Hi- does anyone have any good solid advice on upwind body dragging technique in strong onshore winds- I have lost my board twice now and have plenty of experience, but I was absolutely unable to get upwind of my board and retrieve it - had to go all the way into shore and wait for it to come to me when I was in shallow enough water to stand up. It just seems that I would have had to drag STRAIGHT upwind to get any ground- very, very frustrating and I really hate to use a leash.

Just the basics, one arm straight out, legs extended, keep the kite about 30-45deg off the water, the less powered the kite is the further of an upwind angle you can cut, it's a balance of power VS forward speed. When you wipe out, automatically head to one side for a good 15 sec, turn around and spot your board. You're going to have to head away from it anyways, best to get busy before you get any further away. If this doesn't work you're either not extending your body enough to act as a rudder or you're underpowered.

I find that extending my underwater arm way forward above my head and using it + my hand as the most active part of the rudder system is best. My whole body is a big rudder but I find working my underwater hand / arm as a fin and really edging upwind with it helps set the rest of my body at a better angle. Don't expect to be able to cut upwind at much of an angle even less if you are super powered. Often even if you can just hold ground that way your board will drift back down to you. Slow but steady wins the race ! As Pab's mentioned you must travel away from the board and back sometimes for a few passes as you catch up to it and it drifts down to you.

Thanks for the advice- much appreciated and I will definetely practice it the next time I head out.

Best bet is to try it without the board, just drag around for 5-10 min without needing to get a board. Keep at it till you've got it nailed, you never know when you're going to have to get to something.