Get planing and step into the footstraps: front foot first, then the back foot, keep the board flat, pump in light wind – with mistakes, fixes and safety.
How do you get planing in windsurfing? You set off in the harness on a light broad reach, turn the front foot in the direction of travel, load the mast foot via harness and a slight lean, and put the front foot into the front strap. Only when planing is stable with that does the back foot follow [1].
The honest answer about difficulty: the first planing feels as if the board suddenly takes off – and that very moment is addictive. It is also where many fall on water and gear. In the VDWS system "early planing and footstraps" therefore only comes in level 5, after beach start, harness and control in lee [2]. The RYA also describes footstraps and getting planing as content of its intermediate planing course [3].
Planing is demanding: in Olympic windsurfers heart rate rose from 110 to 122 to 165 to 172 beats per minute during pumping, and oxygen uptake went from roughly 16 to 19 up to 40 to 48 ml/kg/min, more than double. The authors compare pumping with most endurance sports [6]. The finding comes from elite athletes, but it shows what pumping does to you.
Sail on a light broad reach in the harness. The sail's pull sits in your hips, arms almost straight [1].
Milestone: you ride the harness steadily, without jerking.
Turn the front foot in the direction of travel and place it between mast foot and front strap. Keep the board flat on the water. If you stand across the direction of travel, your hips turn toward the sail and leeway increases [1].
The mast is your third leg. Via harness and a slight lean of the upper body toward the nose, you load the mast foot, lift the middle leg and place the front foot into the strap [1].
At first stay with the front foot in the strap and plane like that. Only when this works steadily does the back foot follow [1]. The back foot belongs on the longitudinal axis of the board, not on the windward edge, otherwise the board turns into the wind and loses speed [1].
If gear optimisation is not enough, pump the board onto the plane: - Wait for a small gust, grip the boom wide and unhook. - Pull the rig strongly toward you and push your hips to the boom; the force runs via the front leg to the board. - Straighten your arms and bring your hips away from the sail before the next pull follows.
The pull should be somewhat quicker and stronger than the return. Use your whole body, not just your arms [1].
Check the footstraps once on land before launch: slip your foot in, turn to the direction of travel and test how easily your foot slides out. If it jams, the straps are too tight. Better to re-tighten briefly than to recover from a twisted ankle for long.
Set off in the harness on a light broad reach, turn the front foot in the direction of travel, load the mast foot via harness and a slight lean and place the front foot in the strap. The back foot follows afterwards [1].
Ideal is 12 to 20 knots, with a large freeride board and a sail without cambers. In less wind, optimising gear and pumping help [1].
In the inner row of plugs near the middle of the board, wide at first so your foot slides in and out easily. Tighten the screws by hand, not with a cordless drill [1].
In the VDWS system "early planing and footstraps" is in level 5, after beach start and harness [2]. The RYA lists footstraps and getting planing as content of its intermediate planing course [3].
The Heli Tack in Windsurfing: A Tack Without Changing Sides