i've been told by an instructor years ago that in his experience when it becomes way overpowered in gusts lean forward and swing rig backwards to bleed wind instead of opening the sail or feathering which would most likely cause a fall..would this be true to all
Rig down!! HAHA
Na but seriously i never heard of that before. Might work but maby sounds a bit risky to me. I think that if you get so seriously overpowered that it becomes a problem you need to rig down, add more downhaul, or more outhaul or call it quits for the day. (NOTE: everyone has a different idea of way overpowered)
I wouldn't try that JP but if you do let us know how you went 
In an overpowered gust and with your GPS strapped to your arm, you're spos go off the wind screaming yee haaaa 
I think its best to get low and pinch into the wind. When you sheet out you release mast foot pressure and the wind gets under the nose and the gusts get hard to control as you generally don't have much weight committed to counteracting the sail.
Stick your bum out and down and bear away off the breeze and hang on. The second you get defensive by standing up you loose MFP and then at really gets crazy
I've heard the oversheeting thing too.
The trouble is that it goes against all your windsurfing instincts, you're getting stood up by the sail, can't sheet in properly and you want me to sheet in further???
With a cammed sail, if you feather the sail the airflow doesn't flow over the windward side of the sail properly, and then the sail desperately wants to twist out of your hands. This was happening to me today, and it did cross my mind to try oversheeting but man there's no way I was game to muscle that back hand in all the way...
To do it I think you need more testicular fortitude than I've got
The trouble with pulling hard with your back hand is causing spinout, how does this work????
evil one..i think he said more lean forward i did try it once and all the board could do is go upwind up up and away and had a hard time going back to shore but it worked though. More like pinching upwind for the moment
..it was during the first time i joined a race and was used to just powered up sail size but he recommended oversize to beat the whitewash of boards and dirty wind anyways it was only worth the most 5mins. of downwind slalom and adrenalin should take over..yeah right i said that time
What, you don't have a smaller sail?
You mean you went out without having 2 or 3 alternates rigged and ready?
Staffing problems?
What can I say...
yep gear problems when you go to a race with only 2 sails and one board
since there are 5 of us in a van with all the gear the rack has to be made of titanium that if we could get our hands on it..plus when you've done 6heats on one day in crazy winds your calves are burning out and by the time you're trying to put your back foot on the straps the board's pointing upwind alreadyI should have joined when i was still a junior
decrepit said; The trouble with pulling hard with your back hand is causing spinout, how does this work???? i've seen the vid speed i.q. and micah keeps on saying if overpowered keep sheeted in even if the board is spinning out and try to correct with your front feet, well he's the pro am notbut i've found leaning forward does help maybe to me only though...
There is some logic to it (weight forward, rig back).
Leaning forward keeps weight on your mastfoot enabling you to sheet out somewhat. And if it gets too hectic you're all set to scoot upwind.
I'll try and remember to give it a go next time we get some wind.
if you get realy overpowed lower your boom hook in sheet out and stand up against your mast foot the board will plough through if you want to go faster just stand further back , the futher back you stand the more you power up the fin , ive been able to get back to re rig and you can go down wind
by the time i can put my backfoot on the straps the angle going downwind is too great i wish there where chicken straps
