TECHNIQUE
116 AUGUST 2019
Put your elbow in the
loop and the end of
your palm should touch
the boom for generous
length harness lines.HARNESS LINE LENGTH
This subject can be very contentious, but I advocate long lines so the sail can
work with you and you are in a position that is fluid and in balance with the
sail’s power. A greater distance from the rig in a straight line means you are
more likely to maintain this in a move and so have a higher likelihood of
completion. Longer lines also facilitate easy hooking in and out, which will
smooth out your transition entrances and exits. Longer lines also get the rig
more upright and therefore more efficient. The best way to embrace long
lines is to sail one handed, as you have long heard me champion. Please note
it is not too long a line that causes you to unhook, it is raising our hips and
bending our arms in, a common ill in windsurfing.
The measure I use in the picture has worked with hundreds of sailors and
utilises your actual forearm length, as people can be tall with medium arms
or shorter with long arms. Try it out and if you are going from short to long
then you can transition gradually into the length if you so wish.HARNESS LINE POSITION
Your front harness line position depends on the type of sail and size of sail. A
bigger sail has the power point further back, and where the sail pulls from will
also move further back as we get more powered up. Some sails and brands of
sails have a more aft power point and some more forward, so get some intel and
find out what sort your sail is and reflect too on where the sail is pulling from.Here are some ways to find your front line position, but please know that this
position is best felt on the water sailing along:- Go hand by hand down the boom, starting at the front, and at around 5
hand widths for a medium sail, 6 for bigger, you will often be on the money.
Do the same on both sides of the boom and then go out on the water and see
where the pull is coming from and shift your lines a few cms in the relevant
direction. So if the pull is more from the front hand, shift your lines forward
and vice versa. - You can also lay your arm down the boom, with your elbow at the front and
the tips of your fingers can often give a good starting point for the front line. - Many booms have markings on them and so you can use the dots, and
note these positions. One of my booms is 3.5 dots for smaller sails, 4 dots for
medium sails and 5 dots for 6.5 / 7.0, as an example. - Lifting the boom with one finger also really works, as in the pic. The power
point is where the sail is the deepest and this is also where the sail will balance
if dangled and you can then place your lines either side of that point.
Correctly positioned
lines means you can
lift the rig with a
finger whilst it remains
balanced.One hand width
apart should be your
maximum spread,
with many favouring
narrower.HARNESS LINE WIDTH
When coaching I encourage people to ‘feel the rig’ and this is easier to achieve
with our hands closer together. This also means you can get the rig further
away from you, more upright and your hands very close together for sailing
upwind and top turns in wave riding as an example. I favour one finger apart,
other people 2 – 3 fingers apart, but the max should be only a palm’s width.
Why I hear you cry, well too wide means the front hand creeps forward
(decreasing the power from the rig) and the backhand creeps back, where it
can oversheet the sail when getting planing or hitting a lull.“ THE BEST WAY TO EMBRACE LONG
LINES IS TO SAIL ONE HANDED.”