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A
Fall off
Steering movement away from the wind
Figure eight knot
Knot for securing the end of a rope
leech
Rear side of the sail (= leech)
closehauled course
Course at an angle to the wind
Gliding
Transition from displacement travel to gliding travel
luffing
Steering movement towards the wind
Atmospheric wind
The wind that actually blows
sheet out
Open the sail; let the wind out
uphaul rope
See Launch sheet
B
Port
The left-hand side of the board as seen in the direction of travel
Port bow
Direction of travel with the sail on the left side of the board (port side)
Baking
In contrast to the normal riding position, the surfer stands on the leeward side of the sail when riding backwards
Beachstart
Ascending technique without raising the sail, in which the surfer lets himself be pulled onto the board from the shallow water by the sail
Beaufort
Unit for categorising wind force, named after Sir Francis Beaufort. However, windsurfers often use the unit Node.
rocker line
See Underwater hull
gust
Sudden, brief increase in wind speed
Boom-to-boom
Gripping technique in which the hands grip directly from one side of the boom to the other when changing sides
Bug
Board tip
C
camber
Profile tongs, which support the batten on the mast and thus give the sail a rigid and stable wing profile; common in freerace and racing sails
center fin
Additional fin that can be mounted as a centreboard replacement for wind SUPs
Chop
Chopped shaft
Clew first
English term for surfing with the outhaul ("clew") ahead, e.g. at the end of a jibe
Constant Curve
Most common bending line for masts, located between hard top and flex top
Coriolis force
The deflecting force of the earth's rotation that appears to occur when the earth rotates away from moving air particles. In the northern hemisphere there is a deflection to the right, in the southern hemisphere to the left
D
Dacron
Brand name that has become established for sailcloth made from polyester threads. Dacron is less tensile than mono film and gives sails a soft feel
Deck
Board top side
Deep-Tuttlebox
Deeper version of the Tuttleboxwhere the fin is attached from above through the deck with two screws. Common for boards in the race slalom category
DGzRS
German Maritime Search and Rescue Association (sea rescuers)
sheet in
Catching the wind
center of effort
See center of effort
Pressure point migration
Vertical and horizontal shift of the centre of effort in different wind conditions, especially if the sail is too large or under-trimmed for the corresponding wind force
Duck Jibe
Glided jibe, where the surfer changes to the other side of the sail before the apex under the outhaul
E
Epoxy
Resin used for the construction of windsurf boards
EPS
Plastic foamed with water vapour (expanded polystyrene). Also known under the trade name Styrofoam. Core material of windsurfing boards
F
sheet out
See sheet out
fin
Track holder that sits under the tail of the board
Fin box
Recording for the fin
fin box
See Fin box
Fixed lamps
harness line with fixed length
Flex Top
Bending line for masts where the upper mast area bends relatively strongly
Footpads
Rubber padding in the area of the Foot straps
Freemove
Generic term for boards and sails designed for manoeuvre surfing on flat water, for basic freestyle tricks and small surf waves
Freerace
Generic term for boards and sails designed for high top speeds and above-average control at top speed
Freeride
Generic term for boards and sails designed for easy planing and manoeuvring fun on flat water
Freestyle
Competition discipline in which jumps and slides on flat water are scored using a points system; generic term for boards and sails specially designed for slides and jumps on flat water
Freestyle wave
Generic term for boards designed for manoeuvre surfing on flat water, freestyle tricks and small surf waves. Very similar to the category Freemove
Front
Demarcation between two air masses
Fullsuit
Wetsuit with long arms and long legs
foot strap
Size-adjustable strap made of webbing and neoprene, which is screwed to the deck and ensures a secure hold in gliding winds
Foot control
Control the board by shifting weight in gliding mode
G
G10
Sheet material for fin production; several glass fibre layers are impregnated with epoxy resin and pressed together
boom
("boom"); used to hold the sail in place
Boom cut-out
Area recessed from the mast sleeve where the boom is attached
Back end of boom
Bow made of aluminium or carbon, which is inserted into the spars of the boom. Clamps and rollers for trimming the sail are located on the back end
Boom spar
Curved tube made of aluminium or carbon, which is part of the boom and coated with a non-slip coating for better grip
Boom head piece
Folding lock with which the boom is fixed to the front of the mast
Boom pins
Boom length adjustment system
GRP
Glass fibre reinforced plastic; consists of glass fibres impregnated with epoxy or polyester resin. Core element of board construction
Smooth-skin neoprene
Neoprene without nylon coating (lamination) on the outside; slightly warmer with the same thickness, but slightly less durable than laminated neoprene
Sliding surface
Flat area without bend in the underwater hull. A board with a long and flat planing surface planes early, but only turns in larger radii when planing
basic position
(also: "T-position"); aligning the sail exactly across the board
H
Half wind course
Course exactly across the wind direction
Jibe
180-degree turn, in which the board completes a turn away from the wind; initiated by falling away
Hard Top
Bending line for masts where the upper mast area bends relatively little
tail
Rear end of the board
Heat low
Formed by warming of the subsurface and rising air (thermal low); heat lows have no fronts
High
High pressure area; area of high air pressure
Run height
closehauled course to reach a destination further upwind
Holm
See Boom spar
waist harness
Trapezoid type Without leg straps and with high hook position
I
IMCS
"Indexed Mast Check System"; indicates the mast hardness
Isobars
Lines of equal air pressure
I-SUP
Short for Inflatable SUP, i.e. a SUP board that can be inflated
ITCZ
Intra-tropical convergence zone; area near the equator where the north-east and south-east trade winds converge
J
K
Cold front
Leading edge of cold air that encounters warm air
Laminated neoprene
Robust nylon fabric that forms the outer skin of laminated wetsuits. More robust than smooth-skin neoprene, but also somewhat colder
Knots (wind)
Unit in which the wind force can be measured. Originates from the sailor's language, more widely used internationally by windsurfers than, for example Beaufort. One knot corresponds to one nautical mile (1.852 km) per hour.
