Formula racing in light winds

Formula racing in light winds – a beginner's guide
Version 1.0
Date 070620
Author Jona Ljungström

Preface

Racing Formula in light winds is among the most physically demanding things you can do as a Formula sailor. It is in light winds that you get paid for your endless runs on the track. It is in light winds that you have to use your head and really sail on the tack. Forget the standard tactic of sailing out to the layline and hitting when the wind is 3-6m/s. Read the wind and keep your eyes open!

It is a fact that many sailors in the Swedish Windsurfing Tour, hereinafter referred to as the Swedish Cup, do not plan or are able to race in winds approved for Formula racing. This leads to frustration and disappointment for the sailors concerned and unfortunately a lot of screaming and whining. I am writing this guide to help sailors with problems in light winds to get better and thereby hopefully reduce the whining and increase competition in the Swedish Cup. The guide covers the wind range 3-6m/s. The guide is for those who know the basics of Formula Windsurfing and racing.

The guide is somewhat polemical and political, I hope this does not offend anyone. Everyone is free to read what they want to read.

Who is writing this guide and how can he say that some of the competitors are not able to sail in approved winds? My name is Jona Ljungström and I have been racing Formula since the Formula class was born, before that I have sailed a whole bunch of other classes such as Division2, Division1, Mistral OD, Raceboard, Funboard, I have even sailed some wave sailing but fortunately I have not tried to compete in that discipline. Normally I belong to the top tier of the Swedish Cup but unfortunately I rarely win. Generally speaking, I am somewhat sharper in light winds than in strong winds but the end result is usually about the same regardless of wind strength.

Feel free to leave comments, opinions and criticism. Digital media has the advantage that it is easy to update. I expect to update the document regularly. If you start to get too good at light wind, I will remove the document! 😉

See you on the water.
Jona Ljungstrom

Rules

What do the rules say about minimum wind limits? The fact is that it is the Race Director who decides what applies and no one else. Protesting against the validity of completed races due to too little wind will only result in laughter behind the backs of fellow sailors, a reputation for being a bad loser and a whiner, and possibly anger from those who placed well in the race in question. Let's avoid whining, nagging and protests from sailors in the future. Leave the wind limits in the competent hands of the Race Director! Below are the recommendations for organizers followed by the wind limit rules that Formula Championships are sailed according to. 7 knots = 3.6m/s.

Guidance Notes for Organizers of Formula Windsurfing Events.
The International Formula Windsurfing Class Association
[ http://www.formulawindsurfing.org/cstuff.php?what=guidelines ]
Wind Speed, its measurement, and 'suitable conditions'.
the Race Officer is advised to calibrate his wind speed readings on the anchored start boat from a drifting boat to windward
if the wind speed is less than 7 knots in the starting area at any time during the last minute prior to the starting signal, the start should be abandoned
wind speed readings should be taken from approximately 2 meters above the water surface
the Race Officer should ensure that the wind is measured over as much of the course area as possible (at least start, windward mark, and middle of course...)
if pumping becomes the main method of propulsion the race should be abandoned
the decision on 'suitable conditions' rests with the Race Offifier

International FORMULA WINDSURFING 2006 CHAMPIONSHIP RULES
[ http://www.formulawindsurfing.org/filez/ar…FWChampRegs.doc ]
2.2 WIND SPEED
2.2.1 If the wind speed is less than 7 knots in the
starting area at any time during the last minute
prior to the starting signal, the start shall be
abandoned.
2.2.2 Wind speeds shall be taken from a drifting boat
from approximately 2 meters above the sea
surface.
2.2.3 The Race Officer shall ensure that the wind is
measured over as much of the course area as
possible.
2.2.4 Racing shall take place in suitable conditions, and
the decision on suitable conditions shall be made
by the Race Officer, and where appropriate
Class Race Supervisor.

The Swedish Windsurfing Association has produced a recommendation to organizers where they talk about 8 knots and complicated measurement rules. Why this recommendation exists is a mystery to me as I believe that the wind limit is carefully described by our International Class Association as above. Rhetorical question: Don't you want Swedish sailors to train and compete in the winds where international championships are decided?
Simple answer: Everyone is free to help the association run a Swedish Windsurfing series that is enjoyable for the participants. Participation and opinion at the annual meeting is a good start if you want to change something.

