How does a kitesurfer go upwind?
To go upwind on a free sail system such as a windsurfer, the sailor move the sail backward to move the center of force behind the center of resistance of the board, fins and keel. On a kitesurfing system, a kitesurfer holds the kite in his hands and his feet transfer the pull of the kite to the board; therefore the center of force is normally between his two feet. The kitesurfer can move this center of force slightly by transferring his weight to his front foot or his back foot.
To go upwind on a free sail system such as a windsurfer, the sailor move the sail backward to move the center of force behind the center of resistance of the board, fins and keel. On a kitesurfing system, a kitesurfer holds the kite in his hands and his feet transfer the pull of the kite to the board; therefore the center of force is normally between his two feet. The kitesurfer can move this center of force slightly by transferring his weight to his front foot or his back foot. To go upwind on a kitesurfing system the kitesurfer has to move both the center of force and the center of resistance: 1. Move the center of force backward by transferring his weight more to the back foot. 2. More important, move the center of resistance forward by pressing the windward edge to put the board from 15 to 45 degrees to the water. So to go upwind on a kiteboard simply “ride” on its windward edge.
To go upwind on a free sail system such as a windsurfer, the sailor moves the sail backward to move the center of force behind the center of resistance of the board, fins and keel. On a kitesurfing system, a kitesurfer holds the kite in his hands and his feet transfer the pull of the kite to the board; therefore the center of force is normally between his two feet. The kitesurfer can move this center of force slightly by transferring his weight to his front foot or his back foot. To go upwind on a kitesurfing system the kitesurfer has to move both the center of force and the center of resistance. This is done by moving the center of force backward by transferring weight more to the back foot (mandatory when using a bi-directional kiteboard, not as important for a directional kiteboard), and moving the center of resistance forward by pressing the windward edge to put the board from 15 to 45 degrees to the water.
To go upwind on a free sail system such as a windsurfer, the sailor move the sail backward to move the center of force behind the center of resistance of the board, fins and keel. On a kitesurfing system, a kitesurfer holds the kite in his hands and his feet transfer the pull of the kite to the board; therefore the center of force is normally between his two feet. The kitesurfer can move this center of force slightly by transferring his weight to his front foot or his back foot. To go upwind on a kitesurfing system the kitesurfer has to move both the center of force and the center of resistance: • Move the center of force backward by transferring his weight more to the back foot. • More important, move the center of resistance forward by pressing the windward edge to put the board from 15 to 45 degrees to the water. So to go upwind on a kiteboard simply “ride” on its windward edge.
To go upwind on a free sail system such as a windsurfer, the sailor move the sail backward to move the center of force behind the center of resistance of the board, fins and keel. On a kitesurfing system, a kitesurfer holds the kite in his hands and his feet transfer the pull of the kite to the board; therefore the center of force is normally between his two feet. The kitesurfer can move this center of force slightly by transferring his weight to his front foot or his back foot. To go upwind on a kitesurfing system the kitesurfer has to move both the center of force and the center of resistance: Move the center of force backward by transferring his weight more to the back foot. For a bidirectional kiteboard, this action is mandatory and for a directional kiteboard, it is optional. Move the center of resistance forward by pressing the windward edge to put the board from 15 to 45 degrees to the water. So the current way to go upwind on a kitesurf board is to “ride” on its windward edge.
