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Awesome video collection of ABK lectures and happenings started here. Nice job.

Coach

Fast tack lecture

I uploaded the fast tack lecture from the October camp in Hatteras, links are below. Here are some key points:

• The name is a misnomer - you start planing, but you won't plane through a tack.
• The #1 misconception is to go faster because the board is smaller and you are planing. "It's not about going quickly, it's about going early!"
• When tacking on swell, step to the other side while going uphill.
  

Now a step-by-step description:

1. While still in the harness, put the front hand on the mast. This step is optional - if you can't reach the mast, skip it.
2. Unhook, hang down, back elbow pointing straight down. We want to put a lot of pressure onto the mast foot.
3. Take the back foot out of the foot strap and bring it forward on the board, even possibly crossing the front foot.
4. Take the front foot out of the foot strap and put it in front of the mast. The foot should be on the centerline, toes pointing a bit to the tail of the board. Note that the sail has not moved, and we have not yet started to carve upwind!
5. Put your weight on your heels to carve upwind. When learning, you can try carving to 1 hour before 12, and then coast to see how long you can hold your speed - this a "planned crash" exercise.
6. When the board has carved to about 1 hour before 12, shift your weight to the front foot, stand up, and take a short pause. This is very deliberate - we want to avoid forward momentum that would carries us on towards the nose of the board, and sink the nose.
7. Snap the back hand off the boom while still pulling with the front hand, so the sail attacks us; step out of the way with the back foot, placing it next to the other foot, toes pointing the other way (towards the wind); and grab the boom on the new side with the old back hand.
8. Make sure to look straight upwind, not at the sail!
   
9. The end depends on how far the board has turned:
1. If the board has not turned far enough, leave it to the back and backwind it to keep turning upwind.
2. When the sail is neutral on the new side (the board has turned far enough), put the sail forward and your weight back ("bow and arrow") to turn downwind and start.
3. If the board has turned too far and the sail is pulling you over (and the nose is probably under water on a small board), let go off the back hand and do a tennis save, then sheet in and go.

Common mistakes are:

• Moving to fast. Go early, not fast.
• Not going early enough. You need to move while the board is still planing, and try to get to the other side before the board has turned to 12.
  
• Moving forward with too much momentum. This will sink the nose, and through you off the front.
• Not moving the sail out of the way, and fighting with the sail for the same space. Usually, the sail winds. To avoid this, snap the back hand of, let the sail attack you, move out of the way, and keep your arms long.
• Looking at the sail on the new side. You go where you're looking, so you'll end up in the water. Look upwind, not at the sail!

The lecture video is in two parts, each about 12-15 minutes long. Here's part 1:
Here is part 2:

Upwind 360

I started working on the videos from the ABK camp in Hatteras in October. Here is a short (1 min) version of the Upwind 360 (light wind):


This is the long version (about 14 minutes):


Finally, here's a YouTube movie that shows the move on the water:

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