Rig, boom, gybe, windward? The Windsurfing A-Z explains every term from our windsurfing guides in plain, friendly English – before you actually need it.
## Introduction Rig, boom, gybe, windward - and you're totally lost? That's exactly what this page is for. Windsurfing has its own language, and the guides in our Academy assume you already speak it, so they don't turn into endless glossaries themselves. This Windsurfing A-Z translates every term you'll run into, with everyday comparisons instead of dictionary sentences. Read it once before you start the other guides, and everything will click.
Board - what you stand and balance on. As a beginner, what matters most is volume in litres: a board with 150 to 200 litres holds you up stably, the way a wide raft is easier to balance on than a narrow surfboard. More litres means more buoyancy - and more patience while you wobble.
Rig (Rigg) - the complete sail setup: mast, sail, and boom together as one unit. When a guide says "tilt the rig," it doesn't just mean the sail - it means the whole package hanging off the mast foot.
Mast - the long, usually flexible pole that stretches the sail out. Without a mast, your sail is just a piece of fabric flapping in the wind.
Mast foot (Mastfuß) - the movable joint that connects the mast to the board. That flexibility is the whole trick of windsurfing: you steer by tilting the entire rig through the mast foot, instead of using a rudder like on a sailboat.
Boom (Gabelbaum) - the oval bar you grip with both hands to hold and trim the sail. Think of it as your sail's steering wheel: through it, you control pressure and angle.
Sail (Segel) - the fabric surface that catches the wind and drives you forward. For learning, you use a small, light sail (5 to 6.5 square metres for adults) - easy to uphaul, easy to control.
Clew (Schothorn) - the sail's back-bottom corner, where the outhaul line attaches to pull the fabric tight along the boom. Without a tight clew, the sail just flaps limply in the wind.
Fin (Finne) - the small blade under the tail of the board. It holds your track, similar to how a boat's rudder stabilises a course, and stops you sliding sideways.
Footstraps (Fußschlaufen) - straps on the board you'll later slip your feet into once you're planing fast, for secure footing at speed. As a beginner you don't need them yet - they come once you're already standing and sailing comfortably.
Harness + harness lines (Trapez + Trapeztampen) - the harness is a hip belt more advanced sailors wear. Short lines on the boom, the harness lines, let you hook in and hang your body weight into the sail instead of holding it with your arms - pure relief for your forearms.
Daggerboard (Schwert) - a retractable fin in the middle of beginner boards. It resists sideways drift and helps you "point upwind" (more on that below) - without it, you'll inevitably drift sideways as a beginner.
Uphauling / sail start (Aufschotten/Schotstart) - hauling the sail out of the water with the uphaul line before you even start sailing. The classic, energy-saving start: pull with a straight back and body weight, not your arms.
Water start (Wasserstart) - an intermediate technique: you lie in the water with the sail, and the wind pulls you straight up onto the board, no uphaul line needed. Looks like magic, but it's pure practice.
Gybe (Halse) - a turn where you rotate the tail through the wind. Usually done at higher speed, and it feels more frantic at first than a tack.
Power gybe (Powerhalse) - the fast, athletic version of the gybe: done in footstraps and harness, carried through at real speed. The goal many intermediates train towards.
Tack (Wende) - the other turn: you rotate the nose through the wind. Usually the easier, slower version - your first manoeuvre as a beginner.
Luffing up (Anluven) - the board turns closer to the wind. You get there by tilting the rig slightly backward.
Bearing away (Abfallen) - the opposite of luffing up: the board turns away from the wind because you tilt the rig forward.
Planing (Gleiten) - the moment your board "lifts" out of the water and skims across the surface instead of pushing through it. Noticeably faster, noticeably lighter - the feeling many people start windsurfing for in the first place.
Windward/leeward (Luv/Lee) - windward is the side the wind comes from; leeward is the side it blows toward. Memory trick: windward means facing into the wind, leeward means the wind's at your back.
Close-hauled / beam reach / broad reach / running (Am Wind / Halbwind / Raumwind / Vor dem Wind) - the four basic courses relative to the wind. Close-hauled: as close to the wind as possible. Beam reach: wind from the side. Broad reach: wind at an angle from behind. Running: wind straight at your back. The further you turn away from the wind, the more relaxed it feels at first.
Pointing upwind ("Höhe laufen") - gaining ground against the wind, usually sailed in a zigzag close-hauled. You need this to get back to your starting point instead of landing far away.
Gust (Böe) - a sudden, brief burst of wind stronger than the base wind. Catch it unprepared and it can tip your balance - which is why beginners practise in the steadiest wind they can find.
Onshore/offshore wind - onshore wind blows from the water toward land and, worst case, pushes you safely back to shore. Offshore wind blows from land out to sea and can carry you out unnoticed - an absolute no-go for beginners.
## Pro Tip Don't memorise the terms as a list - anchor them in space instead. Picture yourself standing on your board and work from the bottom up: fin, daggerboard, mast foot, mast, boom, clew. Then work from the centre outward: windward on one side, leeward on the other. Hang each word on a real position instead of drilling it by rote, and you'll have it locked in after your first session on the water.
### What is a rig in windsurfing? The rig is the complete sail setup: mast, sail, and boom as one unit, connected to the board through the movable mast foot. Steering in windsurfing works entirely through it - you tilt the whole rig forward or backward instead of using a rudder. That's what sets windsurfing apart from almost every other board sport.
### What's the difference between a gybe and a tack? Both are turns, but they rotate through the wind in opposite directions. In a tack, you turn the nose through the wind - slower, easier, usually your first manoeuvre. In a gybe, you turn the tail through the wind - usually done at higher speed and more frantic at first. The power gybe is the fast, athletic upgrade of the gybe.
### What does "pointing upwind" mean in windsurfing? Pointing upwind means gaining ground against the wind - you sail close-hauled, at a tight angle into the wind, usually in a zigzag. The daggerboard helps here because it resists sideways drift. Without pointing upwind, you keep drifting further from your starting point and never make it back.
### What's the difference between windward and leeward? Windward is the side the wind comes from, leeward is the side it blows toward. Memory trick: facing "windward" basically means facing into the wind, while "leeward" means the wind's at your back. These two words show up in almost every manoeuvre explanation, so it's worth learning them early.
### Why is offshore wind so dangerous in windsurfing? Offshore wind blows from land out toward open water. If you lose control as a beginner, it carries you further and further from shore instead of pushing you back. Onshore wind does the opposite and, in an emergency, pushes you safely back to the beach. That's why beginners should never go out in offshore conditions.
Windsurfen: Getting Started Overview