I got BING Chat GPT 4 to explain the main details from this thread!
Here are some detailed points from the steps to do a windfoil air gybe, based on the web page you referenced:
- Comfortable but fast entry speed: You need enough speed to maintain lift and stability on the foil, but not so much that you lose control or over-foil. A moderate speed also allows you to carve smoothly and adjust your sail and body position.
- Smooth movements: You want to avoid sudden or jerky movements that can disrupt your balance and foil performance. You should initiate, execute and finish the turn with gradual and fluid motions, keeping your body relaxed and centered over the board.
- Back foot as far across your board as is practical... preferably in line with the leeward front footstrap: This helps you keep the board level and prevent over-foiling, which happens when the foil breaches the water surface and loses lift. By placing your back foot across the board, you counteract the tendency of the windward rail to lift up during the turn.
- Back foot placement is critical to maintain altitude, even more so on free ride short fuselage foils: The back foot acts as a lever to control the pitch of the foil and thus the ride height. By moving your back foot slightly forward or backward, you can adjust the angle of attack of the foil and keep it at an optimal level. This is especially important on free ride foils, which have shorter fuselages and less stability than race foils.
- Lean sail in and forward on fully extended arms: The forward sail helps balance your ride height: By leaning your sail in and forward, you create a counter-force to the lift of the foil and keep your board from rising too high. You also reduce the drag of the sail and increase your speed. Keeping your arms fully extended gives you more leverage and control over the sail.
- Open sail early as you turn downwind - this is the most different part to a powered slalom gybe: Unlike a slalom gybe, where you keep your sail sheeted in until you flip it, a windfoil gybe requires you to open your sail early as you turn downwind. This reduces the power of the sail and prevents it from pulling you off balance or over-foiling. It also prepares you for the rig flip by aligning your sail with the wind direction.
- Bring your old front foot to the centreline, as far back as you were standing before: This is a transitional step that allows you to switch your feet without losing stability or speed. By bringing your old front foot to the centreline, you keep your weight evenly distributed on the board and avoid tilting it sideways. By placing it as far back as you were standing before, you maintain a similar pressure on the foil and avoid nose-diving or over-foiling.
- Quickly move your new front foot from the leeward rail to the new front strap: This is the final step of switching your feet and completing the turn. By moving your new front foot from the leeward rail (where it was helping to keep the board level) to the new front strap (where it will help to steer and control the board), you change your stance from switch-footed to normal-footed and align yourself with the new direction. You should do this quickly to avoid losing speed or stability.
- Safe but slow option is to put this foot in front of the strap... guaranteed to be a planing gybe but prevents an ejection: If you are not confident or comfortable with putting your new front foot into the strap right away, you can opt for a safer but slower option of putting it in front of the strap instead. This will ensure that you finish the gybe on a plane, but it will also prevent you from flying off the board if you make a mistake or encounter a gust. However, this option will also reduce your speed and performance compared to putting your foot into the strap.
- Flip the sail quickly by leading the leading edge around - try not to 'push' the clew around with
the back hand: This is how you change your sail from one side of the board to another. By flipping
the sail quickly, you minimize the time that your sail is depowered and exposed to wind turbulence. By leading
the leading edge around, you make sure that your sail flips smoothly and efficiently. Try not to 'push'
the clew around with the back hand, as this can cause your sail to stall or backwind.
- If you get backwinded - especially in light winds - try to flip the sail a moment earlier: Backwinding happens when the wind catches the wrong side of the sail and pushes it against your direction of travel. This can cause you to lose speed, lift and balance. To avoid backwinding, you should flip the sail a moment earlier than you normally would, before the wind gets behind your sail. This is especially important in light winds, where you have less margin for error and less power to recover.
- Bring the sail forward - immediately - into the new sailing position to regain balance, power and the right body position: This is how you finish the gybe and resume your normal sailing. By bringing the sail forward, you restore the balance between the sail and the foil and prevent nose-diving or over-foiling. You also regain power and speed by sheeting in the sail and catching the wind. You should also adjust your body position to match the new direction and stance, by leaning slightly forward and outboard.
