Hiking on Water

Trying to be like Jesus today, not only in the "normal" way but also by having a little hike on the water :D  Yes, today I was hiking whilst I was on the water, and it is great fun.  Ok, so obviously I wasn't actually doing a Jesus and WALKING on the water, but I definitely WAS hiking.  Hiking, for those of you who do not know, is the term used to describe the using of your body weight to counteract the force of the wind inn the sail that would push the boat onto its side and capsize it if no action was taking.  The basic idea is to get as much leverage as possible, which means getting as much of yourself out of the boat as possible.  This is what the footstrap (also called toestrap) is for: you put your feet underneath the toestrap and use that as an anchor, leaning the rest of your weight out on it.
A note of warning: such devices as toestraps CAN snap, so always check to make sure it isn't frayed before sailing.  I speak from experience.  For more information look back to the post in February entitled "Footstraps and Daggerboards".
It kills your legs to be fully hiked out for any length of time... oh, what is fully hiked out?  It is as if you were lying on the floor, only your feet are both under the toestrap and from your bum to your head you are not supported by anything other than that toestrap-anchor.  Instead, you're leaning over the water, and if any wave splashes against the prow it goes right into your face - again, learnt from experience.  We were videoed today so that during the debrief we could watch them back and pick up on ways to improve.  I MAY see if I can get a copy of my vid and post it here as I'm fairly impressed with it, though obviously there are ways I could have improved it.  I was completely straight (almost too much) as I went for a hike on the water.
All in the day of a amateur sailor :D
More drinking games in our room tonight, I think I'd better go check and see what they're doing tonight... :S :S