Last Saturday I did more good gybes to earn my Alpha scores than ever before, each session my times are improving. An Alpha is sailing 500m with a gybe, the end has to be within 50m of the start. Last year I was getting the odd 16knot alpha. As we have progressed though this year they have slowly increased, but my gybes have got a lot better. I just need to make the turn tighter for more of the planing ones to count. In April my fastest was still low 18knots, now I am getting a few a session faster than that, and most of them around the 17knot mark.
The good sailors get 20knots, the excellent sailors get 22knots+. It is now my goal to get a 20knot Alpha in the next few sessions. My primary distance goal is complete nearly so I can turn more and go on shorter reaches to practice them until I hit the goal.
Unhooking and bending the knees ready to power further downwind
Need to get front arm straighter and knees more bent in the above picture, this will power the sail up more and allow me to absorb more chop.
Again knees should bend more
Saturday I started to practice my hand positions more, rather than grasping for the mast to pull the sail into the wind I was going for Boom to Boom gybes, by the end of the day I was doing them every time and they are faster. Some gybes I can pull the boom head into the wind a let go while the sail rotates, these feel really natural and fast.
My exits are getting better, I can see by the photos that I am driving the board through the mastfoot rather than weighting the tail and slowing down.
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