- Enjoy your successful windfoil air gybe!: This is the reward for executing all the steps correctly and smoothly. You have completed a full 180-degree turn while staying on the foil and maintaining speed and control. You should feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, as well as excitement for doing it again.
From Page 2
- Some users suggest using a smaller sail and a longer mast to make the gybe easier and faster. A smaller sail is lighter and more manageable, while a longer mast gives more stability and lift. However, some users also point out that a smaller sail may not have enough power in light winds, and a longer mast may be harder to control in choppy conditions.
- Some users recommend practicing the gybe on flat water before trying it in waves or swell. Flat water allows you to focus on your technique and timing without being disturbed by the water surface. However, some users also note that flat water can be boring and less challenging, and that gybing in waves or swell can be more fun and rewarding.
- Some users emphasize the importance of looking where you want to go during the gybe, rather than looking at your board or sail. Looking ahead helps you steer your board and sail smoothly and accurately, as well as anticipate the wind and water conditions. However, some users also admit that looking ahead can be difficult or scary, especially when you are not confident or comfortable with your gybe.
- Some users share their experiences with different types of windfoil gybes, such as clew-first and sail-first. Clew-first gybes involve keeping your sail sheeted in until you flip it, while sail-first gybes involve letting go of your sail early in your turn and grabbing it on the new side. Some users prefer clew-first gybes because they feel more familiar and powerful, while others prefer sail-first gybes because they feel more smooth and efficient.
Page1 Source: Conversation with Bing, 24/03/2023(1) Foil Racing - Windfoil Gybe Technique | Windsurfing Forums, page 1. www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling/Foil-Racing-Windfoil-Gybe-Technique?page=1 Accessed 24/03/2023.
(2) Foiling - Windsurfing forums | Seabreeze, page 1 - Seabreeze. www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling Accessed 24/03/2023.
(3) Advice for foil gybes | Windsurfing Forums, page 1 - Seabreeze. www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling/Advice-for-foil-gybes?page=1 Accessed 24/03/2023.
(4) Australian Weather Forecasts & Live Weather Reports - Wind,Surf,Rain. m.seabreeze.com.au/ Accessed 24/03/2023.6
Page2 Source: Conversation with Bing, 24/03/2023(1) Foil Racing - Windfoil Gybe Technique | Windsurfing Forums, page 1. www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling/Foil-Racing-Windfoil-Gybe-Technique?page=1 Accessed 24/03/2023.
(2) Foiling - Windsurfing forums | Seabreeze, page 1 - Seabreeze. www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling Accessed 24/03/2023.
(3) Advice for foil gybes | Windsurfing Forums, page 1 - Seabreeze. www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Foiling/Advice-for-foil-gybes?page=1 Accessed 24/03/2023.
(4) Australian Weather Forecasts & Live Weather Reports - Wind,Surf,Rain. m.seabreeze.com.au/ Accessed 24/03/2023.
Beautiful angles. And technique www.instagram.com/reel/CqJPhxhop0v/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Select to expand quoteberowne said..
Beautiful angles. And technique www.instagram.com/reel/CqJPhxhop0v/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Nice - worthy noting for people working on it is how he oversheets at the beginning but quickly opens the sail up to prevent getting backwinded. It's easy to oversheet and get stuck there until you get slapped off the board.
Select to expand quotePaducah said..
slapped off
love it! Sadly I know what you mean!
So smooth! He's never really clew-first but stalls the sail for quite a while way out in front of him with his front hand only as he sails the board around under it. One sees this a lot in strong winds with wave sails but that looks like a 7.8 or 6.9. The race-sail guys usually look to me like they're doing a much more complicated sweep back toward their body and then forward which when I try it usually drops me off the foil in mid-sweep. Off to try this now before work!
Another clean example
www.instagram.com/reel/CsM3kxGt6lv/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
and the Pwa videos of course!!!
I surprised myself with how much 2 knot gybes practice helped!
A few weeks ago we had a failed regatta in 0-4 knots and so as we were drifting along I did some Gybe Practice in 2 knots, and the hand movements and sail control helped prepare for 20 knots alphas!
Select to expand quoteelmo said..
That's some big arsed jelly fish in the water
Jellies, sharks, they all make you a better jiber
A VERY detailed 13min video on how to do a fast PWA style racing foil gybe. In this video we cover: *Board Trim *Ride Height *Sail Control *Rig Flip *Body Moves *Speed *Strategy *Mistakes!
Special Thanks to @blancaalabau @jennagibson96 @maciekrutko @jordyvonk @will.mcmillan8 * Jarod * Dave @gwenael.gourlay @f4foilswindsurf And for footage @jeffjpd @PWAWorldTour & me: @berownehlavaty
Amazing work.
One thing you mentioned but didn't list at the end is the importance of knowing where you are on the water and flying the board based on that. The last PWA jibe showed that well. Had any of them ignored the sea state, it would have been carnage.
Again, thank you for putting this together and sharing your knowledge
Good point I did forget to speak to that in the summary but it was an important part of the PWA events especially.
I've started sailing at rougher waters sometimes to help me improve. Sailing at the flatest spot you can find is fine, but at some Point you need to up the risk.
Thank you, that's as great video. I've found that with the race jibes sometimes my sail ends up as you say, behind the shoulder. Other times it doesn't. I have quite figured out why, but every time I get closer and closer to not touching down at all.
It works both on the iqfoil setup and the phantasm 926 w/ 7.0 setup. Smaller sails with the 926 make the apparent wind too strong to flip like this, but that's not the point of the video.
Maybe one of these days I'll have a smaller race sail and be good enough with a small front wing that I'll be able to jibe like that in more choppy water. Last I was out in big chop and swells with the 9.0, I did a lot better than expected and didn't drop the sail, just wasn't keeping speed up through the jibes. My timing needed some work.
Thanks Aero.
that light wind day really helped with my hand coordination and sail flip timing try it next time your caught out in light winds!
Select to expand quoteberowne said..
Thanks Aero.
that light wind day really helped with my hand coordination and sail flip timing try it next time your caught out in light winds!
Absolutely! It has helped and will probably keep helping for a long time.
Awesome video. Kind of awkward place for the rig to go behind the shoulder. My guess is we try and avoid that when on fin?
Select to expand quotethedoor said..
Awesome video. Kind of awkward place for the rig to go behind the shoulder. My guess is we try and avoid that when on fin?
My fin jibes are hot garbage, but I've definitely noticed a similar position of the sail at the end of the jibe when much better sailors than me flip. I'm curious about the differences here too.
It seems to happen naturally on a race foil set up for me. It has not happened naturally on a fin, probably because I'm going too slow or screwing something up well before I get to the flip (or timing flip wrong still), or maybe I'm not sailing as overpowered as the pros (very possible).
Select to expand quoteaeroegnr said..
My fin jibes are hot garbage, but I've definitely noticed a similar position of the sail at the end of the jibe when much better sailors than me flip. I'm curious about the differences here too.
A key advice for good jibes from ABK is "level the clew" before the flip. Closely related is moving the front hand all the way towards the mast (Guy Cribb calls is "boom shaka"). Will McMillan shows this nicely in the movie above:
In your screen shot from Nico, he has the boom end a lot higher, which means the mast travels further to the back, and the rig rotation happens more towards the tail of the board. You can get away with that with a small and light sail, which is why windsurfers often do this. With a large cambered sail, moving the rig forward after the flip gets harder. On the foil, the weight shift from letting the rig get that far back is more likely to be a noticeable problem. Not moving the front hand enough towards the mast before the flip is one major reason for an unbalanced sail flip, and loosing speeds in jibes.
That's a nice video, thanks for putting it together, @berowne.
I especially liked the "rig behind shoulder" tip, I noticed it helps me too, and one side is easier than another.
For a long time, my biggest challenge was footwork, especially hitting the new strap first. This needs enough practice so it becomes muscle memory. Then keeping the board level/stable, again needs tons of practice to get the feel for the board.
Also have noticed that one side is easier to jibe than another, and the board would often flip towards the windward side and badly touch water or crash. Cause: after switching the feet, I put too much foot pressure on the dominant foot in the new front strap. Jibing on the other side was fine, because the dominant foot was placed at the rear after the stance switch, which made controlling the ride height easier. Solution: being mindful that the new rear foot has a steady amount of weight to keep the board flying.
And finally, the sail flip: was getting backhanded in light winds below 10 kt. Solution: rig forward, mast outwards and then backwards, open the sail early, and let it "fall" naturally. Also timing, usually I was a bit too late with switching the feet and flipping the sail.
Good talking points thanks "Formula". I've been known to wait too long before opening the sail and getting on the new side. Also struggle with foot control on one side more than the other. Never thought about dominant foot problem though!
I can usually foil all the way through my foil gybes without touching down these days, and the thing that helped me was to shift my weight back more upright as the board slows down. Most people i see trying to foil gybe touch down because they stay leaning too far forward as the board slows in the turn. I dont know if that will help anyone, but its what helped me.
Select to expand quoteMaddlad said..
I can usually foil all the way through my foil gybes without touching down these days, and the thing that helped me was to shift my weight back more upright as the board slows down. Most people i see trying to foil gybe touch down because they stay leaning too far forward as the board slows in the turn. I dont know if that will help anyone, but its what helped me.
I'll beat one of my favorite dead horses one more time - I agree with you that some people (me included) drive through the turn with an extended front arm which works real well powered up but requires adjustment in light air for the reasons you describe. There are another group of foilers who prefer a rather backfooted set up because of reasons and it makes it difficult for them to foil through because the board just isn't balanced once the back foot comes up and across the board.
I also suspect you are being modest in your assessment of your jibes. 
Select to expand quoteBellerophon said..
Amado shows how to jibe 
?si=W27nIg332m7kGmBF
Something I'm noticing in general between really good jibers and people like me (who only makes some) is that they are laying the sail down a lot more. Also look at these light wind jibes after 0:55 here where they are laying down the big 9.0s. Looks like Amado is on much smaller gear but still laying down the sail quite a bit. I've been trying to lay down the sail more and it feels good until I biff the flip or catch a rail.
Select to expand quoteaeroegnr said..
Something I'm noticing in general between really good jibers and people like me (who only makes some) is that they are laying the sail down a lot more. Also look at these light wind jibes after 0:55 here where they are laying down the big 9.0s. Looks like Amodo is on much smaller gear but still laying down the sail quite a bit.
Good observation, and great videos. Looks like they have the mast go down to a 45-50 degree angle while keeping the sail fully sheeted in. Not quite as deep as a flashy a windsurfing laydown jibe where the sail is almost parallel to the water, but a lot more than I do for sure. In the Amado video, one thing that's great is that you can see his footwork in detail - multiple little steps that don't disturb the board trim.
Some jibes as a very beginner, from the times when I used a normal slalom board.
Select to expand quoteBellerophon said..
Amado shows how to jibe
?si=W27nIg332m7kGmBF
Surprising how often Amado got backwinded mid-gybe and how easily he just pushed through it... I think he also lost an insta360 in the drink :(
Select to expand quoteTaavi said..
Some jibes as a very beginner, from the times when I used a normal slalom board.
And a few jibes with a dedicated foil board, where the mast base is not as far forward and the rig is therefore in much more natural position. Quite a bit easier to learn with a proper foil board I think.Select to expand quoteTaavi said..
Some jibes as a very beginner, from the times when I used a normal slalom board.
And a few jibes with a dedicated foil board, where the mast base is not as far forward and the rig is therefore in much more natural position. Quite a bit easier to learn with a proper foil board I think.
Tavi, I noticed the small rigs also get flipped way back, but the light sails look so easy to bring forward and rotate... I was tempted to try small rigs until I thought about giving up on my cams... nah. Good to see your having fun out there.
