Getting into Footstraps
The key to planing speed and control is getting both feet in the straps
Getting into the rear outward footstraps on wide boards can be a real challenge for sailors with big feet. But as soon as you get both feet in, you will enjoy the thrills of increased speed and control.
The problem with not getting your back foot in the straps on wide boards is a poor stance. It is difficult to sheet in and rake the sail back enough to close the gap. Speed and control suffer, and so do my legs - which often get cramps.
However both my Starboard Go 165 and Tabout Rocket 140 have outbound footstrap positions that are placed aggressively over the rails. This leads to the common problem (at least for me and my big feet) of washout. You go to put your foot in the rear strap and the next minute its flying out the back of the board.
The force of the water always wins, and it happens so fast it often leads to a total loss of control.
The only way I can reliably get my feet in is to twist my ankle so my toe is pointing back while my heel is still on the rail. I then slip my toe in the strap and twist my foot into the back strap. My heel still hits the water as I straighten my foot, but the force pushes it into the strap rather than out.
I was having so much grief on my Tabou Rocket, that I added these stainless steel straps so I could move the foot straps more inbound. While it is definitely easier to get my feet into these new strap positions, raw speed has definitely suffered. This may end up being a temporary measure as I get more adept at sliding my feet in sideways - but you have to start somewhere ;)
Once you can get both feet reliably in the outbound strap positions, speed and control really does improve. This is me on my 8.5 m2 sail in about 18-20 knots, locked in and blasting. I could not hold that sail down if my stance was more upright, instead I would be luffing out in gusts, rather than accelerating as I am doing here. Notice also that my legs are straighter, so there is much less strain on them.
2 comments:
Matt C said...
Thanks for the tips, can't wait to try this tomorrow
Denis From Lancieux France said...
Thanks, this really helps me understand the whys ,as I only begin putting my feet in.
