An easy guide to launch your supsail

The first Supsail lesson focusses on understanding how to safely launch the supsail – keeping the wind on your back. Then focusses on swinging the supsail to the left and to the right to start developing the feel of left and right control. Flaring the sail – to let the wind spill under it so that you slow down. Then collapsing the sail from the standing and kneeling position so you can stop and revert to paddling. Consideration of safety and falling in techniques. Once the supsailor has mastered these basic manoeuvres: Go, Left, Right, Slow Down, Stop, Safety, Controlled Falling In; the sailor can progress through the seven stages of Supsailing.

There are seven stages of Supsailing with the first being as simple as bringing up one wing. This guide provides a step-by-step process to launch your supsail and advance you to the seventh stage which includes tricks such as backwinding.

This simple guide shows each of the supsailing stages:

Stage0 – Preparing your Supsail

Stage1 – One Wing

Stage2 – Two Wings

Stage 3 – Windsurf Mode

Stage 4 – Wingfoil Mode

Stage 5 – Sailing across the wind

Stage 6 – The Tac

Stage 7 – Tricks

Stage 1

One Wing

  • Bring up just one of the Supsail wings.
  • Useful for your first time, or if the wind picks up and you want to reef your sail (reduce the sail’s surface area).

Stage 2

Two Wings

  • Bring up the second wing so the sail is balanced on the central boomast.
  • Good for heading downwind.

Stage 3

Windsurf Mode

  • Rotate the sail.
  • This entails the end of either the left or right boomast resting on the paddleboard.

Stage 4

Wingfoil

  • Lift the sail off the paddleboard so you are holding it in the air.
  • The sail is airborne and completely supported by the supsailor.

Stage 5

Sailing across/sailing upwind

  • The Supsail is raked back – it is parallel to the body whilst balancing on the left or right boomast.
  • The supsailor should stand towards the back of the board.

Stage 6

The Tac

  • Performed when the nose of the board is heading into the wind.
  • The sail is lifted overhead whilst keeping the grab handle facing the wind. (The grab handle is the central handle at the end of the sail.)
  • To exit the move, catch the wind on the other side of the board (stage 4 move).

Stage 7

Tricks

  • Backwind the sail
  • Heli TAC
  • 420 SUPSAIL rotation
  • Helitac420

Three easy steps to launch your sail

Ready

Set

Go

The Turbo Launch

Place the grab handle against your stomach, holding the left and right boomasts. Check that the face of the Crux is facing downwards (as you look down on the crux you will be looking at the back face with the retaining loop for the sail). Simultaneously pull both boomasts back towards you thrusting your stomach out. Listen for the clicks of the arms locking into place and glance down to validate the pins are secured. Throw the sail into the air and catch it by the centre boomast.

The Flag Drop

Hold the Supsail on one of the end boomasts. Allow the supsail to flutter like a flag with no power in it. Hold the top boomast above the grab handle, pull on the bottom release handle away from you. The top wing will drop via the centre boomast folding down to the bottom boomast. Still holding the top boomast, pull on it’s release hands in a downward direction allowing the Supsail to collapse to fully folded position.

The Supsail Jibe

The SUPSAIL Tac

Upwind Sailing

The savvy sailor reading this blog will note that there has been no use of sailing jargon. The objective is to get any capable paddleboarder, to start building their experience of wind sense and enjoying supsailing. Learning the language of sailing comes later…

 
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