Fast Tack, Book 7 of The Windsurfing Bible

Think about it! Is it a parent, a sister, a schoolmate, a roommate, a wife? The fast tack is like that old friend. It isn’t as flashy as some other maneuvers, or friends, but it’s the one you'll turn to when you’re tired, sore, and you just don’t want to fall. You can depend on it.

The dependable tack is a little easier with the centerboard down than up. The directions in this chapter, therefore, are for the centerboard down. So, as you turn from 3 o’clock, through 12, to 11 o’clock, sink the outside leeward rail with your toes.

If you choose to tack with the centerboard up, and therefore sink the inside windward rail with your heels, the board slows making it a little more difficult to turn through 12 o’clock. It’s perfectly all right to tack with the centerboard up—after you have the hang of it with the centerboard down—just change a few words in this book: heels for toes and windward rail for leeward rail.

The Fast Tack

The six steps are grouped into two parts: the Turn and the Finish. In the Turn (steps 1, 2, and 3) the board sails from 3 o’clock, through 12, to 11 o’clock: up, into and through the eye-of-the-wind. In the Finish (steps 4, 5, and 6) you change from one side of the board to the other.

The six steps are:

End of Excerpt

Table of Contents Book 7

The Fast Tack

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Mistakes Step 1

Mistakes Step 2

Mistakes Step 3

Mistakes Step 4

Mistakes Step 5

Mistakes Step 6

Refinements

What's next?

Sample Illustrations

Figure 7.14- (Step 3 - Mistakes) The second most common error in the fast tack is bending your front (right) leg - keep it straight. When the front (right) leg bends, all your body-weight transfers onto your front (right) foot (shown here), which creates many problems in Step 4.

Figure 7.15- (Step 3 - Mistakes) This illustration shows your feet too far apart and your front (right) foot not wrapped around the mast-foot. You will then take one, or more likely several, extra steps when changing sides.

windsurf turn

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