Evening Session - 1/16/2025

The forecasted south-west swell did start to show this afternoon.  This picture was from when a set was hitting.

It was a rising tide - but overall it was still on the shallow side.  There was some onshore flow - and I think I could have been up and going on the AFS Enduro 1300/KT Dragonfly/North Nova Pro 5.0 - but I opted to Foil Drive. 

And this was to be a testing day to see if the additional signal window makes an additional difference in signal transmission.

Axis Spitfire 960 and Skinny 365 rear stabilizer.  I actually got the spacing spot on.

So here is my feedback on this board.

- the signal did transmit better, but still not a good as the basalt laminated boards 

- despite being 50 liters in volume, this board takes more energy to get up to planing speed.  Steeper waves help to get to planing speed faster/easier

- once up on foil, this board is a blast to ride, but you do have to be further forward on the board when motoring around

I left my watch at home, so the phone came out with me.

Norm was out on FD also.  Prayot was prone foiling and Roland brought out his trusty mid-length.

Norm had his new, dialed in Code Foils setup - and he was getting three-peats continuously.

I would get really fun rides, but only if I was able to get up - which wasn't as much as I would have if I were on one of my boards (which I now can confirm are faster on top of the water).

I got a handful of rides somewhere in the graph below.  Most of the peaks are failed attempts to get on to unbroken swell.

I think if I had the power settings on high things may have been easier.  I'll give this feedback to Marvin.

The swell should be better established tomorrow -

W:5/FD:7/PW:1

Wing Foiling Session - 1/13/2025

I got to the beach late this afternoon - work ran later than normal.

When I got there, the wind was still blowing nicely.  The tide was on the low side (but higher than it has been).  The waves were pretty tiny.

I pumped up the North Nova Pro 5.0 again.

And as insurance against a sudden drop off in the wind, I brought the KT Dragonfly 100l board.

I wanted to see how the AFS Enduro 1100 worked, so that rounded out the gear selected for today's session.

And here is where the mast was set (balanced out).

I had to paddle way out to get to the point where I could launch without grounding.

Duke was setting up the same time I was and with his shorter mast, he blitzed out way faster than I did.

The wind felt side on shore - you can see from the track is was predominantly coming from the SE.  And it was fun for a while... until the wind dropped off.  You can see the single (but long) blue line where I was drifting around waiting for a gust to pick me up. 

And I just barely got that gust - whew!!!!

I would have probably made it through the lull if I had the Enduro 1300.

Roland came out later - and had to paddle in.  He got up a few times, but once that lull set in, it was all over for all of us.

With that last gust, I got spared from paddling in.

W:5/FD:6/PW:1

Garage Works - 1/11/2025

It's actually been a while since I've made a garage works post.

It's not that I haven't been working in the garage - but more that the repairs I've been doing have all been the same - front foil and rear stabilizer repairs.

I've fixed Mark's AFS Enduros (since he was nice enough to let me use them while he was on vacation off island - I fixed them for free) - front foils and the stabilizer.

I rebuilt Marvin's Takuma 178 rear stabilizer.

And I've been contemplating the build out of No.40.

But here is this year's first Garage Works post.

I had tested Marvin's Majek FD board and I thought it worked perfectly.  But Marvin wanted to see if the connectivity could be enhanced so if water covered the top deck, that the signal would persist.

Here's where I figured the best chance of resolving the signal issue would be.

And this is the epoxy fill.

Tomorrow I'll sand this just slightly lower than the surrounding deck, and then epoxy on the cap sheet.

There is still wind forecasted for the next few days, so it will be a bit before I take this back out for another test run.

Wing Foiling Session - 1/11/2025

The forecast was generally correct today - and hitting Hickam seemed to be the correct call.

I brought the KT Dragonfly just in case, but ended up using No.39 with the AFS Enduro 900.

And for the wing - I went with the ubiquitous North Nova Pro 5.0 (such a wide range on this wing).

And I did bring the GoPro Hero out - you can see the Solo pouch on my left hip (loosely attached to the harness - I'm working on getting this secured better).

Pretty good stats today

You can see the wind bending through my tracks.

Basically a repeat of yesterday - but with stronger wind.

Really tight correlation in the wind and speed charts - when the wind dropped below 15mph, I was down.

And of note is the top speed on the AFS Enduro 900 - I finally got this foil to break 21mph.  It's as if I broke through a wall.  I even thought about bolting on the Enduro 700 to get more data on it's top speed (since I was breaking through walls).  Maybe next time - 

W:4/FD:6/PW:1

Wing Foiling Session - 1/10/2025

The forecasts kept changing throughout the day.  I ended up doing a bunch of errands around the house and even cut out a window on Marvin's board.  Eventually the wind did start to pick up, so I went to do more errands (dropping off mail at the Airport Post Office) and then swung over to Hickam to get in a light wind session.

This gear gets it done!!!

AFS Enduro 1300/HA43/Short Fuselage

Evolution Cedrus Wind Mast and the KT Dragonfly 100 liter DW board

With the efficiencies gained on the board/foil side, I can use a much smaller wing that I would have in the past - the North Nova Pro 5.0 does such a good job at the low end, while still having good performance when moving at speed.  This has become my favorite wing -

Despite the light wind, I had a really fun session.

I primarily wanted to take this board out to start getting muscle memory established with it - so when I take it out with the parawing, it will be second nature.

But in doing that, I got to throw in a bunch of transitions.  Even toe-side to heel tacks were made without drama today.

I also headed out to Firsts.  Tacked onto waves and got in some turns on the microwaves.

I don't think I could have gotten the same rides out of the F One Eagle 1090/DW210 - that combo needs a tad bit more power to get up.  I'll have to do a back-to-back to resolve this question.