Equipment

Take the biggest sail you have! The planing threshold is about the same for a 12.5 sail and an 11.0 but it is easier to stay planing and sail through wind holes with a bigger sail. The big sail can also go higher or lower than the smaller one. Some trim their sail with a centimeter less downhaul for light winds. Be careful with this, what is fast in a lot of wind is often also fast in light winds.

Some forum celebrities claim with certainty that a fin that is as soft as possible is good in light winds, I'm not so sure about that, get a fin you believe in yourself and you will sail well.

Pump technology

A good pumping technique is essential to be able to race in light winds. If you don't plan, you won't make it to the finish before the maximum time runs out. I'm blatantly quoting Jimmy Hellberg's Beginner's Guide to Formula Windsurfing, which can be read, among other things here . If you haven't read it yet, do so immediately!
Quote from Jimmy Hellberg:
"Pumping technique is a bit tricky, there's a lot to think about and everything should happen simultaneously. Training makes perfect! Your technique is directly decisive for how early you can plan. Start by sailing half-wind or slightly lower, if there are waves you should try to take advantage of these and pump yourself up to plan on the back of the wave without falling off too much. A Formula has a short rocker, this means that you have to stand very far back when you are going to pump, otherwise the board will get stuck. Place your front foot just inside the front foot strap, angled quite a bit forward. Place your back foot just in front of the rear foot strap and almost in the middle of the board, also slightly angled forward. It is extremely important that you keep the board flat sideways, you must not push down the windward edge (the one you are standing on). Press with your toes and angle your ankles to keep the board flat. The actual pumping stroke is not, as many people think, about jerking the rig as hard as possible, it just leads to you jerking the wind out of the rig. Effective pumping is about catching the wind in a harmonious but powerful movement just like a bird does in its wing beats, look at a still image study of the wing movement and you will understand what I mean. Cast something in while pulling the rig strongly towards you and forward in an inward quarter circle shaped movement, this will generate a strong forward force in the rig which you compensate by simultaneously pushing away with your legs. The force from your legs should be as forward as possible so that you push the board in front of you up into planing without putting too much load on the fin laterally. At the end of the movement you cast out and move the rig outward/backward to the starting position. How fast you can do the movement depends on how fast the wind fills the sail again after you have returned to the starting position, if the luff collapses you will make a too fast retreat for that wind strength. The lighter the wind the longer and more powerful the movement is needed, as you cannot make the retreat in the movement faster without the luff collapsing but you still need to get out so much power that you come up into planing. Practice the rigging movement carefully at the beginning so that you get the technique down and then increase the intensity and power of the movement. Even if you make a small and calm movement, you should feel a clear increase in forward power in the rig if you do it right. Keep an eye on the back leech so that it does not collapse, it is usually heard quite clearly if it does. Effective pumping does not make any rattling noise from the monofilm. When you master this technique, you will rarely need more than three to four pump strokes for the board to pop up into planing, provided that there is enough wind for planing to be possible, because it is also possible to pump up into planing when the wind is just so weak that it is not possible to maintain planing without continuing to pump and then you can keep going indefinitely, very frustrating.” [Jimmy Hellberg, Nybörjarens guide to Formula Windsurfing, 2006]
Consider especially the following that Jimmy Hellberg writes:
Catch a wave
Stand far back on the board
My comment on Jimmy Hellberg's text is that he doesn't write that it's actually hard to get up to planing. You can't sail a Formula board up to planing in light wind. In the last race I was in, I counted the number of pump strokes I took to get up to planing a few times. In some cases, I took close to twenty pump strokes. Twenty pump strokes is hard. Luckily, you get to rest once you're planing.