Node
Some knots that can be helpful when windsurfing, we show in this article
Crossing
Zig-zag course towards the wind, consisting of successive Upwind courses
L
Landwind
Thermally induced air current that blows from land towards the sea at night
Lateral pressure point
Centre of lateral forces
Lateral force
Resistance of daggerboard, fin and board in the water; counteracts the sailing force
batten
See batten
batten tensioner
Clamping device for the batten
Lee
The side facing away from the wind
Longboard
Long board with daggerboard or centre fin for light winds
Long John
Wetsuit with long legs and straps
Loose Leech
Loose leech"; part of the design concept of modern sails, important for sail twist and control in high winds
Luff
Luff length
Air pressure
The weight of the atmosphere at a given location, measured in hectopascals (hPa); the mean air pressure at sea level is 1,013 hPa
Windward
The side facing the wind
M
Mast
Divisible pole made of glass fibre and/or carbon on which the sail is mounted
base plate
Connection of board and sail; is inserted into the mast track screwed and in the extension engaged
Fattening hardness
The hardness (stiffness) of a mast depends on the length and is divided into IMCS units (Indexed Mast Check System). The higher the value, the stiffer the mast
front hand
The hand at the front of the mast when surfing
mast protector
Padding at the lower end of the sail, which protects the board from damage in the event of a fall
Mast rail
See mast track
mast track
rail on the top side of the board, into which the base plate can be screwed
mast sleeve
Support for the mast on the sail
extension
Extension made of aluminium or carbon, which can compensate for the difference between the mast length and the luff length of the sail
Mini shuttle box
Fin boxwhich are used exclusively in the lateral fins of Thruster and Quads is used. The side fin is screwed through the deck from above with a screw
mono film
Transparent PVC film; main component of many sails
N
O
Offshore wind
Offshore wind
Occlusion
Boundary line of the merging of warm and cold fronts
Onshore wind
Onshore wind
Outline
Outline of a board, sail or fin in plan view
P
Pads
See Footpads
Plugs
Thread in which the Foot straps can be screwed together
Polar front
Border zone between polar and subtropical air masses
Polyester
Resin, which is used to build boats and kayaks
Powerbox
Fin boxwhere the fin is attached from above through the deck with a screw. Common on boards in the freeride, freestyle and freemove categories
Power neck
Smoothed jibes
Powerjoint
Rubber connection between board and sail; part of the Base plate
Profile
Curvature of a sail
Pumps
Technique in which the surfer achieves a higher speed by rhythmically pulling on the sail than at normal speed
Q
Quad
Board with four fins; common for boards in the wave category
R
Race
Generic term for boards and sails that are optimised for maximum performance in light winds
Racing
Competitive discipline in which a marked course must be completed as quickly as possible
Rail
Edge of the board
Rake
Bending the fin
Space wind course
Course diagonally away from the wind
RDM
"Reduced diameter mast"; mast with reduced diameter; (= "skinny")
RDM adapter
Adapter on Boom head piecewhich represents the difference in thickness between RDM- andSDM-masts
Relative wind
Perceived and actually utilised wind when surfing, which is made up of the wind actually blowing (= atmospheric wind) and the airstream
Rig
S
Blow
If you drive out once, turn round and come back, you drive a "stroke"
catapult
Fall in which the surfer in the Trapezoid is pulled off the board hanging to leeward
Scoop
(bending up) of a surfboard
outhaul
Rear corner of the sail
Sheet start
Start with the sail at the Starting sheet is pulled up
daggerboard
Drift inhibitor in the centre of the board; only available for Longboards
Sword case
Box for holding the daggerboard
Scoop-Rocker line
Describes the rocker line
SDM
"Standard diameter mast"; mast with standard diameter
weed fin
Fin with a flatter angle of inclination
Sea route
"Motorway" for ships, marked by red buoys on the left side (port), green buoys on the right side (starboard tack); viewed from the sea
Sea breeze
Thermal air flow that blows from sea to land during the day
center of effort
Point at which the forces in the sail are applied, comparable to the centre of gravity. Normally, this is exactly between the hands when surfing
