It was my strongest wind on sat at narrabeen i spent more time in the water than on it was very impressed by the other people there makes me want to get better did my first ware starts almost water was up to my nipples only worked 3 times but i kept stacking because when my left hand was at the back of the sail it would pull the boom out of my hand i have 1 useless finger & 1 pretty scared up due to a tragic lawn mowing accident before i started windsurfing as i have never had this problem before should i move my harness lines back in stronger breeze shorten them or go full pirate & trade hand in for hook
actiomax,
As far as your hand goes, apart from the obvious (physio, tennis ball strengthening), the only other device I've seen is in the advertisements in the UK windsurfing mag. It's a plastic fitting that you strap to your wrist, and wear on the palm of your hand, and works a little like a harness hook (only more open).
Someone here might know what I'm babbling about, although I doubt anyone would admit to owning one
.
In saying that, if it means nailing those waterstarts, and continue sailing, I'd definitely look into it. I'll keep looking and post when I get some info....
Actionmax, you can place your harness lines so you have the same pressure on both hands, generally you may need to move your harness lines back a bit when the wind is stronger and your sail may be over powered. Most of the force should go into your harness lines with a bit of help with your arms. You could also try doing some weights to build up as much strength as you can.
Heres a Guy Cribb article on lines on this page
www.guycribb.com/windsurfing_technique_holiday_DVD_0076v01.htm
Don't worry too much about having difficulties on Saturday. The conditions were quite difficult with very strong wind gusts. The wind varied from 10 to over 35 knots. The windsurfers who were doing very well are quite experienced and skilled. Many windsurfers did not even give it a go as the wind was too strong or spent their time like me, in the water most of the time.
Strong wind sailing is a different sport needing different gear and skills. First time you try it, especially in gusty winds, you will get slammed.
thanks people i might look into the palm harness no surgery required maybe a smaller sail 5.7 was probably to big for me but thats my smallest
i agree with mobydisc. wouldn't worry too much about saturday. incredibly gusty. i was on a 5.2 and way overpowered in the gusts. 4.5 would have been the better option but thought by the time i rigged down the wind would be goneski. i think most people were in the water most of the time. still saw one guy doing forward loops though. very impressive. i think the good sailers are also able to time their gybes better so that they don't get hit by a gust halfway through.
i've got the same problem in strong winds. really struggle to hold the power at the start of the gybe. had a chat to an ex pro sailor at Botany about it and he said you have to put your back hand way back on the boom and sheet it in really hard at the start of the gybe and crank the board around. once you get it past that initial stage the power is much less.
Hey actionmax,
I was out on Saturday at Kurnell sailing my 6.4m Koyote (which was insane).
I was also having some trouble with waterstarting - there was massive ammounts of power for a couple of seconds right after I'd get back onto the board but before it got planing again.
The way I managed to control it (some of the time) was to hold on for dear life, put my back foot in the footstrap while I was still on the way up, slamming my front foot against the mast base and hooking in ASAP.
Also you could try moving your front (right) hand back along the boom a little bit. It might take some of the pressure off the back (left) hand.
Palmharness looks a bit scary to me,if you couldn't release your fingers and let go I think you could dislocate a shoulder or something like that.
Imagine trying to bail out of a jump or staying hooked up in a gybe
I occasionally move my harness line one way or the other to compensate for fatigued hand or arm.
Try sliding your back hand further towards the clew if the sail's flying out of your hands. Not too much though or you'll end up depowering the sail too much
I actually have almost permanant fingers problems from doing 3 over powered days of up to 6 hours each day about 6 monts ago. All the ligaments are stretched so my fingers are supertight when I wake up. Anyway I was looking for solutions as well.
I ordered in those palm harness things and although the theory sounds ok (apart from the potential to rip your arms off), you cannot comfortably slide you hands along the boom grip so it makes quick adjustments and gybing extremely uncomfortable.
One thing that did work for me was the 'clincher water ski gloves' which puts a lot of the load into your wrists instead or your fingers but also will release as soon as you open you hand. One small but extra bonus is I never get blisters anymore too. Do a google search for a ski store that might sell them near you or order them from the USA.http://www.clinchergloves.com/
You'll still get some strain on the fingers but it will take off a good percentage.
Oh make sure they fit right, if they are too big they won't clinch properly.
Hope this helps.
Have been reading this thread with interest.
My fingers get cramped up kinda sieze into a hook shape and go numb (had the Carpal Tunnel operation which has helped),doesnt make windsurfing as enjoyable for me as it should be
Was ready with credit card in hand to order the Hand Harness, but then i read Lemans comments.
Has anybody else had experience of either of these products, or do you know of something else that could help?