Start

In a light wind start, as a sailor you only have one priority – GETTING STARTED PLANING! If the wind is below 5m/s, you can expect half of the sailors in a Swedish starting field to be standing without planing at the start. Try to stay as far away from other sailors as possible. Prepare well in advance. Check the line and test sail the tack. Before starting, you should have an idea of ​​which edge of the course has more wind than the other. Before starting, you should have an idea of ​​which edge of the course has more wind than the other. You should feel and use wind shear as usual, but in light wind, more wind is the absolute priority. Let's say you have checked the starting line and have a strategy for where on the course you want to sail. Below is a possible starting strategy.
5 minutes – Startup procedure begins
4 minutes – sail out to a good position. You should have a long starting distance to the point on the line where you want to start. Keep in mind that it is often quite empty in the middle of the line which can make it easier to get a clear wind here. A good position is in a half-wind position along the extensions of the starting line with no other sailors within a radius of at least five meters. You should be able to fall off and pump yourself up into planing without having difficulty sailing up to the starting line once you are planing. How far from the starting line you start depends on your chosen starting strategy. Only exceptionally choose to start close to the boat as this is usually where there are the most sailors at the start moment and the risk of losing the planing is high.
1 minute – now you should be up and on a planing surface. Vary your speed with the sheeting and feel free to take your back foot out of the strap to sail slowly. Whatever you do, don’t lose your planing surface! If the wind is really light, pump, pump and pump to avoid losing your planing surface.
5-15 seconds – full speed along the line or its extensions. In and feet in the straps. If you have other sailors nearby, be prepared to start pumping. If it is really easy, pump, pump and keep pumping.
START – Elevated! Pump, pump and pump. You will now pump to maintain altitude and avoid losing planing. Even if the wind is steady at 7 knots or more, all the sails and pumping from the field will make the wind choppy and weak for those not at the front. If you are not at the front, you will not get going and will be stuck without planing.

Cross

Phew, finally off the start. Now look back and enjoy the view. If you have now managed to start well, you have ten planing guys behind you and the rest standing without wind on the starting line. When you are finished looking, you should start focusing on the course above you. Look around carefully and try to get an idea of ​​where there is wind and where it is thin. Your strategy should be to sail in and to more wind, you should avoid areas with less wind. I will give a number of examples here:

1. You are sailing on the starboard bow and notice that you have to drop off to maintain speed. Is it a headwind or is the wind decreasing? Look around, if it looks like there is more wind where you came from and less across, turn immediately. You should not continue into an area with less wind.

2. You are sailing on the starboard bow and think you have good speed and pressure in the sail. A hundred meters ahead of you you see the leader losing planing. Look around, there is probably an area with less wind ahead. Strike immediately!

3. You are sailing on the starboard bow with good speed and height. In front of you you see no signs that the wind is decreasing, which makes you think about sailing out to the layline and tacking. Before you do that, look around carefully. On the other side there is a big gale. Tackle immediately!

When sailing Formula in light winds, you should not be afraid to tack. In winds where everything is flat, you lose a lot of distance on each tack. In light winds, you often lose even more by not tacking and thus sailing into areas with less wind. Always look around and look for wind!

Always try to hit where you have enough wind to start planing again.

If you happen to end up in an area with little wind, don't be afraid to sail while pumping. Keeping the plane is everything. If you stop, you're unlikely to get going again within the next minute. Try to maintain altitude when pumping. Stay in the straps. If you feel the pressure in the sail decreasing, try to sail on anyway. You can sail for a surprisingly long time in very light wind if you come at speed even without pumping. Try to get the weight over the board. Many sailors step forward and stop as soon as the pressure in the sail decreases slightly, don't do that, try to sail on and as I said, if you can't sail with just the wind as a help, start pumping.

As you start to approach the layline, keep in mind that you won't be able to gain as much height in light winds as you would in strong winds. You will probably have to correct by sailing a little further than you would otherwise.

In light winds, it is advantageous to release the outhaul before rounding to port, thus saving a few seconds and perhaps gaining a few meters when you round to port.

County

As soon as you have rounded the mark, let go of the outhaul and stood in the sloops, you should look back. Now try to sail where there is more wind at all times. Keep an eye out behind you at all times. The wind direction is clearly visible as a darker blue colour on the water. Make sure you are sailing inside the wind direction. If you are heading out of a wind direction, you should gybe back into the direction. At first, focus more on maintaining planing and speed than finding the shortest route to the mark. Try to surf the waves that are available, even in lakes there are always small waves that can help you get more speed.

The same example I gave on tack and the appropriate time for tacking applies to luffing, but of course now with gybe instead of tacking.

As you approach the buoy you may have gybed too early. Start pumping well in advance and catch every wave you can to get as far downwind as possible. If you fight hard enough you may not have to double gybe before the mark despite your misjudged layline gybe.

CASE

Finally! Sailing in light winds is tough. Drink if you have the chance. The next race is starting soon…

Conclusion

• Sailing Formula in light winds is physically demanding.
• Don't be afraid to pump.
• Always seek more wind.
• Always seek free wind.
• Keep the pace up.
• Strike and gybe where you have enough wind to get going again.
• The straightest path is not always the fastest path.