What does up haul mean?

Question

im talking about windsurfing. for example, daw the sail up from the ocean wit the up haul, hand over hand.

Answer 1

agree with Luis

Answer 2

The up-haul is the rope that goes from the boom head to the bottom of the mast and is used to lift the sail from the water while standing in top of the board and pulling from this rope.

They are telling you to lift the sail pulling from this "up-haul" rope, and to do it slowly, advancing one hand, pulling and then the other hand, pulling, etc.. You need some effort to get the sail off the water and then less effort as the sail goes up  while your try to keep your balance.

Once you learn to water-start you do not use the up-haul line much anymore as the wind "lifts" you from the water just maneuvering the sail.

If the board is small (not floaty) it sinks and you can not stand in top of it to "up-haul" the sail, so water-start is the way to get going.

Advanced and/or small volume equipment may not have an up-haul line, but beginner stuff typically do.