Then you have to fold the sail before starting. From the basic position (mast at right angles to the wind), grab the mast above the boom and push it slightly upwards to get some wind under the sail. Gradually reach down towards the boom. To flip the sail over and start in the other direction, guide the sail in a kind of semicircle around the base plate. To do this, hold the boom end at the top, as in a downhaul, until your sail is being blown from the boom end. The final folding of the sail then happens almost automatically. You can now launch in the desired direction.
surf tip: You can practise flipping the sail and changing the potential starting direction in shallow water. To do this, stand in the beach start position and run around the base plate in half circles to windward until your sail flips.
We explain the water start step by step in the gallery above!
Further topics for newcomers:
