Front foot issues

sailquik said..










That is wave board strap setup. It is just WRONG for Slalom board type sailing.

Maddlad said..




Yeah that's what I'm worried about. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that coz I've put a lot of money into my boards and I love them. I just need to work out how to use them at their best.

Maddlad said..
Sorry if this topic has been raised before and I've missed it, but im struggling with front foot issues since going to full slalom gear and I'm looking for a way to fix it because it's killing my love of sailing.

The basic issue is that my front foot gets bumped out of the footstrap at high speed when sailing across the wind. I've had some bad crashes because my front foot gets so light it gets ripped out and I hit the water.

Ive done plenty of research on the Internet looking for a cure for this problem. I've also spoken to the sail designer and tester for Neil Pryde sails (who really made a big effort to help I must say), Guy Cribb (who suggested some things), friends, other racers etc but so far have had no success. The problem is I can't get all the speed out of my gear coz I can't stay in the straps. I'm only 71 kilos, so I'm not heavy, but there are plenty of other riders of similar weight who have no issues.

I've tried:

Keeping my stance and hips as square as possible,
softer/smaller fins
Boom lower
Harness lines in different positions
Foot straps closer together/farther apart
Mast step forward
Downhaul on and off.

On the weekend i detuned my sail by releasing the downhaul 2 cm off from max which had the sail well below minimum spec, and it felt a little better but the sail was not efficient and did not accelerate how it should.

I really like my gear and have spent good money on it, so I'd like to get it sorted, hence my post. It's sailable as is, but not as enjoyable as it could be so if anyone has had the same issue and found a way to sort it I'd be keen to hear from them. Thanks in advance for any real help.

Cheers. :)