The big Enduro actually rolls decently.  I never felt locked in.  This was with the stabilizer in the forward position.  Dropping it back will be another test.

Generally this foil wanted to stay in the 18 mph range - which is different than the Eagle 1090.  What the Enduro lacks in top speed it makes up for in lifting speed.

My right knee (strong side back leg) is still pretty sore so I am not pumping hard.  That is where I was able to get the 1090 to lift faster than it would on its own. 

Tomorrow and Sunday will have similar wind so I just left everything in the truck.

Monday should be stronger wind.

W:3/FD:6/PW:1

Evening Foil Drive-ing - 1/9/2025

And I pulled a second session today - this time with Norm out at the Bunkers area.

I put the foil setup I used earlier on to No.34

This board comes up to speed so quickly - so dependable!!!

This was the first time I went out in this area.  Norm lead the way, but when he flipped the board over and way pulling the trigger - he got no response from the Foil Drive.

I had motored out and wasn't quite sure where I could safety takeoff - I caught one and headed back over to where Norm was.  We tried a few things, but he still had a dead stick.

He told me to head out and burn through my battery - I told him I'd catch three proper ones and head back.

The point over to the left is where Norm was.

And you can see where I had gradually worked my way out to.  The set waves were actually chest high!

You can see the three solid waves I caught.

When we were back on land, I asked if I actually made it out to Bunkers - Norm said no, that I was riding Jetty's.

Back at his truck, we got the battery out, and back in - and the drive worked again.  Then I asked what his normal process is - he bypassed the unlocking and it would throw him into a programming sequence.  Problem solved!

The reports are showing trades returning tomorrow...  

W:2/FD:6/PW:1

Morning Foil Drive-ing - 1/9/2025

La signed up for sailing lessons and this morning she had her first session.  Noe had a dentist appointment this morning, so I took La over to Hickam....

And since I was there, I figured I could try out Marvin's latest Majek foilboard.

This is the board I put three windows on.  He said when he used it, connectivity was tricky (when the board went underwater).

There was a gaggle at the boat ramp when I got there - Bill (who had been out twice already testing the AFS and comparing it to the Code), Mark and Arvin on SUP foils, Mark's wife on the Foil Drive and Jesse on tow boogie.

Marvin's board is shorter and wider than the boards I've been using lately - so the battery consumption was higher.  But when I got it up on foil, it was really fun to lean into and crank turns.

I got four proper waves - it was tiny and as the session went on it continued to get smaller.

Marvin wants another window put into it to help improve the connectivity - I think it should go in on the top, near the nose.  I'll get it installed and take the board back out for a spin.

W:2/FD:5/PW:1

Wing Foiling Session - 1/7/2025

SSW winds were blowing at levels to drive whitecaps for pretty much the entire day.

I got off work, went home to grab my winging gear, then headed to Pavilions (as the tide was really low - WPB would have been a really long paddle to get enough depth to not ground the foil while having to aim back towards shore to take off).

Norm also came out -

The wind was strong and steady when I got there - but I could feel it dropping even as I was getting my equipment setup. 

I opted for the North Mode Pro 4.8 - I figured there was plenty of wind, and I balanced the smaller wing with a bigger foil - the F One SK8 950/C195 

At the onset, I was having a good session - decently powered, but having to navigate through some really choppy surface conditions.  It was still pretty fun when you looked immediately in front of you and focused on what was going on there, the rides were good.

Then the wind dropped.   The Mode Pros don't like underpowered conditions.  From that point I tried my best to get back up on foil - but to no avail.

At some point I figured I'd have a much easier time beaching at Campgrounds and just walk it back.

It was super shallow on the way in - and most of the sand was washed out (bare shelf rock was mega exposed).

Norm saw what was happening and drove over to pick me up.

On the graph below, you can see the dip in the wind - and at that wind strength - it's no wonder than I couldn't get back up.

I think if I had taken the time to attach the boom on to the North Nova Pro 5.0, I would have been able to foil back to the launching point.

At least my gear was intact (considering the super low tide and the shallow exit).

You win some, and you lose some.

W:2/FD:4/PW:1

Dawn Patrol - 1/5/2025

Hit the dawn patrol today to see if there was any West Wrap coming in to WPB.

There was - but the Kona winds made for excessively choppy conditions.

Marlon and I were there - so we figured we might as well go out.

Same gear as yesterday.

This was one of the hardest days to get decent rides.

The chop made catching waves difficult - and riding any length after you got up (if you got up) was hard with all the disturbances.

I did manage to get some rides - but I came in a little earlier than I could have because I really wasn't in tune with the ocean this morning (it really was chaotic).  I figured I should quit before I got hurt.

Marlon said he was also having a hard time on the inside.

I'll give myself credit for 10 rides in the chart below.

Might be time to rest up a bit... I've been going non-stop for a long stretch -

W:1/FD:4/PW:1

Dawn Patrol - 1/4/2025

Hit the dawn patrol at WPB with Marlon this morning,

Nice conditions!  High tide, low wind and fun sized swell.

Marlon opted to foil this morning!  He said he got several rides!

Same as what I've been setting up as of late - but moved it up a notch - which ended up being perfect!!!  Time to mark this setting for the Spitfire 960.

These conditions are really good for working out mast positioning.

When the water is this smooth - I get more battery life.  I actually got out of the water with 40% after this longer session.

Zero pattern - I was just chasing the swell where the high tide would allow it to develop a pocket.

18 rides this morning - good fun!!!

There may be a chance of west wrap coming through tomorrow...  I may bring a surfboard in addition to the Foil Drive just in case it is that good.

W:1/FD:3/PW:1