Tips for using longer harness lines

People keep telling me my 22 inch harness lines are too short, sooooooo I have just put 26 inch ones on. I know it will feel weird but what tips do people have to stop my bum slapping across the waves? I am only 173cm tall. Shouldn't people with shorter arms use shorter lines? I already attach my boom quite high on the mast, 2/3 of the way up the cut-out.

I had the same experience, when i switched from 24 to 28-30. What i found is, that i have unconsciously moved my hands a lot closer together, and i am "surfing the boom" a lot more than before. Now the 28 are beginning to feel a bit short as my arms are somewhat bent.

Seat or Waist harness? (High hook or low hook?)

Point your toes to flatten out the board. It works.

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sailquik said...
Seat or Waist harness? (High hook or low hook?)

I use a waist harness. Not sure about hook. It's at the top of the harness.

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baywavebill said..

... I have just put 26 inch ones on. I know it will feel weird but what tips do people have to stop my bum slapping across the waves? I am only 173cm tall. Shouldn't people with shorter arms use shorter lines?

You are using shorter lines. I'm 183 cm and use 30 inch lines. I'd prefer 32, but those are a different brand and tend to break suddenly.

Funny that Battle suggests the Figure 7 stance, and then posts a Matt Pritchard video. Figure 7 is great for flat water, or if you are sailing fully locked in (think PWA slalom). Considering the "wave" in your name and your post, you're probably doing neither. Matt's #2 suggestion for sailing in chop is "bend your knees" (his #1 suggestion is longer harness lines). If you look at the video, you'll see a stance that's between a figure 7 and a figure 6 stance (more like a "bent knee figure 7 stance").

With short harness lines, it is common to rake the sail far back and to windward. That made perfect sense with planing longboards and sails that had a limited top end. With longer lines, you can (and should) keep the sail more upright. The longer lines allow your body to get into the same position out over the water without pulling your rig to windward. Having the sail more upright will let you use a smaller sail, or go faster with the current sail.

Having the sail pulled to far windward would be my bet on the cause of your butt slamming problem. A less-than-ideal stance with the butt hanging out too much may also contribute. Hip position matters! Keep the words of a great windsurf instructor in mind: "Think fornicate, not defecate!"

Have your boom higher and then try to get the clamp in front of the mast foot...

This will make the lines feel shorter. It will also make you plane much much earlier so do it on a day when you're not over powered.

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Battle said..

Stand up in # 7 position, (don't crouch or sit) straighten out front leg, relaxed but arms extended, and <nobr>#</nobr> piano with fingers on boom to make sure all effort is transferred to harness.

Great little clip! Learnt heaps from that- cheers mate. It reminds me of my home turf here at SWR's, same tack in summer with n-east sea breezes and plenty of lumps to jump.

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Corkers said..

I don't think # 7 position is very fitting for long harness lines.

#7 gets your arms straightened out, (bring your hands closer together too) keeping the boom further from your body. Now you need longer lines.

Poo stance? lol ,never heard of it.

found this in google images, as an example. AUS-120 who is he?

^ Huh? I must'a missed something.

Cribby is famous for sailing poo stance. He does everything poo stance. Although it's really only poo stance when he's hooked in. The rest of the time its gorilla stance. He complains about his harness riding up but he says if it's loose you can just push it back down again.

I prefer 7 with a waisty but poo in a nappy.

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Corkers said..

Battle said...
Stand up in # 7 position, (don't crouch or sit) straighten out front leg, relaxed but arms extended, and play piano with fingers on boom to make sure all effort is transferred to harness.

Battle, you are confusing me. I don't think # 7 position is very fitting for long harness lines. ( don't get me wrong , I am a believer in the # 7 ) I think the poo stance is more fitting, bum out, legs straight, weight in harness. I am currently trying to adjust to longer lines ( cribby's orders) but am struggling to let go of the # 7 position. Gonna try and find a happy medium, slightly longer lines with emphasis on weight in harness.....

+1 - the poo stance is more fitting, bum out, legs straight, weight in harness.
Cribby is famous for sailing poo stance. He does everything poo stance.
Arse out.. Cribbys words - push your bum out into the harness to make sure you are weighting it. Works great! Mind you i do have to rmember to lift my bum when a big chop comes.. bent arms and upper body close to boom pulling down into it and arse out when overpowered. Get low to the water. Works great for lightweights like me- I can really use what little weight I have to hold sails down.
The stance is also great for shock absorbing in chop - legs straight out from board, arse pushing out into the harness and sitting upper body - the board can bounce around all it likes but you have good mast foot pressure and as you aren't standing upright on the board you don't have bashing , harsh ride problems - better for knees etc.

To me the classic 7 stance has the upper body at the same angle as the legs.?. His upper body is more upright..You can see he's sitting into the harness.
Compare to Sean Obrien's stance in earlier photo..
Probably doesn't matter . They're both great sailors. As a lightweight weakling I just find Cribby's style suits me better. Not that I'm perfect at it but I notice how much better it is when I get it right!

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sboardcrazy said..

To me the classic 7 stance has the upper body at the same angle as the legs.?. His upper body is more upright..You can see he's sitting into the harness.
Compare to Sean Obrien's stance in earlier photo..
Probably doesn't matter . They're both great sailors. As a lightweight weakling I just find Cribby's style suits me better. Not that I'm perfect at it but I notice how much better it is when I get it right!

I agree. Cribby above in his "arrse" position. Classic 7 position is for light wind.
Upper body is angled toward the boom otherwise his arms wouldn't be long enough for the 30 inch lines.
This season, after doing Cribby's course I have changed to 30" lines - I am 167 cm tall. I am sailing better than ever, handling high wind and chop better and having more fun than ever.
To stop your behind slapping the chop you need to keep the board trimmed flat by pointing the toes. Your relationship to the board stays the same, but everything rotates around the long axis of the board, lifting your behind.

I did a google and the rya refer to the super 7 stance and the standard 7 stance.

in the RYA coaches manual it points out when to use either. I guess being a dynamic sport you need to do both on the fly.

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barn said..I would say that comes down to interpretation of what the poo stance really is. In my book, on the scale of 1 to Poo, it can get pretty bad.. .

a drawing to elaborate please ?