5. Stance and sail control
The correct sailing stance is everything. With the correct stance you will fly without many strain, aches, or pains. Here are some things to watch out for.
1. A big monster gust of killer wind hits you. You let out with your back hand to spill the wind from your sail. However, the wind just seems to get stronger and pulls you over. Wap, you're wet.
To effectively spill the wind from the sail, the sail must be parallel to the wind. If the pull of the wind is too strong, let out with your back hand, and pull in with your front hand (or keep your front hand close to your body) so that the sail is parallel to the wind (i.e., the sail does not catch the wind).
If the wind gets strong enough, you can let go with your back hand completely and return to the heave-to position. When should you let go with your front hand: almost NEVER.
2. Do not let the rig lean over to leeward (this point is a corollary of the above). Keep the mast more or less vertical. If the mast leans over to leeward, you will have to contend with the weight of the rig and the wind. If you are in this position, let out with your back hand, pull in with your front hand (to spill the wind), and bend your knees a lot.
3. Is your butt sticking out? This "back end out" form is looks silly and will cause you to fall. Your back should be straight, knees bent, and derriere discretely tucked in. Pretend you are sitting down in a straight backed chair. The proper and improper stances are illustrated below. Which way do you want to look? Image is everything!
4. Arms bent? Arms straight? It is the position of the rig that matters, not the position of your arms. The rig should always be more or less vertical. When the wind is light, to keep the mast vertical, your arms (particularly your front arm) should be bent at the elbow. When the wind is strong, you will need to lean way back to counteract the wind in the sail, and therefore your arms will be straight.
5. Sometime after you start sailing, move your front foot behind the mast. Your feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Exactly where you stand depends on conditions. If you are a light weight person, you can stand anywhere on the board. If you are a heavier person and you notice the tail of the board sinking, move forward. If the bow is sinking, move backward. As the wind gets stronger, you will have to move back on the board to keep the bow from purling under the waves. For now, it is important that your knees are slightly bent and your feet on the center line.
6. How far should you let the sail out with your back hand? That depends on your course and the wind strength. Experiment moving your back hand in and out until you are going as fast as you can. Fast is good, fast is efficient. If you are sailing fast and efficiently, the pull on your arms (and the rest of your body) will be minimal.
A few hints
We said NEVER let go with your front hand. (The only exception is when you are coming back to the beach and you want to drop the sail in the water.) There are two reasons for not letting go with your front hand. Most importantly for now, if you let go with your front hand, the sail will drop in the water and you will have to uphaul again, a definite drag. If you let go with your back hand, you will just let the wind out of the sail. Then you can always return to the heave-to position and start again without having to uphaul the sail.
Second, when you get "launched" into your rig (which will happen), holding on to the boom may keep the boom (or other parts of your equipment) from crashing into your dental work (or other expensive part of your body). If you let go of the boom, there is nothing to keep you from directly meeting your equipment. If you hold on to the rig with your front hand you may cushion the blow.
For now, it is important to keep your knees bent and your feet on the centerline. As the wind gets stronger, you will have to move back on the board to keep the front of the board from going underwater. Eventually, you will move your feet into the footstaps on the windward side of the board. To counteract the force of the sail, your body will be "hiked" way out to windward and your legs will be straight, that is, when you advance to high winds, your knees will not be bent. For now, however, your knees should be bent and feet on the centerline of the board.
For now, your centerboard should be down. (The section on 'Sailing in higher winds' will tell you when you should raise the centerboard.) The centerboard keeps you from going sideways. If you seem to be going sideways, not forward, check to be sure that the centerboard is all the way down.
How could you get back upwind if you didn't have a centerboard? The following situation happens several times each summer. A beginner goes out without a centerboard, not realizing how important the centerboard is for sailing. The beginner ends up down wind. You are called to sail the board back! Easy! Use one of the rails (i.e., edges) of the board to provide lateral resistance in the water in lieu of the centerboard. I find it easiest to sink the leeward rail in the water. You do this by placing your feet slightly to leeward of the centerline and pointing your toes. Aggressively push down with the balls of your feet. Dig the leeward rail into the water as you sail. As you become more advanced, you will use this trick not just to rescue misdirected beginners, but to go faster. Now you can be the hero.