Sailing level
A line that describes the angle at which the sail is positioned in relation to the board during normal sailing
back hand
The back hand when surfing
batten
Fibreglass or carbon rods that give the sail a defined, wing-like profile
Sail steering
Shape
Three-dimensional shape of a board, which in combination with the size determines the area of use and target group of a board
Shift
(also: Schiften), folding of the sail
Shorty
Wetsuit with short legs and short arms
Sideoffshore wind
Oblique offshore wind
Sideonshore wind
Oblique onshore wind
Singlefin
Board with only one fin
seat harness
Trapezoid type with leg straps and low hook position
Skinny mast
See RDM
Slalom
Competition discipline in which a marked out space wind course must be completed as quickly as possible; generic term for boards and sails specially designed for maximum speed and control
Slotbox
Fin boxwhere the fin is clamped from the underside with two screws on the fin box. Common on boards in the wave, freestyle wave and freestyle categories
Softdeck
Soft rubber standing surface on the top of the board
Spin-out
Sudden stall at the fin, causing the tail to slide uncontrollably to leeward
non skid paint
Rough anti-slip lacquer on the top of the board
Starting sheet
Line for hoisting the sail, see also Sheet start
Steamer
Usually refers to a wetsuit with long legs and short arms
starboard tack
The right-hand side of the board as seen in the direction of travel
Starboard bow
Direction of travel with the sail on the right side of the board (starboard tack)
SUP
Short for stand-up paddling; trend sport from the USA in which you move upright with a paddle. Many SUP boards are also suitable for windsurfing
T
Thruster
Board with three fins; common on boards in the freestyle wave and wave categories
Tidal range
Difference between high and low water
Deep
Low pressure area; area of the relatively lowest air pressure in the neighbourhood
Top
Masthead
Top cap
Cap at the tip of the sail that holds the mast
Trapezoid
Hip belt with hook; hooked into the harness line relieve the strain on your arms while surfing
harness line
Rope loop, which is attached to the boom and allows the harness to be hooked in
outhaul rope
Rope with which the sail is tensioned in the transverse direction; attached to the back end
Tuttlebox
Fin boxwhere the fin is attached from above through the deck with two screws. Common on boards in the freerace and slalom categories
Twinser
Board with two fins, common for boards in the wave category
Twist
Twisting of the sail from the boom to the top; twist is created in the upper area of the sail by loose leech and enables the sail to absorb incoming gusts
U
lower leech
Lower side of the sail
Underwater hull
Underside of the board
US box
Fin boxwhere the fin is fixed to a plate that can be moved in the box with just one screw. Common for boards in the wave, freestyle wave and freestyle categories
V
vario harness lines
harness linewhich can be adjusted in length
Variotopp
Cap that holds the mast; adjustable in length, Vario tops can compensate for the difference in length between the mast length and the luff length of the sail
Displacement drive
Low speed at which the windsurfing board lies deep in the water and displaces it without gliding on it
luff
Front side of the sail
downhaul rope
(also: "luff stretcher") Rope with which the sail is tensioned in the longitudinal direction; attached to the luff extrusion. extension
downwind
Course directly with the wind
W
Warm front
Front boundary of a warm air mass that slides onto colder air
Water start
Launch technique in which the surfer is pulled out of the deep water onto the board by the sail
Wave
Competition discipline in which jumps and wave rides are scored using a points system; generic term for boards and sails specially designed for jumps and wave rides in the surf
tack
180-degree turn in which the board completes a turn into the wind; initiated by luffing
Wheelie
Colloquial term describing the uncontrolled rise of the board tip due to a loss of control in strong winds
Wind chill effect
Difference between measured air temperature and perceived temperature as a function of wind speed
Wind SUP
Stand-up paddling board (SUP) with windsurfing option, i.e. a holder for the base plate
X
X-Ply
Sail material, where between two thin Monofilm layers threads made of PVC, Kevlar or Aramid are glued in
Y
Z
Cyclogenesis
Formation of a low pressure area
