Backwinded Jibe
The backwinded jibe is for tricksters and creative types looking for ways to perform a jibe without the traditional method of flipping the sail. This clan of Jibers descended from the ancient people called Duck-Jibes, who themselves were the first group to seperate from traditional and orthodox Jibers. The Backwinded Jibers traverse around the front of the mast to backwind the sail and complete the Jibe -- a tricky way of avoiding flipping the sail. The ideal learning ecosystem for this maneuver is moderate and steady wind in flat water conditiions.
Rider: Royn Bartholdi
Steps
1)
Bear off the wind in control and with moderate speed in flat water or a smooth section of water like some rolling swell or Jibatorium.
2)
Unhook and keep bearing off wind. Pull your backfoot out of the footstrap and place just in front of the backfootstrap.
3)
Now pull the front foot out of the footstrap and step in front of the mast. This will be your pivot area to get around the mast.
4)
This is where all the magic happens and the critical part of the maneuver. The feet will come together by quickly stepping the other foot to the mast and then shuffling around the mast so the feet are on the other side of the sail. This is kind of like dancing. The clew hand will reach to the mast so you can move the other hand to the leeward side of the sail and well. All this is performed almost simultaneously and quickly so you can get in the backwinded position.
5)
Extend the front arm and backwind the sail with control. The sail is somewhat foward so the center of effort of the sail is exerting pressure on the nose of the board, keeping the integrity of your Jibe.
6)
As the board approches ded down wind, start lifting the mast vertical and moving your center of gravity more toward the middle of the board.
7)
Push the clew through the eye of the wind and step behind the mast to maintain your balance.
8)
Reposition your feet and sail away. Videos
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This is a vanilla example performed in light wind and a 100L freestyle board with a 5 meter sail. The ending is the tricky part; the part where you push the clew through the eye of the wind and turn into the other direction. Often, you will be pulled off balance and fall into the water.
Helpful Skills
- Duck-Tack
- Backwinded-Jibe
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