4. Startup Sequence
OK, you've finished War and Peace. Now is the time to get moving. Different schools will teach slightly different start-up sequences. Whatever method you are taught, it is important that you follow that sequence exactly as described here. (When you take lessons elsewhere, follow their sequence exactly.) There are three steps in the start up sequence that we teach at the Cal Sailing Club. Do each step exactly and don't rush one step into another. Here are the steps:
Step 1. Identify
your front hand, the hand closest to the front of the board. Slowly
reach your front hand over your back hand and gently place it
on the boom about 8 inches from the mast. Do not pull on the boom
with this hand. The sail should still be parallel to the wind and
have no pull. Since there is no wind in the sail, there is no reason
for you to fall. (Are your knees still bent?) End of step one.
Step 2. This step
is a requires a compound move. With your front hand move the boom and
sail to the front and across the board (see the drawing below). You
will now be facing the front of the board, with the sail in front of
you, looking forward through the window in the sail. The sail still
is going parallel to the wind, so it has no force in it. Since the
sail doesn't have any force in is, there is no reason to fall. (Knees
still bent?) While you are doing this swiveling move, place your back
hand (the one that isn't your front hand) gently on the boom, but do
not pull in with your back hand. (See the figure below.) Finally,
your front arm should have the elbow bent, but your back arm should
be straight.
Step 3. Gently
and slowly, pull in with your back hand (B). You will feel power in
the sail, that is a good thing. As you start moving forward, resist
the temptation to panic and drop the sail. If you think that the wind
is too strong, gently let out with your back hand -- that is return
to the position shown above. As you feel more comfortable, pull in
harder with your back hand. You will have to lean back to counter the
pull of the sail. You will sail off at a beam reach. When you get to
Hawaii, send us a postcard.
Rules of the Road
Now that you are flying along, it is a good time to consider what happens if you are about to collide with another vessel (i.e., boat or sailboard). Collisions at sea are a good thing to avoid. There are two aspects to avoiding collisions at sea: (1) The Law, also called Rules of the Road; (2) Uncommonly good sense.
The Law
The Rules of the Road are the laws that govern who has the right of way when two vessels meet. Here is a simplified version of the more important laws. For the law, note that (1) a windsurfer is a sailboat; (2) any sailboat under power (with motor running) is a power boat.
When a
sailboat meets a power boat, the sailboat has the right of way.
There are important exceptions, some listed here.
1. If the sailboard is overtaking the power boat (a common occurrence) the overtaken vessel always has the right of way.
2. If the power boat must stay in a channel to safely navigate, the power boat has the right of way (e.g., large vessels in channels in San Francisco Bay or the Columbia River).
3. If the power boat has a tow, or is engaged in fishing with nets or lines, sailboats must keep clear.
When two
sailboats meet, including sailboards or a sailboat and sailboard,
the following rules apply.
1. The overtaking (passing) boat must keep clear of the boat being passed.
2. If two sailboats are on different tacks, the sailboat on starboard tack has right of way.
3. If two sailboats are on the same tack, the leeward sailboat has right of way over the windward sailboat.
(See Sailing Terms if you are confused
about windward, leeward, starboard, port). 
Uncommonly Good Sense
Some of these points are not obvious.
1. First, you don't want to panic without reason. There is a simple way to tell if you are on a collision course with another vessel. First take a bearing on the other vessel. A good system of bearings is the "clock face" as shown below:
The Queen Mary has a bearing of 1:00 (1 o'clock). Wait a minute and check the bearing again. If the bearing changes (e.g., from 1:00 to 2:30) you are not on a collision course. If the bearing does not change, you are on a collision course.
2. If you have right of way, make sure that the skipper of the other vessel (boat or sailboard) sees you. The other skipper may be doing what we do much of the time: daydreaming. Try to establish eye contact. Yell if necessary to get the other guy's attention.
3. If you alter your course, do not make a small change; make your change in course large enough so that the other skipper doesn't have to guess your intentions.
4. It is safer to pass behind another vessel than it is to pass in front of it (particularly the Queen Mary). Sailors often have a tendency to try to scoot in front of an oncoming vessel instead of passing behind it (like a deer darting in front of a car, with the predictable consequences). It is also safer to pass to the leeward of another sailboard than to pass to windward. If you fall, or "spin-out" you will not drift into the other board.
5. Most collisions between sailboards happen when one sailor jibes or tacks (i.e., turns) without looking. Look twice, jibe (or tack) once.