Thanks in anticipation.
not sure if this advice will help after the damage is done but in time your hands may recover if you try the following. helps even when sailing overpowered.
first tip is to use longer harness lines or lower your boom a bit.
second tip is to push the boom away while sailing hooked in.
the second tip should really be done by everyone. it will fix your stance instantly.
and force you to form the 7 shape.
once you get used to this you will find that you take a lot of pressure off your forearms/wrists/fingers.
it will also help with speed and getting the board planing better.
not to harp on about this (and not knowing all of the facts) but i think the hook idea is poor advice.
i would suggest there are lots of other areas to address before buying a hook
you should not need a device like the hook becasue the harness should be taking the load. not the hands or arms or fingers.
blown out muscles is more about poor technique. the only time i can see muscle issues affecting this is when first taking off or if a permanent dissability is present.
unfortunately once the damage is done it is only rest and time that can fix it plus correcting technique because everytime you go sailing you will re-aggrevate the problem.
there was a point in time for me where my forearms were so blown out that they looked like pop-eye. even 5 minutes sailing would cause a situation where i couldn't grip the boom and my fingers would lock up. this affected me for almost a year.
i fixed it for myself by changing my technique.
next time you are sailing push the boom away rather than pulling in. the reason is that while sailing in a balanced position on a sail with correct downhaul (twist) and or outhaul you should be using your harness to hold the sail not your hands/arms.
you don't sail around permanently pushing away you just do it for a brief time to test the gear is setup right. if you can't sail by pushing the rig away than something is not balanced. harness lines, stance or downhaul most likely.
a couple of weeks ago i was having a bad session. i wasn't comfortable and couldn't really crank when i new i should be able to.
i just relaxed and pushed the boom away with my palms. instantly my stance corrected and i took off in a more comfortable position. this tip was given to me years ago from steve allen as he was being coached by the top guys and i was lucky enough to race against him. he was always more than willing to pass on tips.
other than stance, a heavy sail is directly related to poor rigging, crank on the downhaul. remember also that the more outhaul you apply the further back the draft moves and the harnes lines need to move accordingly.
longer lines also allow the sailor to hike out and use their body to hold the rig. this could also be an issue.
thanks people .Sunday i was at taronga zoo the kids asked me would i like to sail in that .get mum to buy me smaller sails for Christmas's &lets see how we go ha ha i would have liked to watch people who could handle that wind more than a elephant in a cage . but after reading my replies i made a hook just too take with me today & old broken leg strap and a riveted metal hook didn't need it i reduced my harnesses lines buy 3 " and moved then back pluse the wind was half the strengh i started 6.0 on my new second hand factory demo 103 Lt f2 xtc up to 7.4 later in afternoon dying wind went back to 292 bombora board it was nice too see other board riders late in the afternoon . I wish i could post photos of glove /avatar i don't know how to do it
Thanks people .leman im going to try to get the gloves .gesalt it was pulling out of my hand sailing when the big gusts come in but i will admit my hands were tired from up hauling in the big winds .after shorting my lines i think i understand now that you power the board off your front foot instead of struggling hunch back
no worries leman. 
i'd forgotten about the term playing the piano.
hi actionmax - i'm a bit of a back foot sailor myself, i usually use my front foot on the wave kit.
i think that would be an interesting survey, i know a lot of very fast front foot sailors and a lot of very fast back foot sailors.
the playing the piano concept is really good in helping develop the stance for all of the reasons above. your harness lines should be long enough that your arms are straight. there is an old gauge for setting harness line length. you grab the boom with your hand. the loop in the line should go around your elbow. any shorter than that is probably too short. the exception is in light winds and the boom height will also effect line length.
the hunch back is a result of wrestling the sail. next time you are on the water sailing along push the boom away with your palms and it will help you to straighten and hike out. once you got that position relax.
also there is no substitute for downhaul to allow the sail to twist more and in strong winds just crank it on. having the boom pulled out of your hands can be resolved with more outhaul and inticipating the gusts by reading the winds. even with big sails the effect of gusts hitting in high winds is that you either get lifted of the water board and all or slammed backwards. the sail should not be getting pulled out of your hands. in time you will get that sorted.
this extract is taken from the KA website. although not all sails are built the same it is a good guide generally.
Rigging
as your sailing improves, or you change other pieces of equipment, your sail settings should also change.
Downhaul
The top and leech of the sail are designed to be loose and fall away to leeward, twisting under load. This is achieved with high downhaul tension. It is very common to see sails rigged with too little downhaul tension. You won't pull the sail apart or break the mast, so don't be shy - give it a big tug! Once the correct downhaul setting is found, it does not need to be changed much although slightly (<2cm) less for very light wind may help you get on the plane. The main adjustment is done with the:
Outhaul
Tension the outhaul more for overpowered conditions. Experiment with the outhaul setting in different conditions - it is easier to adjust and unlike the downhaul there is no "correct" setting. Too much tension will kill the acceleration and downwind performance, not enough will cause instability in high winds and lack of pointing ability.
Want more power - less tension / Want more control - more tension.
The correct balance of outhaul tension and downhaul tension is essential for optimum tuning. With time you will develop a feel for your own settings.
Experimenting with different settings will teach you the different feelings and with time you will notice the changes in performance. Once the downhaul is correctly tensioned, minute adjustments in outhaul tension will change the sail's performance.
If the sail feels sluggish and heavy, you probably need more downhaul. If the sail feels light, yet a bit powerless, you probably have too much downhaul or too much outhaul. It's often a fine line between right and wrong setting, so it pays to experiment a bit until you feel comfortable with the sail.
Thanks Leman.
Have ordered a pair of Clinchers to try out this weekend.
Hopefully will do what i want.
Will post follow-up next week after i have tried them out.
Hey Actiomax, I'm intrigued by the lawn mower incident - any gorey details? Got to be nasty!
I read about the "play the piano" thing years ago, and some days I'll suddenly realise I'm gripping the boom really hard for whatever reason, and a quick "play of the piano" usually lets you know what's wrong - your stance changes, or you realise your harness lines are in the wrong place.
