Parawing Session - 7/18/2026

Norm, Stu and I did the WP to -

PV run yesterday.

The wind looked really good, but that was at the ends.

There were some good sets coming through also.

I took out the same setup as the past couple of days.  I also brought both the BRM S3 5.3 and the Flysurfer POW V2 4.0

Norm brought his Ozone PR 5.0 and the 777 PT Skin 7.2

Hard to trust the wind this summer.... (foreshadowing) 

The wind was switching directions and up-down the whole way.  I paddled out and put up the Flysurfer.  Launching took a while because the wind was slightly less than what I needed to get up, but once up I immediately caught a head high wave, retracted the PW and scored a really good ride.  The Silk 1050 is pretty darn good in this application (but I'm wondering if I could still optimize the position).

At this point I was at the Cabins and the edge of the dead zone.

The wind would actually go dead and the parawing would fall out of the sky.  What was really frustrating here was the direction shifts.

You can see I would get up onto foil, then suddenly stop - that was the wind shifting while I was trying to jibe (and then getting field stripped off the board). 

At Campgrounds the wind filled in better and I was able to get up and stay up (and turn without the PW twisting on me).

Needless to say this was pretty frustrating.

I did line up with a macker wave at PVs - well overhead and a deep pocket that I just sat in - so awesome!!!  Again - the Silk 1050 V1 for the win!!!!

PF:9/W:3/PW:79/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/17/2026

The wind was better this afternoon - still and down and swirly, but stronger.

Norm and I did the WP-PV run.

I took out the same board-foil as yesterday and the BRM S3 5.3 for power.

And with better wind, there was better foiling.

The wind was shifting east to north.  But it seemed as if whenever the waves were present the wind was north (the hardest direction for me to retract the parawings).

This is Hickam's chart - it was probably 5mph less at WP-PV

I made two adjusts on the mast to get rid of the backfoot pressure.  It still feels a little suboptimized - might need to do a Hickam session to get it dialed in.

The back half of the session was much better - a lot of it was the wind, but perhaps the foil adjustment helped.

Will push tomorrow's session to 2pm to get the wind when it is stronger again.

PF:9/W:3/PW:78/FD:53/S:20

Prone Foiling Session - 7/16/2026

Wind was forecasted for this afternoon - and when I got to the beach, it looked like it was doable.  But this was onshore.

And I broke my cardinal rule - I changed more than one parameter.

I got the Silk 152 rear stabilizer in the mail today - so I paired that with the Silk 1050.  And I don't recall using this foil on No.34

Then I also got in the Flysurfer POW V2 4.0

So I changed up three things -

The POW V2 flies so nicely - I just didn't have enough wind to get up on foil.

I floated around for quite a bit of time.

At least I didn't drift so far downwind to make this a miserable paddle back.

In fact - just so I wouldn't get skunked, I tried catching waves and riding prone.

I don't know why I have a harder time catching waves when paddling this board in...

But I finally caught one and rode it in.

Hopefully the wind comes back tomorrow...

PF:9/W:3/PW:77/FD:53/S:20

Garage Works - 7/16/2026

Another day when the garage was empty when I got home - I need times like this to get work done on the boards (because La doesn't like foam dust on her car).

I worked on roughing in the bottom rocker

Didn't get a lot done because....

La came home!

I'll have more chances over the weekend to get the rocker tuned.

Garage Works - 7/15/2026

I didn't feel like going to the beach today -

Having had plenty of marginal days, I figured I should wait for better conditions and rest up in the meantime.  Plus I had to pull some creeping lavender weeds from my lawn and La needed to run some errands.

I did get into the garage for a bit - 

I got this setup - the Foil Drive Mini Pod on the Foil Cedrus Evolution Surf mast.  It fits really secure.  I also got it fitted onto the Cabrinha Apex mast - really nice fit on that mast.  

And I got the mast track box all measured out on No.44

I decided to not touch No.45 until this parawing board (No.44) is finished.  It's better to focus on one board at a time.

I also received the Cabrinha Tweaker 160 Rear Stabilizer in the mail today - this will allow me to play around with different shims to change up the feel of the setup.  More positive shim will mean a little more front foot pressure (perceived "more lift").

