In this instalment of his comprehensive series examining every aspect of wavesailing, Jem Hall continues the all-out assault on your frontside frolics and gets you all gu-ey. Photos: Dave White
Even with the winter chill and all that rubber, you’re still ready and willing to add some more weapons to your waveriding armoury. So let’s get you all revved for the gu-screw. This move opens the door to rotational stunts around the lip of the wave, and is the one to be cracked on your path towards the elusive wave 360. (The ‘gu’ bit comes from the resurgent Mark Angulo, now with added fame on the Windsurfing Movie II.)
It’s quite a versatile move, as it can be performed in most wind directions, and, because you’re landing the move behind the wave your timing isn’t as important or critical. The wave 360, on the other hand, is performed on the wave-face or even just above it, and you actually land back on the face. It’s an altogether toothier animal to tame.
As with many wave moves, the gu-screw presents the challenge of getting up vertical while still going fast, so working on this move will also improve your general riding. Time is of the essence though…
Einstein once said that “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” He’d have made a good wavesailor. As is the case in so many moves, time is a key ingredient, and in the gu-screw your bottom turn is a lot further in front of the wave to give you sufficient time to get enough space to turn and get back up the wave vertically and continue the rotation.
This is a fun move and requires timing, speed, a vertical attack and then some aerial scissoring and rig steering skills similar to the actions in the forward, so it will even improve your forwards too. Even more of a bonus!
You can do a lot of the movements in light winds while practising those wymaroos that you’re no doubt doing to facilitate both learning and improving your forwards. (The wymaroo got its name from American ’90s ripper Chris Wyman, who in terms of moves was way ahead of his time.) You can even have a shot at it when planing as you do half a carve gybe into a forward loop spin, and hey presto you’re a freestyling machine.
You’ll see sailors performing the advanced version of the gu-screw in both cross-onshore and cross-shore conditions, so the opportunities are endless. As all good wavesailors are comfortable with being uncomfortable, I have no doubt that you’re itching to ‘have some’ of this move.
Poor Whitey was kept waiting quite a while during these shots as I worked on getting it better, and he missed the best sequence as he nodded off. [You’d nod off after 9 hours too. Whitey.] Still, writing these articles means that I’ve got to step up too and get comfy with some new moves, so here we go…
Who? Riders who want to step it up and work towards the wave 360. Yup, your only limits are the ones you place on yourself.
Where? On fairly steep, clean waves, or on sections that aren’t too critical and threatening. As you get more into them you choose the more powerful parts of the wave.
When? As for all moves do it when you’re fresh in your first hour of sailing after getting a couple of waves under your belt to warm up. Have a session on it of 30 minutes and no more, and do one or two on every wave! This really worked for me.
Why? It feels great and will get you improving in other areas of your wavesailing while you conquer it.
What? A vert attack up the wave as you jump switch clew-first and spin the kit round in the air. Not as hard as it sounds!
How? Let’s go to that now…
