Parawing Session - 2/2/2026

EPIC SESSION TODAY!!!

Nuking SW winds pushing through ahead of a front - I love these conditions!!!  We hardly get strong west winds - when we do it is a gift!

Standard PW gear and the BRM Ka'a 3.6

I flew it on the beach before heading out and it was pulling nicely.

I started out by the Cabins to give myself some leeway to paddle out and to still get up and make my way upwind.  The Ka'a when underpowered had been notorious for having me drift downwind - I didn't want to take any chances.

I wasn't underpowered today - in fact I was able to go upwind with zero issues.

In this strength wind, I was able to get up quickly - and when riding I was just slightly overpowered.

The swell was juicy outside - I would ride upwind and when I lined up with the shack, I'd turn downwind, stash the parawing and ride swell for as long as I could.  Not all the rides were epic - but a few were.

Nice tight correlation between the two graphs.  There was a point where I was wondering if I could have brought out the BRM Maliko (V1) 2.9 - during the gusts the answer would have been a resounding yes.  But that lull in the graphs had me down with the 3.6

A Mokuleia winger was headed out while I was getting ready to head in.  I had to pick up a front foil for Charlie and I also didn't want to get too tired (and get hurt).  I stashed the wing on a bigger wave and rode it all the way in.

I talked to Roland on the beach before he headed out.  He doesn't switch his feet so west winds make it harder for him to get out and up on foil.  He got in some good jumps and came back in - wind got gnarlier!!!!

I love West Winds!!!!

PW:7/FD:12/S:7

Parawing Session - 2/1/2026

The wind picked up from the SW around 11am.  Likely the leading edge of the front that is headed our way.

Norm texted and said he was planning on going to PVs to test out the new inflatable Duotone he just picked up (so he has a travel setup).

I headed to PVs after dropping off the Bizee's at the airport to check how the conditions were shaping up.

And I also tried out the Triple 7 Para Tow Skin 5.4

This parawing is more powerful than the others I have - but it also flies differently.

Around 2:30pm Norm and I were setting up.  I got him his Triple 7 PT Skin 7.3 - but he didn't want to try two new things in the same day.

I paddled out quite a bit to make sure I had plenty of runway to takeoff without hitting the high spots.

The wind was fluctuating a bit at the beginning of the session and I started the dreaded drift...

And I could hear Norm cussing up a storm trying to get familiarized with the new board.

The wind did strengthen enough to get up on foil and pull upwind.

I limited how far upwind I was going - No Man's Land is pretty shallow and it goes out quite a bit (all the way to Tails) - so I played it safe and turned after getting even with the last Pavilion.

The first jibe attempts I was having difficulty getting the PW to roll over onto the new tack.  But after I exaggerated the braking, the turns got smoother and more fluid.

In testing the "drifting" capability, this wing does not like being flown off the front lines.  When I tried that, the leading edge collapsed.  It likes to be flown from further back on the bar and the most powerful position is where the back of the bar is about a third of the way back.

I'm definitely going to have to use this PW a lot more to see how it demands to be flown.

I never felt overpowered in the wind conditions present.

The wind was also coming through in lanes - but from over the ocean (so no obstructions) - weird...

When I was in the lully lanes, I had to turn down wind to keep the PW up.

On a couple of jibes where the PW was not moving fast enough across the window, one of the lines would get caught around the front of the bar.

Towards the end of the session, I was turning the PW much easier and there were less issues with the PW.

On final approach, I kept the PW up in the air all the way to the beach.

After packing the gear, I brought out the other 5 meter parawings for a comparison and contrast.

And Norm brought out his PT Skin 7.3

That is a powerful PW that seems to be more stable than the 5.4

Overall I'd say this was a high performance PW that demands more control inputs that the other PWs I have.

It felt good to PW again!!!

PW:6/FD:12/S:7

Garage Works - 2/1/2026

I had traded my pristine 5'9" Firewire Cymatic for a 5'10" version.  The extra liters should help me get more out of this design.  The unfortunate thing is this board had several small imperfections.

I sanded the dings/scratches/imperfections and placed a small amount of epoxy to make sure those areas got filled.

I'll pull the peel ply, wet sand the spots to blend, then spray a clear coat.

Here is the bottom deck being prepared -

And the top deck with the fill added and covered by peel ply.

