Grr..I've stacked it before doing this.Yesterday was the first day I only took one board with me when I went down to go sailing..It wasn't supposed to blow was it..So I ended up on the big board 125ltres ( + 63 of weight) in a choppy 20kts. I'd been blasting around with a big fin and 5.8m sail and felt very on the edge so I came in & went to a 5m with a smaller fin and everything felt really good.
I decided to gybe in a big gust and just grabbed the rail badly as I entered and landed on the boom teeth first..****..b tooth bashed..Doesn't hurt but the wallet is going to..
Sorry about the super close pic..didn't want to show my whole mug..
Think I'll be wearing a mouthguard from now on -if I can find one small enough for a woman.
I suppose I just need to be more careful picking my spot , not jam the edge on so quickly and use a smaller board..???? Going out again today- I hope I don't injure myself .. feel jinxed. I've been on crutches 2x this year due to sailing and now this ( + usual smaller injuries).
I wasn't going to get it fixed but someone said it might get decay in it and cost more..? My partner says I look like a witch..
Gee that looks close to exposing some nerves. You gotta get it capped or it will eventually wear down to the nerve endings-which surely must be half a mil away. Plus it looks a tad spooky.
PS- Sorry, can't help with any gybing info (on L plates there..), but you've certainly made me think about my teeth in relation to the boom.
Sorry to see your injury Sue. Can commiserate as I have put my top front teeth into my bottom lip when crashing into the boom when wave sailing after coming off a jump. What's a bit of pain and blood when compared to the joy of windsurfing?
Don't think a mouthguard would work as it means you would have to do all your breathing through your nose and have to keep you mouth closed most of the time.
As for your technique, if you commit your weight to the inside rail and hold the rig down so it loads up the board, you should make it more times than not. You may also have to make your turn a bit wider so you have a flatter board profile. Try it - good luck with the tooth.
Remember Jack Nicholson once said "You can't handle the tooth."
Oh well i better not do it too often as I can't afford to! Sounds like it will be about c $300 to fix although they haven't seen it yet..I had visions of $1000 etc as I don't go to dentists much but have heard horror stories re $.
Gotta bend those legs in the gusts and get low, low, low actually just bending your knees and your elbows will absorb the shock from the chop before you over the bars...
Sorry bout the teeth,
So many things to think about gybing need to focus on the getting low & pulling down into the boom..out again today . Not as windy.Once I got up to top speed I whimped & came in to change down sail + board but murphy's law.. It died down again.. Good sail though.
Everytime I went into a gybe I thought about crashing..
Ouch! My teeth feel nervous, just looking at your photo.
I guess the one rule of windsurfing (at least on the east coast) is take all your gear!
Can you get it capped with carbon fibre? Gold or plain white is just not good enough. Maybe a Neil Pryde logo there somewhere?
I think the quote wbailey was talking about was "You can't handle the truth (tooth)"...
Just wear one of these !!
But don't say "Are you.... there Clarice" in a deep voice cause that would freak people out!
Step more to the back of the board with the lead foot Probally best to slowdown and come off the trim Let the wave/swell carry your momentum. I think this can be a common injury for people who duckjibe!
looks painful!!
Lake chop can be worse than sea chop because it's closer spaced. If it's shorter wavelength than the board, then no amount of knee bend is going to solve the fact.
The board bounces less when it's on its side and when you're sheeted right in.
Most importantly, the boom shouldn't be in front of your face anyway - try to keep sight of as much of the nose of the board until you flip the rig, this will make you lean the rig to leeward plus make you come forward to look around it.
I have broken many teeth I go for the cheap cap they seem to last me well.
I have never broken one wind surfing but come close too it a few times I manly break mine biting on chops bone I alway find something hard in my food while my wife never finds anything but she has good teeth with no fillings.
Looks bad I know how you feel try keeping your mouth shut next time?
as I went in...
It sounded pretty drastic. How was he going to put my pulled tooth back in..?.
Ive had a longboard caught by the shorebreak when launching and its full weight went into my 2 front teeth, blood and pain but luckily no damage
bad luck Sue,
you need a big trailer or van to carry all the gear to the beach, or go back to Lord Howe where taz will bring a different board ready, like a golf caddy
..I've got the use of a van occasionally now but I don't seem to be getting to use it for sailing much somehow..
Wow, bad luck. It looks like it should be painful.
Gybing overpowered in choppy water is much like bottom turning on waves here in the uk. It's really important to engage the rail so that you slice through the chop and make your turn more predictable. Here's a few tips to help you do this.
Move your back hand right down the boom before you initiate the turn. The extra leverage will help you control the power in the rig.
As you start turning, lean the rig into the turn and oversheet, pulling your back hand almost behind you. This does three things. It dumps the power in the rig so that it's easier to turn the board off the rail, it puts pressure on your back foot which engages the rail and it directs the power from your rig (through the mast base) sideways into the water keeping the nose from bouncing around.
Don't hold the over-sheeted position too long, perhaps a second at most. It'll help you turn faster and tighter so you'll need to open the rig faster too. Once the rail is engaged you'll have the control (hopefully) to open the rig and move it forwards.
Remember to ensure that your back foot is as far back as possible to engage the rail. Banking the board over on the soft rail further up the board is less effective and you'll be more likely to trip.
So, wide hands, wide feet and oversheet. Easy (not) 
Good luck
Got the tooth fixed..Next time my horse has his teeth done I'll feel really sorry for him. Not only does he have a big rasp in his mouth but he has to wear a gag ratchet thingy that holds his mouth open ..yick..
Dentist spent 30mins doing the tooth and showed it to me & it still looked like a fang..He'd made the perfect tooth..just that he hadn't filled the gap..
I know where he's coming from as when I paint a portrait I can get focused on getting great eyes or something and lose track of the overall effect.That's why I have to put them aside for a week or so and when I have another look so I can see the overall effect.
I got him to fill the gap so I have a normal smile again and no longer look like a 'witch' (as my partner said..)
