Front-to-back sailing (part 1 of 2)

Today we look at a move that is both simple and elegant, and within anyone’s reach. This move has no pre-requisites (other than having a board to do it on!), you need not be a pro, and it’s a lot of fun to learn and to perfect.

The move is simply pushing the rig - normal people pull the rig, they don’t push it, right? You may have seen this move at your local beach, it is used for instance in what some short boarders call an “heli-tack”.

I’m not too strong on pet names, I’d like to call it front-to-back sailing, for “your front to the back of the sail”. This simple nomenclature will take us a long way in describing almost all of other freestyle moves… (By the way, have a quick look at Generalities & terminology for general advice on freestyle and fun - it’s not a pre-requisite for this article, but could be useful.)

Why would we want to learn to sail the wrong way of the rig?

There are many reasons. Firstly, it’s a fun move to do!! If you master that particular kind of sailing, then you can increase the wind range to do it in and it gets even more fun. Or you may just want to show off - not a great reason, but hey, whatever works…

Personally, I use it to rest my biceps, as I get tired of pulling and often do not use a harness. Pushing uses triceps and calf muscles. Thus sailing front-to-back makes your windsurfing a much more complete exercise. I can stay out longer in strong winds when I mix normal sailing with front-to-back sailing.

Sailing front-to-back is also useful to point the board up effortlessly in strong winds - it points up about as well as the real thing. Front-to-back also prepares many other, more advanced moves, but more on that in the next article…

Anyhow, let’s have a look at the move:

 

Looks do-able. (Note how the board picks up speed quickly.) That was a “stopped” start, in that the board wasn’t moving while I was getting into the front-to-back position. Here are more examples - different angles sometimes help illustrate the concept:

 

I hope the examples are clear. Doing this with the board already ‘sailing’ is no more difficult to do. In this case, the front hand grabs the mast first, before the rear hand grabs the boom on the leeside. From there, the body rotates from the front of the board, towards the back side of the sail. In all this, it helps at first to move the body weight forward, in order to be ready to do the body rotation.

If there’s any single frame that’s important, that’s this one here on the picture at right: you can see that the (former) rear hand now reaches out to grab the boom on the leeside, whilst the front hand still holds the mast. The body, with a foot in front of the mast, has started to rotate. When the hand will have gotten hold of the boom on the other side, then the mast hand will be free to grab the other boom too.

 

Look at the videos as often as required to learn - go frame-by-frame if must. The last part of the 2nd video, in low wind conditions, was inserted as it is easier to see the hand movement and body positioning in slow motion. But don’t be fooled: over time, this is as easy a move in 15-20 knots than in light winds.

 

On water, take your time to learn this move. You should get the basics in a few outings, but this is a move that takes practice to refine and completely master, i.e. steering and stronger winds.

 

At first, start in low winds, and once you get the feel of it, increase gradually. Don’t skip steps: don’t go from 8 knots to 25 knots - won’t work. Persevere at it: once you get started, you will never stop using that move. After a few falls, take a break, do something else, then come back to trying. Remember to practice both tacks - starboard and port. This is important: too often we favour one tack at the expense of the other.

If you are a wave/shorty sailor, then as you know front-to-back sailing can be done on surprisingly small boards. Personally, I have found that pushing the sail on a longboard is still somewhat applicable a technique to smaller boards (to an extent).

Above all, have fun - this is the idea.

Now, here is an alternate way of getting into front-to-back - from a good old tack. It’s a matter of horses for courses - both work equally:

 

 

This method has the benefit of requiring fewer instructions. Look closely: neither body nor hands move! Note how when coming about, the front foot shifts from far back (for tacking) to nearer or in front of the mast (once on the new course). This allows to suddenly shifting the rig forward, into normal sailing rig position, ready for a beam reach.

Further tips

Don’t put too much weight on the rig. Don’t lean onto the booms. In lighter winds, it is mostly a balancing act between you and the rig. Over time, you’ll learn to manage stronger winds, and then you’ll find yourself fully lying on the sail, doing push-ups on the booms - quite a thrill! No, the push-ups thing is not a joke.

Steering

Steering: to steer upwind, I like bending the stern leg, which brings the body backwards (look at picture at left). This brings the board to a reach. You can also steer downwind by raking the rig abow (but not to windward!). Watch out not to go too far downwind when sailing front-to-back, or you’ll get badly swept off the board.

Protect against gusts and shifts: two ways. Firstly, if the rig sweeps you off the board, then steer higher upwind - this is safe. Secondly, put your feet and weight closer to the mast, rather than far back (look at drawing at right). Put the front foot in front of the mast if must. This way, your body is ready to pivot or step forward rather than being overpowered.

On the picture here, little Johnny steers upwind and has his (her) weight far abow, therefore the sail is tighter and he is not swept off the board by the rig.

 

But wait, we’ve only just begun - there’s more excitement! Here are further moves that can be achieved using the front-to-back. This will be the subject of the second part of this, Sailing front-to-back. In there, we will learn to jump from clew-first to front-to-back (below left), to tack the front-to-back (middle below), and heck, perhaps to railride whilst sailing front-to-back (see picture below right).

 

Meanwhile, I would be happy to field any questions, suggestions for articles and moves, and so on. I intend to get to other flat sailing moves, railrides and other stuff. If I get back to Sydney to my wave sailing, I’d like to write an article that covers freestyle common to both long boards and shorter boards alike.

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Now before we get started, please note that by reading these articles and tips you acknowledge that these tips can cause injury and are carried out at your own risk. Pierre and LBWS take no responsibility for your actions.