To the guy who retrieved my board at 3rd ave.

[charlie]

sheet in, arch back... kick with leggs,
on my new 12m vegas i just sheet out and back stroke up wind... then over to board, you should be able to sheet out the bows and swim

[Sander]

I find that keeping my kite powered up helps me body drag upwind. So if I'm riding sheeted in, I may fully unsheet to drag.

Sheet mon! You talking sheet!

Sheeted in means powered up.

Sheeted out means depowered.

Comes from old-school sailing terminology where the lines that trim the sails were pulled in to power the sail, and let out to luff (depower) the sail.

[lmontejo]

BOARD LEASHES - A TABOO subject...

My take on board leashes... (And I suspect I will be trounced upon with this comment...)

1) You are supposed to shed them when you can kite... (I can fly a sailplane pretty well, and still wear a parachute...)

2) They are most important with low winds. However good your abs are, however good you are as a body dragger, if you drop your kite in low winds, good luck getting back to your board.

3) The have a bad reputation - but even after jumping and falling, I¥ve never been hurt by my board (I wear a helmet and I use the reel leash sold by KWS).

4) In choppy water, sometimes the leash drags in the water, but aside from the sound or curiosity, it¥s never affected my riding.

5) I won¥t use one in flat water with windy days.

6) I try not to do funny things with my kite when I am more than a few hundred yards out. (I¥ve eaten it too...)

[windhorny]

I think an experienced jumper or kiter would be fine with a leash. You just need to not do certain things that can lead to danger if wearing a leash. But those things cant be done in light winds anyways. I only wear my leash if I go somewhere new that I am not sure about.

[sflinux]

I don't change the sheeting at all for: riding my board or bodydragging. I used to sheet in, but have later learned that this was a hindrance for going upwind while bodydragging.
Always keep an eye on your board. I prefer doing short tacks. Depending on the currents, one tack will be more efficient than the other, so capitalize on that. The key is to always know where your board is. Once your board is out of sight, it is next to impossible to find it in choppy waters.
I painted the bottom of my black carbon fiber to white to make it easier to find.
I ditched my leash once my jumps got high enough that when I came off my board, I'd look back and see this board flying 10 feet below me coming after me. I hate leashes in the surf. If I come of a board in the surf, I don't want that board (projectile) anywhere near me. And don't want the leash wrapping around my legs making it hard to swim.
I lost my board a couple times at third, both times I lost sight of it. One time a good samaritan windsurfer dragged it back in from the channel. The other time, I found it on the rocks at 3rd the following morning.
My boards are old (school) though. If I was riding a $800 board, I might be more inclined to wear a leash.

[andyandmarlys]

sheet in, arch back... kick with leggs,
on my new 12m vegas i just sheet out and back stroke up wind... then over to board, you should be able to sheet out the bows and swim

Hey... thats my move.... :)