Bio - Eric L. Mihelbergel is an intermediate/advanced windsurfer, kiteboarder, and foiler living in the Great Lakes Region of New York State who enjoys sharing about windsports and fitness.

Getting Upwind Windsurfing
By Eric Mihelbergel (Written May 2020)

When I was first learning to ride frontside in side-on conditions it quickly occurred to me that I must simultaneously improve my upwind riding ability in order to regain the ground lost when riding frontside. The two things go together when riding in our conditions here on the Great Lakes. And, so, I took it upon myself to really learn how to be a better upwind rider.

This article will focus mostly on how to go upwind with wave gear, although I will make a few
​mentions and brief comparisons to freeride gear.

The Objective - Getting Upwind - If you want to get upwind, start by looking upwind. Literally, turn your head and look upwind. When you do this it will turn your front shoulder out slightly. This begins to put you in the proper stance. Now, let your body and hips shift slightly toward the nose of the board. Allow your front leg to bend as you put weight on that front leg while straightening the back leg. At this point it's obvious that you have shifted your net weight slightly forward on the board. Even your hips have shifted slightly forward. You can also remove your rear foot from the footstrap and place that foot directly in front of the rear footstrap to get more forward. Some riders find this helpful to get upwind, although I generally prefer to keep my back foot in the strap for better overall control. Remember that speed is your friend while doing all of this. The more speed you have, the more lift you generate from the sail and the fin.

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So, now, you have a good stance, but that alone is not enough on a wave board. Your fins are small, so you need the rail of the board to help you get upwind. Move the heels of your feet slightly closer to the rail of the board and weight the heels of both feet, especially the heel of the front foot. This will put the board on its side. The rail will then help propel you upwind like the edge of a kiteboard. You should not be too far outboard, like on a freeride kit, because you will produce spinout if too far outboard, but you need to be a little more outboard than when you normally ride your wave board. As is typical with wave gear, you are more upright and over the board compared to freeride gear. Again, remember that speed is your friend while doing all of this. The more speed you have, the more lift you generate from the sail and the fin. With the board more on its side you will also gain the benefit of reduced bounce from chop as you slice through the chop better. 

But this is not the whole story. You must stay sheeted in when going upwind so that you continue to get lift from the sail. When your harness lines are more rearward it helps you to sheet in. Move the front hand closer to the harness line and it further helps to power the front of the sail and sheet in the back of the sail. Staying sheeted-in puts pressure on the mast foot. The pressure on the mast foot keeps the nose of the board down which keeps the whole rail in the water. And by keeping the nose of the board down you also prevent air from getting under the board which reduces the spinout problem. Couple this with riding the board on its rail, which slices through the chop and reduces bouncing, and you have further prevented air from getting under the board and producing spinout. You will also be able to sheet in more if your rear foot is slightly out toward the rail of the board as mentioned above. This happens naturally on a freeride board where the footstraps are already positioned at the rail, but on a wave board you may need to move your rear foot out of the strap and slightly closer to the rail. On a freeride board your feet approach the board from the side of the board, but on a wave board your feet approach the board from the top. So, move those feet slightly toward the rail to sheet in better and to help get the board on its side.  Again, remember that speed is your friend while doing all of this. The more speed you have, the more lift you generate from the sail and the fin. Sometimes it helps to head slightly downwind in order to gain speed so that you have more speed to go upwind with thereby generating more lift. Find that balance between angle of attack upwind and gaining extra speed by occasionally bearing off the wind. 

Have fun! Get the wind! Hit the lip!