Wind Foil — How to Trim: Rig, Board and Foil

Step by step

1. 1

   The rig

   Use a dedicated foil sail — its higher aspect ratio cuts back-hand pressure and stops the nose lifting too fast. Go a size smaller than usual for control as you start foiling, under-downhaul slightly (release about a centimetre from the recommended tension), and keep the outhaul tight — but, unlike fin windsurfing, don't let the sail touch the boom. Run longer harness lines too: I use lines about six inches longer than I'd use on a fin.

   

2. 2

   The board

   Your weight rides on three points — back foot, front foot and mast base. Start with the footstraps in the middle. World Cup riders move the back strap one plug back and the front strap one plug forward for more leverage and speed, but that costs stability — so keep the straps closer to centre while you're learning. For the mast base, start centred: move it towards your feet if the nose lifts too high, forward if the board lifts too much.

   

3. 3

   The foil

   The rear wing sets your lift. Raise its trailing edge to increase the angle of attack and lift, and watch how the pressure sits on your legs — increase the angle if you struggle to lift, decrease it if the foil over-lifts (a digital pitch gauge helps). You can also rake the whole foil mast with washers (on a Double US or Deep Tuttle box): more rake gives smooth gliding and helps prevent nose-dives. In most cases you won't need to decrease the rake, but rather increase it.

   

Common mistakes

• Letting the sail touch the boom like you would on a fin — keep it off.
• Footstraps set too wide too soon — great leverage, but you lose stability.
• Decreasing foil rake when you're struggling — usually you want more rake, not less.