Other angle to see the other spots

And while I was at it, I sanded the "dry spot" which I think is more a slight ding from the guy who I got this from not protecting the board.

I'll do the same thing - sand and spray.

Then these two boards will be up to par with my standards.

And I also got some Marine Grip on to No.43 - this will help during takeoff.

I also got a few stickers on - this board is ready to take on the world!!!

Foil Drive Session - 2/1/2026

Another beautiful morning with incredibly nice conditions!!!

Waves were chest to head high on the sets.

The wind was a non-issue and the tide was high enough to make bottoming a lower concern.

Charlie used the Starboard Element and was catching plenty of waves today.

I brought the same setup (No.43, AFS Enduro 900/HA38, Cedrus Surf Mast, Zip Pod, Foil Drive Max) and remembered to swap the wing screws for the small nuts.

Today was definitely better than yesterday - bigger swell, more frequent sets.

And the waves were standing up more - so lots more top and bottom turning carves.

Charlie was talking afterwards about the stark difference between the guys Foil Drive-ing (riding everything) to the surfers fighting for the inside breaking waves.

17 rides in an hour - had to get Charlie and Amy over to the airport.

I want to take No.43 out prone foiling now to see where the foils will position out.

PW:5/FD:12/S:7

Foil Drive Session - 1/31/2026

Beautiful conditions again this morning.

Same setup as yesterday.  I wanted to validate that this positioning was good to mark.  Time to mark!  And also time to sticker up the board.

And I brought this guy out today - Charlie Bisgard visiting from Maui!

Fun rides - with lots of carving

Dennis, Kalani, Stu, Roland, Ben, the Flite eFoil guy, and others were all out at Foil Drive Country.

With the tide a bit higher than yesterday, the waves were a little less energetic - but it is the middle of winter and we have waves!

16 rides in just over an hour.

PW:5/FD:11/S:7

The Anointment of No.43 - 1/30/2026

Marlon and I got in an evening session at WP

Virtually no wind.  Low tide (so more paddling).

And the west swell was wrapping in -

Head high on the sets

But the highlight of the day was getting No.43 out for the first time!!!

I took the mast placement from No.41 and it was perfect!  The painters tape marks are where the mast ended up being bolted down.

Marlon did a double session - first on the Evo and finishing up on the longboard.

Dennis, Roland, Duke and Prayot were also out at Foil Drive Country 

No.43 performed flawlessly - and the conditions were ridiculously nice - I couldn't have asked for a better first session.

I did look down at my feet frequently to get the placement identified.  This is for later when I want to put foot straps in place (for when I prone foil with this board)

21 rides in just over an hour

More west wrap in store for tomorrow!

PW:5/FD:10/S:7

Garage Works - 1/29/2026

I got the detail work done this afternoon.

I drilled out the foot strap insert holes (pilot, bigger, biggest).

Then after some deliberating, I got the deck pads on with the holes punched for the foot strap screws. 

I also got the leash plug cleaned out and got the vent installed.

This came out really nice!

I'll let the deck pads sit for at least 24 hours -

I also lined up No.41 (Trench Board) to transfer the AFS Enduro 900 position - this is as good a starting place as any.

Feels good to have this one finished!

Beach Time - 1/29/2026

There was wind blowing at the house this afternoon.  Then Norm asked if I wanted some fish (he went fishing yesterday) - so off to the beach I went.

I brought parawinging big stuff - but the wind was light.

Norm and Stu brought Foil Drives - and Norm just go this Slick Pod.

Looks to be really low drag.

Stu has been using the Evo HA 1100 he got from Prayot.

To feel like I didn't get skunked, I did some ground handling with the big POW

The red arrow is pointing to a humpback whale that was breaching pretty steadily.

I actually needed a rest day so this was good.

Evening Session - 1/28/2026

This was yesterday's session.

Monk seal chilling on the beach.

The waves were forecasted to be bigger (swell peaking) - but that was far from what was present.

Low tide still and marginal wind.

Marlon brought his longboard - he had no issues catching.

I brought the Sweet Potato with the Futures Alpha Vector 3/2 quad fins.

This setup made catching waves easier (than the Machadocado), but the wave shape made it so the rides were generally shorter, and I wasn't able to get many turns out of it.

I still had some good turns and nice rides - plus the great exercise and just being able to be out in the ocean.

PW:5/FD:9/S:7