Garage Works - 7/14/2026

Rest day (errand day also - I mowed and edged the lawn).

But I had the garage all to myself (both cars out) so I felt compelled to get the templates on the two blanks dialed in and the decks skinned.

And that's the point I got to on both.

I'll try and preserve a majority of the thickness in these two blanks - and the majority of the shaping will be in the rails.

The difference in these from the others to date (and the main reason for me shaping them) is the introduction of tail rocker - and more so than No.34 and No.40

When I get working on these again (maybe tomorrow???) I'll redraw the center line on both top and bottom decks, get the track box location situated, and start removing the rail meat.  I am going to focus on the longer one first.  If I finish this one in the next couple of weeks, I can put it through it's paces and decide if this one or No.34 will be going up to Rufus.

I'll wait until after that trip to work on the shorter one.  I'm still debating if I want to make this one a shallow trench or just a straight prone board.

Parawing Session - 7/13/2026

When I got to the beach, there was wind.  It was further out, but there was wind and whitecaps.

There were still some decent sized waves breaking and the tide was super high.

Despite what I saw, I did not trust the wind.

I rigged big - AFS Enduro 1300/HA43 with the BRM S3 5.3.

But even that gear could not make the swirly wind any easier to get up on foil with.

Prayot came out with parawing and paddle.  Alex was out on Foil Drive.  Brent was out prone foiling.  And Derek was launching his Manta when I was packing up.

The wind just plain sucked.  Both too light and too swirly.

I did manage to get up, but it was work.  If anything, I'm getting more experience using the BRM S3 in underpowered conditions and getting up.

This is Hickam's chart.  The wind at WP follows this pattern but is often a touch lighter and a hair more north.

That is a long-worded way of saying it sucked.

At least I did not get skunked and the wind picked up enough at the end to get me back to the launch point.  In that regard this was a successful session!

I am going to take a rest day and work on the boards.  But I'm also going get the Foil Drive ready to go.

PF:8/W:3/PW:77/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/12/2026

Got out later today (got to pick up Noe at the airport!!!!)

Wind was up and down and swirly.

Tide was high and there was some swell pushing through.

Mark, Eddy, another winger I didn't know, and Kalani on parawing were all out.  Later Derek and Roland also came out.

I used the same gear as yesterday (BRM S3 4.2)

Strong north component to the wind again.  Definitely made using the parawing difficult.

In fact - on one of the earlier runs I had overshot the wind line on the inside and had to keep going out because there wasn't enough wind to complete a turn.  When a slight gust finally came, I jibed but botched the turn - I had to wait a while for the next gust to come through.

I did retract and ride a few times - but with the wind as fluky as it was, this was more risk than reward.  And with the AFS Enduro 1100, I got left behind on a few waves I was try to ride.

Frustrating...

At least I didn't have to paddle in.

Yup - the 4.2 needs 17+ mph to power up.  You can see the holes and the direction shifts on the chart.

Pretty much the same wind profile that has been coming through for the past several weeks.

I actually started thinking I should probably bring a wing next time...

More of the same forecasted for the week ahead.

PF:8/W:3/PW:76/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/11/2026

Needed to hit the grocery store, so I pushed my water session to the afternoon and went to Hickam.

Zach, Naomi, and Matt were in different stages of coming in.

There was some texture on the water - and Zach said it was blowing east.  But you could tell it was up and down.  And I had my suspicions that it would twist.

I wanted to test out the Flysurfer POW V1 2.5m so I used No.34 with the AFS Enduro 1100/HA40 on the 80cm UHM mast.  For backup I took the BRM S3 4.2m

Yes - I did say Flysurfer POW V1 2.5m

I found a great deal on the 2.5 and a 1.7 from Greenhat Kiteboarding - and I picked these up for the Gorge trip in late August. 

I started the session with this PW up, but the wind was not materializing for the 2.5

I swapped it out for the BRM S3 4.2

There were holes in the wind, but for the most part, the 4.2 was perfect for the wind today.  And I bet it would have been nicer to fly in yesterday's session also.

I really appreciate how stable the 4.2 S3 is - it really is a magic size (just like the Triple Seven PT Hybrid 4.3 is magic).

I forced myself to start tacking again.  By the end of the session I was jibing dry on the outside legs, and still getting field stripped on the inside.

