To safely carry
your rig (sail, boom, and mast), first orient the sail on the ground
so that the wind is at a right angle to the sail.2. Getting to the water
Carry your board to the water before you carry your sail to the water. In a windy area, make sure you attach your sail to something (such as your board, a picnic table, etc.). By itself, a sail can "take-off" and become a dangerous missile!
To safely carry
your rig (sail, boom, and mast), first orient the sail on the ground
so that the wind is at a right angle to the sail.
Lift the sail over your head, keeping this angle. Place one hand on the mast, one on the boom. You may rest the sail on your head but don't rest your head on any clear part of the sail (vinyl or monofilament). You can move the sail back and forth a bit to find the optimal angle to the wind. As you walk to the water, keep this angle. If you turn around, your direction will change (relative to the wind), but the sail should stay in the same orientation in relation to the wind.
Get into the water in either one of the following two ways. If on sand, attach the sail to the rig on land and drag it to the water holding the fin out of the sand. Otherwise, put the sail in the water, and return to the beach to get your board. Attach the sail to the board and then walk out in the water far enough so that you can put the centerboard all of the way down.
A History Lesson
Windsurfer, Sailboard, Baja Board? Where did this stuff start? Two Southern California aeronautical engineers, Hoyle Schweitzer and Jim Drake, started experimenting with a personal sailing craft around 1961. Both were avid Hobie Cat sailors, surfers, and general water sports enthusiasts. The pair of inventors built many complete prototypes, including some that would be considered bizarre today. The "personal sailing craft" that we have today incorporates all of their design breakthroughs: freely articulated mast, wishbone rig, centerboard, and skeg. The first production run were made like surfboards, glass over foam, and were callled Baja Boards. A Seattle distributor suggested the name Windsurfer.
Drake and Schweitzer were awarded a patent in 1971. A few months later, Drake sold his share in the company for a reported $30,000.
Schweitzer couldn't get anyone interested in mass producing windsurfers in the United States. Finally, he got Ten Cate, a Dutch textile manufacturer, to produce boards in Europe. The sport caught on in Europe, with little interest in the U.S. The next decade of the sport was marked by acrimonious patent fights between Schweitzer and a host of European competitors. "Windsurfer" was the name of Schweitzer's company and board so the term "sailboard" applied to everyone else's product. More recently, the original "Windsurfer" went out of production, and the term has been claimed for sailboards in general. (You use to have to say "Windsurfer(TM)".) Now the term "windsurfer" is being used in the generic sense, as is the word "sailboard."
In 1996, Jim Drake was elected to the Sailing Hall of Fame for developing the windsurfer.
A Safety Hint
You started out from the beach in San Diego with a light on shore wind and no surf. As you were out having a great time, the wind steadily built, and so did the surf. Now you have to negotiate a line of breaking waves to get back to shore.
There are two ways to get through the surf. If there is enough wind, you can usually sail through. Sail slowly just out side the surf line. When you see a break in the surf, sheet in and go for it. When you get in, you will have to hop off your board and quickly carry you rig and board to the beach before the next wave mangles it. Stand between your board and rig with the sail downwind of you, clew pointing away from you. Grab the board with one hand, and the boom with the other, and lift until the sail is out of the water.
The second way to get through the surf is probably more practical for the beginner. Swim to the tip of your mast and hold tightly to it. Go through the surf, swimming with your board and sail in front of you. When a wave comes, hold on tightly with both hands. Get out of the water as described above.