Uphaul start step by step: raise the mast, grab the boom late, sheet in and sail off on a beam reach – with the typical mistakes and how to fix them.
How do you start windsurfing from a standstill? You uphaul the sail, take the basic stance, raise the mast and only grab the boom once the mast is upright. Then you sheet in slowly and the board sets off on a beam reach [1][2].
The honest answer about difficulty: the uphaul start is the moment windsurfing turns from a water sport into sailing, and the moment most beginners tip into the water on purpose for the first time. That is part of it. The training goal of the VDWS basic licence, the entry certificate of German windsurfing schools, is exactly this: set sail, sail in the training area and land safely, in winds up to 3 Beaufort, a gentle breeze of up to about 19 km/h [3].
The uphaul start comes right after uphauling. If the sail does not yet come out of the water cleanly, practise the preceding skill first.
The rig is out of the water, your front arm holds the mast below the boom. The mast arm stays straight and the board turns across the wind. Your feet stand either side of the mast foot, the back foot hip-width toward the tail, both on the centreline [2].
Milestone: you can stand calmly in the basic stance for 10 seconds without the board turning away or you wobbling.
Now you swing the mast forward and toward you (toward windward). You do it with a rotation of the upper body and by pulling in the mast arm until it is straight again. The sail is only in the right position when it balances and you can see the nose of the board through the sail window [2].
Rule of thumb: the mast is right when it stands between your head and the tip of the board and the boom is roughly horizontal [1].
This is where almost every beginner fails: the back hand grabs the boom too early. Wait until the mast is truly upright. Only then does the sail hand grab the boom and you turn your upper body so your back faces the wind [1][2].
Now sheet in slowly, shift your weight onto the back leg and keep the mast upright [1]. Sheeting in is like opening and closing a door: the mast is the hinge. Never pull the sail in tighter than a beam reach needs, otherwise the flow stalls and you lose drive [2].
Back straight, shoulders back, arms straight: body, arms and mast form a triangle. Lean back into the rig instead of holding it with muscle power [2]. Once you are moving and feel secure, release the mast hand from the mast, grab the boom and slide the sail hand a little toward the clew [2].
Start every attempt by picking a fixed point on shore before you lift the sail. The direction the board points in the basic stance is the course you will sail [1]. If you choose the point beforehand you avoid the typical turn into the wind.
From the basic stance you raise the mast upright, only then grab the boom with the sail hand and sheet in slowly. Your weight sits on the back leg, the mast stays upright and the board sets off on a beam reach [1].
Usually the mast was not fully upright or the sail hand grabbed too early. Go back to the basic stance, pick a fixed point on shore and raise the mast again before you sheet in [1].
For the basic licence the target range is up to 3 Beaufort [3]. The magazine names 1 to 3 Beaufort and flat water as ideal [1]. From about 2 Beaufort there is enough pull to sail (practice), but no gusts that throw you off balance.
Straighten the sail hand and ease the sail so the pressure drops. Set your weight against the pull and raise the mast again afterwards [1].
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