I would try this:

If not planing- centerboard down, mast track all the way forward.
If fully planing- centerboard retracted, mast track most of the way back (if that seems comfortable), feet in straps. Bear off by weighting leeward rail with your back foot or lifting weather rail with your front foot. You really have to be on a plane to foot steer. I (175#) am not not planing on a 5.0 until there are lots of whitecaps.

cv

Linda,
I remember seeing the Peter Hart video "Turn for the Better" where he talked about the design flaws of mixing old boards with "new" sails or new boards with old sails but I bet the problem is more basic than that.

Chris pointed out the key. With the masttrack back you are standing further back and weighting the back end of the board. If you are standing on the windward edge in non-planing conditions the board will not be sitting flat on the water. The windward rail will be underwater, the leward rail out of the water. Both are recipes for carving upwind.

Next time out try paying close attention to the angle of the board in relationship to the water. Try keeping it flat. The easy way to do this is to stand in the middle of the board. As wind speed increases gradually move to the windward edge without sinking the rail. When it does start sinking you can use foot pressure as Chris suggested to keep it flat.
Keeping the board flat, moving the mastrack forward, and raking the mast forward (obviously) should give you control to fall of the wind to the point you desire.
FYI: Take my advise with a grain of salt. There are more experienced guys that can give better advise. Everyone: If I have given Linda any incorrect pointers please let us both know so we can both learn from the more experienced sailors.

I think Patrick has it right. If you are used to sailing a much larger board, chances are good that you are inadvertantly weighting the stern and or the windward rail, so keep it trimmed flat. In terms of sail positioning, aft & leeward cause you to head up, forward & windward cause you to bear off. Also, oversheeting can cause heading up, as I think Patrick is learning relative to back wind sailing. How do you sheet out to bear off sailing backwind? It seems counterintuitive, but you basically push the mast down & somewhat aft.

Oops! ChrisP, thanks for correcting me. I meant standing back and leeward rail is a recipe for upwind. Forward and windward rail a recipe for downwind. As an example, when I am pinched in the wind at a stall I brace my foot in front of the masttrack on the windward rail, lean to windward, and rake the mast forward while using the back foot to pull the tail around. As soon as the speed picks up, then it is safe to step back in the normal sailing position.
Patrick

Hey ChrisP, I have a question then. When I am on a reach and want to tack, I rake the mast back and take my back foot and jam it down on the tail to get it to round up into the wind ASAP. I am sure I am stepping on the windward rail though. Does this mean that stepping on the windward rail is unproductive to my desired actions? I always had a feeling that it was helping to carve the board around upwind. OR perhaps I am confusing light foot pressure for steering with drastic actions for chaning board directions. Any comments?

Linda,

You may well be getting good answers, but its hard to tell exactly what you are describing. Is this in planning, subplanning or just after a tack or jibe (or leaving the launch)?

If it is the later, one thing that has not been mentioned thus far is that when you are sailing in higher winds or overpowered, as you first get started the board will have a tendancy to point into the wind. (Since you mentioned using a 5.0, perhaps this is it.) You basically have to push the nose downwind usually with your front foot )or pull that tail under you). This can be very annoying until you get the hang of correcting it. (I'm terribleat describing technique, so perhaps someone else could do a better job of describing the correction.)

Randy

Sorry Linda I used an old sailing term "pinched in the wind". Not sure if this translates to windsurfing. If the wind is coming directly north and I am sailing directly east, "pinching" in the wind is changing my sail direction closer to north. "Easing off" is changing my sail direction to the south. Strictly speaking, pinched is when I have changed my direction so far to the north (about 45 degrees) that I am no longer moving forward.

On my first attempt to sail a shortboard I only knew about raking the mast forward/back to sail steer. I didn't know anything about applying foot pressure in front/behing the maststep to change board direction.

So when I left the beach and stepped at the back of the board it turned upwind. I then raked the mast forward and it would bear off the wind but I was still on the back of the board so it would try and turn upwind again.

I got myself into a position where the board was dragging sideways because my weight at the back of the board and raking the mast forward countered each other out.

I couldn't go upwind, couldn't go downwind, and my arms were getting pulled out of their sockets because I wouldn't let go for anything!

I laugh at myself now for that learning experience. I actually thought I had purchased a defective board. Funny how pain can be a great learning tool.