99 and 121 Carves

[Roly Gardner]

Hello Roger, Hi all,

It has been some time since my last post. I have had a great Summer and continue to enjoy learning and progressing in this sport.
My current ability level is early intermediate I guess, having learnt this year to be more controlled on the plane, in the harness and footstraps. At last I have begun to waterstart which has really made an enormous difference.
My next ambition is to progress to a smaller board as I find my Carve 145 is a bit "slappy" when the wind picks up and the swell/waves increase in size. Both the size of the board and the 52 cm fin make it quite difficult to sail I find.
I have been lucky enough to get hold of a pair of Carves from a guy who is giving up the sport. I had wanted a board of around 120 ltrs as a smaller "big" board if you see what I mean, so my new Carve 121 fits this bill, I hope. I have used an older 120 Mistral this year and found the transition easier than I had expected. I have also got a Carve 99 ltr board which I hope to progress on to in due course.
My query is really when to use which board so as to progress as quickly as possible without getting put off.Should I use my 121 Carve from now on and not go back to my 145? The 121 can take my biggest rig, which is a 7.8m Lightening, so would there be a situation where the 145 would be better bet? Is there a question of the 145 being able to get on the plane quicker for instance, in marginal conditions. If, say, it is 6.5m weather, should I automatically go for the 99 ltr board as both the 99 and 121 ltr boards will take my Pilot 6.5m rig? My smallest sail is a Manic 5.7m.
In essence, should I opt for the smallest board possible given the weather conditions on the day?
In addition,may I have any technique tips in terms of how to manage the transition to smaller short boards please. Both boards also have the ability to have a single rear footstrap as opposed to two parallel. Is there an advantage to a single rear strap set up? All comments welcome!
Thank you.

Roly