Those points are tacks.

The wind did not feel this consistent.

So a few of these down slots are my botched jibes, but some are also the wind holes.

And the run I made outside to Firsts - I tried catching two waves but the wind was not cooperating, and I didn't want to risk that paddle in.

I like the AFS Enduro 1100 with the HA40 - the Mako Carve Pro Medium was a little pitchy for this setup.

I may go back again tomorrow (depending on Noe's arrival time).

PF:8/W:3/PW:75/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/10/2026

Conditions similar to yesterday - especially the shifty winds and the high tide.

The surf has come down - but if you were patient - there were sneaker sets still coming through.

Same board/foil - back to the BRM S3 5.3

The wind was slightly better - at least there was less up and down.

When I launched, I was good with the BRM S3 5.3 - but as the session went on, the issue became the strong gusts coming through - wishing I had the 4.2.  But then the wind would slack and I was glad to have the 5.3

And you can see the wind shift in these charts.  That was the hard part - the wind was swirling and the parawing wouldn't hold shape.

Before the wind shift, I was able to get several retracted PW runs.  And miraculously those were lined up with some of the larger waves (longer runs on taller, more energetic waves).

Prayot was out using the Ozone PR V2 5.0 that I just fixed, but he forgot his harness.  If I was getting blasted with my harness on - he was using gorilla arms.

Derek and Roland came out on wings later.  Everyone was lining up more parallel to the beach after the wind shift.

These last two runs of wind have definitely had big ups/downs and directional swings.

More comparisons between the S3 and the Maliko.  The S3 is way more stable in flight.  With the handle and harnessed in, the S3 has a pretty big range (also tied to the canopy stability - and that is a direct result of the additional upper bridle lines).

Neither likes swirly wind.

The bigger sizes need more meticulous packing to increase the chances of successful redeploying.

The upper bridle lines on the S3 like to grab the end sections of the canopy - which sometimes makes the launching process a little longer.

Fun session (even if a little frustrating with the wind shift... how do you even rig for that???? - backpack with the next smaller size and frequent swaps???)

PF:8/W:3/PW:74/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/9/2026

I got home from work and there was wind blowing - but it wasn't as strong as the past couple of days.

By the time I got to the beach, it seemed to have filled in a bit.

Waves were definitely down in size (but again - some sneaker sets coming through).

Same board and foil as the past couple of sessions.

I changed the PW from the BRM S3 over to the BRM Maliko.  I wanted to change things up and get a more direct comparison between these two PWs.

I primarily used the 5.1, but I had the 4.0 in a plastic bag out with me.

The beginning of the session saw good wind.  During a few runs I had contemplated swapping out the 5.1 for the 4.0 - but didn't because the wind didn't stay on for more than a few minutes at the higher strength.

The belt I had on went through multiple failures.  First it came off by becoming unbuckled.  Then the cleat that holds the leash on popped off.  And lastly it kept sagging.  But I made it work.  I needed to use this specific belt because of the reverse J hook.

I got a few great retracted rides early on.  Not as good as the previous two days - but still really good.

Then the wind took a turn for the worst.  It was still blowing, but it did not have any push to it.  I spent more time trying to get into a wind stream to get back up and over to the launch.

It took forever, but I finally caught a gust towards the last cabin.  I rode that wind back to the first lifeguard tower and eventually picked up another gust to get back above Fenceline.  I did a final retract and headed in.

Thsoe blue lines were my first class ticket on the struggle bus. 

This chart was not indicative of what was out on the water.

Looks like 35-65 up verses down.

So in a nutshell - the BRM S3 has more control, way less fluttering, launches off the water way easier, stays in the air better.  The Maliko seems to have more raw power (but also gets overpowered faster), is simpler to fly, and redeploys easier.

With the bar mod on the Maliko, it wants to stay further up in the wind window flying off the front lines.

The way I fly the S3, it sometimes sits at a weird angle near the front of the wind window - only when it is underpowered.  This is likely more me than the parawing - but time will tell.

Typing this after the session - I feel like I work harder flying the Maliko - my arms, back and hands feel more strained.  But the Maliko is still fun to fly! 

PF:8/W:3/PW:73/FD:53/S:20