Early Planing Technique

A wind advisory had us heading up to Lake Belton for the second time in two weeks. After some rigging shenanigans I had missed the best of it. The key to having fun was making the most of the gusts with early planing technique. I still remember those wise words from a french windsurfer who could plane in the lightest of gusts.

"Mike, early planing eez like making love to a beeutifull woman."

"You start by gently caressing zee boom. Feel zee wind filling zee sail. Push through your toes, gently thrusting your ips. Stroke zee sail in and out, pumping it arder and arder and arder until the boards speed starts to build and build and build. When you feel zee sail pulling arder and arder and arder, gently insert your feeet in zee straps. Now you are planing and reddy to ride er."