How to tack / tack in Wingfoil?

How to tack in a Wingfoil? The tack, also called tack in Wing Foil, is a maneuver that allows you to change tack while turning into the wind. It’s the opposite of the jibe where you take ground from the wind. Tacking is quite a technical but very practical action. It allows you to go upwind and therefore gain ground when changing tack, it’s very effective!

In this article, we explain step by step how to tackle in front and backside.

First of all, here is the vocabulary you need to know to understand this article:

Heelside : This is the “normal” navigation position. The heels are facing the wind and the toes are downwind of the board. The weight of the body is therefore oriented towards the wind.
Toeside : This involves navigating by switching the position of the feet with the weight of the body on the toes. This position is often used to change direction or to sail against the wind. The position of the feet is reversed from the normal sailing position. The front foot becomes the back foot and vice versa.

The prerequisites for tacking in a wingfoil

Be comfortable in wingfoil and master the basics : Pullboards, accelerate, change direction quickly, be balanced on the board whatever the conditions, know how to jibe, sail in toeside and switch.

Start with the right equipment: To learn how to tack, you need to be sufficiently canvassed, or even over-steered, in order to have a good speed of movement.

Learning on a calm body of water: Too rough water can create imbalances and make it more difficult to learn how to tack. So choose a body of water that is as flat as possible to learn how to tack.

How do I make a toeside tack (frontside)?

This is the easiest technique. It’s all about having a toside approach, with the torso facing forward and the feet in an inverted position. To make a frontside tack, you have to reverse your feet before starting the manoeuvre.

Step 1: The Approach

To start tacking, you will need to arrive with maximum speed, beaming to windward.
You will then have to get into toeside, i.e. invert your feet on the board. To rotate your feet, we advise you to start with Fly low and push on your back foot to bring the board back up. This will give you more flight time to rotate feet, it will make it easier to change feet without the board touching the water.

Step 2: Start the transfer

Now that you’re on the toe side, maintain maximum speed and engage the turn by pressing on your toes gradually and continuously. The goal is to tighten the turn more and more without losing too much speed. Your turn will depend not only on your starting speed but also on the front wing of your foil. Indeed, a wing with a strong aspect ratio will force you to make a slightly wider turn, while a fast and more compact wing will allow you to turn tighter.

Step 3: Pass the sail overhead

When you arrive close to the wind axis, or slightly before, push the wing above your head. This step is fundamental to accompany the wing in the change of tack. It is important to position it as high above your head as possible.

In this step, you have to come and grab the front handle with your new front hand. If you don’t lift the sail enough, the wind may push it down and throw you off balance. This is a common mistake.

Step 4: Finish the maneuver

To finish tacking, your back hand must quickly grab the rear handle and then come and tack the wing, regain power and re-accelerate. Wait until you’ve finished your transfer to border. The tack is finished when your board is in the crosswise or slightly upwind direction. As long as you are facing the wind, do not trim the sail. We advise you to keep it open as it may slow you down.

Our tip: Just before letting go of the back hand, push on the rear handle to help your front hand tilt the wing overhead into the wind.

To tack more quickly, the ideal is to anticipate the change of hands and grab the front handle of your wing with your back hand, while staying upwind (i.e. going upwind in relation to the wind). This variant allows you to change hands earlier and thus be able to speed up the passage of the wing over your head. This way, you can go the other way faster. The turn is tighter, the manoeuvre is faster and the loss of speed is less. It still requires very good upper body coordination.

Practice doing a tack toeside

We advise you to start by practicing toeside on the same edge. Repeat this training step several times in order to integrate the coordination at the level of the feet.

Then, let yourself glide on the foil without leaning on the kite in the toesid position. To do this, put your wing above your head and let go of the back hand. Then slide until you touch the water. We advise you to repeat this exercise several times in order to assimilate it well. The goal is to be well balanced on your footing and your board in the toeside position, without using the kite as a support or as a “crutch”. The body must remain straight above the foil axis.

Once you are comfortable with the first stage, reposition yourself in toeside and then lean on the tips of your feet to head towards the axis of the wind. Your gaze should follow the movement. By looking in the direction you want to go, you will have more balance and the maneuver will seem easier. Repeat this third step until you go beyond the wind axis and manage to go back in the other direction. By picking up a little more speed, you’ll be able to stay in the air and start making 3/4 of your turn in the air.

With a little practice, these three points will seem easy and you can start making your tacks by following the four steps outlined above.
To practice, you can also try all these maneuvers on the beach while walking or on a skateboard for example. This will allow you to better understand the different hand positions and the actions to perform with your sail to tack in wingfoil.

The key to success? Sailing speed, speed of execution (especially in the wing tack change) and constant curve.

How do I make a backside tack?

This turn is a little more technical because you have to be able to twist the upper body while having an excellent speed of execution with a good precision of support. In this technique you will start heelside, i.e. with your good foot at the front (“normal” navigation). You will finish your turn in toeside, with the weight of your body moving on the front leg. It’s a bit more complicated than a frontside tack, but with a little practice anything is possible!

Step 1: The Turn

You have to approach the turn with more speed compared to a frontside tack. This way, you will maximize the flight time and pass this maneuver more easily. If there is not enough wind, you can lower slightly to gain more speed in order to achieve this first stage and suddenly go upwind.

The turn begins by pressing on the heels and leaning your body towards the inside of the turn. You have to press on your heels for a large part of the turn, until you have passed the position facing the wind. Then, you will have to rebalance the pressure on your tiptoes in order to stay balanced on the board, otherwise you risk falling backwards.

Step 2: Swap your wing

Unlike the frontside tack, here you have to go past the upwind position before swapping your wing. You have to make the most of the curve before sending the wing towards the “windward” as quickly as possible. The passage of the wing over the other tack is done over the head in a rapid manner.
Then, the overhead pass is done with the hand before starting, unlike the frontside tack. It is only once the wing has passed to the other side that one can change hands. The back hand takes the front handle as quickly as possible and the front hand becomes the back hand by taking the back handle.

When you think you have enough speed, you can swap your feet on the board.

Important tip: most riders sail with the front hand facing the palm up, which is fine, but to tack in a wingfoil we strongly advise you to orient your hand downwards. This will make it easier for the wing to pass overhead.

The key to success?

Tackle this transfer with a lot of speed
Be very precise on your footing, especially in the transfer of weight/heel to weight/toe of the toe.
Wait until you pass the windward face to switch hands on the wing.
Speed of hand transfer.

What is the best foil to land a tack?

The advantages of a high aspect foil kite: A front wing with a high aspect ratio will have better flight finesse, so you will glide longer once the canopy is no longer pulling. This will give you more time to complete your manoeuvre.

The advantages of mid and low aspect foil kites: A front wing like our range of classic foils will be just as suitable for learning tacking. Indeed, their more compact shapes will offer more maneuverability. You’ll carve more easily.

In short

Choose a calm body of water.
Check that you are not getting in anyone’s way before engaging your tack (look behind you, upwind, before you start).
Engage your tack with enough speed so that you have more time in the air.
Raise your kite well above your head to prevent the wind from pushing it downwards and towards you (risk of the sail inflating against it).
Keep your wingfoil kite open until the transfer is complete. You don’t want to overdo it with the back hand.
Don’t tuck your sail too early. You have to wait until you’re in the final direction to generate power.