Flare Gybe, Book 8 of The Windsurfing Bible

Why do most advanced sailors gybe rather than tack? If you ask, they will say that gybing is more fun, more dazzling, and gets more reaction from the windsurfer-watchers on shore than tacks do.

The flare gybe doesn’t quite have the dazzle of a carved gybe, but it’s still an indispensable maneuver, and you’ll still get some "ooohs" and "aaahs" from the onshore crowd. Like the fast tack, it’s a technique you always will use, but it will also ease your way into the high-wind gybes of Part 3. And, in case you’re wondering, anyone who’s competent and courageous enough to lean out over the water in moderate-wind sailing, can master the flare gybe—which means you can!

The flare gybe is a light- to moderate-wind turn. It’s difficult in high-wind because of the overwhelming pull of the sail. Your sail can feel overpowering even in moderate-wind, which is the main problem you’ll have learning this technique. So pay particular attention to instructions about where to lean your center of balance to counterbalance the sail’s pull.

Gybe with the centerboard down in light-wind and halfway down in moderate-wind, and sink the outside, windward rail. When the wind is strong enough that you’re sailing with the centerboard up, gybe with it up too and sink the inside, leeward rail. (For a complete explanation of adjusting the centerboard and sinking the rails, see Book 2, Necessary Knowledge.) You will, however, learn this maneuver faster and more easily in light- to moderate-wind with the centerboard down.

The Flare Gybe

The six steps are grouped into three parts: the Setup, the Turn, and the Finish. During the Setup (step 1), you steer the board downwind to 4 o’clock by doing half an S-turn. In the Turn (steps 2 and 3), you shift the rig into the neutral position, move your hands back on the boom, lean the mast front-windward, and move your feet back as the board turns from 4 o’clock, through 6, to 7 o’clock. During the Finish (steps 4, 5, and 6), you move your feet forward and flip the sail.

The six steps are:

End of Excerpt

Table of Contents Book 8

The Flare Gybe

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 8.6- (Step 2) Your front (left) arm feels all of the sail’s force as a pull front-windward. To avoid being pulled forward, shift your hips over your back (right) foot, which places all your body-weight on your back (right) leg. The sail pulls forward and toward the outside of the turn (front-windward), so you must counterbalance by leaning backward and toward the inside of the turn (back-leeward).

Figure 8.11- (Step 3) As seen from above, your front (left) arm is straight and perpendicular to your chest. And, because your back (right) arm bends, your front (left) hand is closer to the bow than your back (right) hand. This ensures that the boom-head (where the boom and mast connect) is also closer to the bow than the clew, so that the sail sheets-in.

windsurfing power jibe

The Flare Gybe, Book 8 of The Windurfering Bible, contains 52 illustrations, 1.1 Megabites, costs $8.97(US) and is available in .PDF format.

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