- Ideal conditions:1-3 Beaufort, smooth water
- Ideal material: Longboards or WindSUPs with centreboard, light sails
- Learning requirements: None
The first windsurfing attempt almost always begins with the sheet start. This term comes from the name of the rope that is attached to the boom: the start sheet. It is used to pull the rig out of the water. The lower end of the starting sheet is attached to the foot of the mast with an elasticated loop. This means that the sheet lies close to the mast when sailing and does not interfere with manoeuvres.
At the sheet start, the windsurfer stands on the board - so a few balance exercises beforehand can't hurt. Depending on the area, the board can be unsettled by choppy waves. The ideal conditions are therefore shallow water and a large, stable board. A safe sheet start will always bring you back to shore, no matter how deep the water is. In the picture gallery above, we show you the start for windsurfing in detail.
Preparation before the sheet launch
The process begins with the launch preparation: before you can start, the board must first be turned into the correct position. To do this, stand on the board with your feet immediately to the left and right of the foot of the mast and grab the furling line far down.
Bend your knees slightly, keep your back straight and pull the sail just a little way out of the water. The wind will now turn the sail like a flag with the wind to the leeward side and your equipment will automatically swing into the correct position for the later start. Try to set a right angle between the board and the sail.
Once you have set the right angle between the sail and the board, your board will automatically align itself at right angles to the wind. Only now should you pull the sail completely out of the water.
Orientate yourself on the board and grip the mast under the boom with your front hand (the hand that is closer to the bow). The front hand is always referred to as the mast hand, the back hand as the sail hand. Always keep the right angle between the board and the sail and the mast arm extended. You are now in the "basic position" and ready for the start. Because the board and sail represent the letter "T" in this position, the term "T-position" is often used in this context.
How the sheet start works in windsurfing
You can start from the starting position. Keep the mast arm extended and the sail at 90° to the board and take a step backwards with your back foot towards the centreboard.
This is followed by the key moment: before you grab the boom with your sailing hand, the sail must come out of its tilted position and into a vertical position. To do this, pull the mast past in front of your body with your mast hand until it is vertical. You will feel that the sail now feels much lighter. To stand more comfortably and more in the direction of travel, you can turn the front foot slightly so that it is next to or directly behind the foot of the mast.
The sail hand only grips the boom when the mast is vertical. To start, you need to catch the wind - you do this by slowly tightening the sail with your sailing hand. Shift your weight slightly onto your back leg and keep the mast vertical. If the start is correct, the board will pick up speed at right angles to the wind.
You can see all the steps explained picture by picture in the gallery above!
The most common mistakes when launching a sheet and how to do it better
"Why does the board unintentionally turn into the wind when starting?"
If your board unintentionally turns into the wind to windward at the start and doesn't get going, there is a simple reason for this: you are not positioning the mast completely vertically before the tight recovery!
The series of pictures illustrates the problem: everything is still perfect in the basic position, the sail is at 90° to the board and the board has therefore aligned itself exactly at right angles to the wind on a half-wind course. The subsequent lowering of the mast, however, is too half-hearted, the sail hand grabs the boom too early. If you now tighten the sail, the board does not get going but immediately turns with the bow into the wind.
Solution:If you notice this problem, go back to the starting position and centre the board on a half-wind course again. Orientate yourself: Where is your board pointing in the basic position? This is the course you need to keep! Find a fixed point on the shore in the corresponding direction. Now set the mast completely vertical at the start - this is the case when it is between your head and the tip of the board, the boom is now roughly horizontal. Hoist tight and check that your board stays on course.
"I'm always drawn forwards when I'm doing a tight catch!"
The classic launch error! When preparing for the start, everything is still right - the mast has been set vertically. Depending on the wind, there is often a lot of pull in the sail during the subsequent close reach, which has to be tamed. In this case, this does not work, the mast tilts away to leeward, the body comes into a draft and a fall to leeward onto the sail will be the result.
Solution: When starting and travelling straight ahead, the mast must always remain vertical and must not tilt to leeward. Therefore, make sure that you counteract the rising sail draft with your body weight. If this does not work, you can control the pressure with your sail hand - it is your accelerator pedal. If you open the sail by stretching the sail arm, the pressure in the sail decreases and you can restore the vertical position of the mast if necessary. This opening of the sail with the sail hand is also known as "unfurling". If you close the sail again by tightening the sail hand, the sail tension increases and your board accelerates - then shift your body weight back over the back leg.
The golden rule for controlling the sail draft is therefore: always keep the mast vertical, control the sail draft by opening and closing the sail with your sailing hand!
