Evening Session - 7/31/2020

It has been a LONG - BUSY week at work - I hit PTs after work to wash the week off.  The gate was open so I got to park next to the break. 

The tide was a dropping high - at 1.8' (dropping from 2.0').  The wind was blowing trades - with enough north in it to not chop the surface up too much.  And the good news was the swell had some size - belly high for the most part.

With the higher tide I decided to bring out the Armstrong.  Same setup as the last time I brought this foil out - wide 4'10", HS1850, Uni Tail.  I caught multiple waves and got to pump back out a few times.  The wind did slow me down when I went right.  There were more people in the line up and lots of fishing lines in the inner line up - so I had to keep my eyes open for booby traps.  Despite the obstacles, I had some really fun, long rides. 

I noticed I needed to get my back foot butted up to the kick on the tail pad in order to ride on automatic.  If I had my back foot further forward, balancing was more dynamic.  This is the opposite of what I'm doing on the Go Foils - I'm going to have to figure this out.

Evening Session - 7/28/2020

Pulled a solo session at PTs.  It was pretty much the same as yesterday, but windier and the swell was half as big.  Basically an exercise in finding the lower end of the equipment range.  I'm thinking if I had a wing, today would have been really fun.

I brought the same setup as yesterday.  And I only caught one (but I did ride it from the outside all the way in).  The swell doesn't look to be much bigger in the next few days - I think I'm going to start the 5'2" wing foil board.

Evening Session - 7/27/2020

With Hurricane Douglas influencing the local weather the past couple of days, I opted to stay out of the water (even though it probably would have be pretty good seeing as how we didn't end up getting rain or wind down on the south side) - I was actually busy at work and somewhat at the house getting ready for the storm.  Anyways - I went out today to get some exercise.  

The wind was up and strong out of the east - that meant choppy surf that was hard to ride and a head wind for me going front side.  The tide was dropping - probably around 0.9' while I was out.  I didn't hit bottom, but it wasn't the normal carefree deep PT normally is either.  Lastly the swell was on the small side.  Stomach high on the breaking sets, but mostly thigh high.

I brought out the skinny 4'10" with the Go Foil GL180 and the chopped P18W tail.  Transitioning from the Armstrong to the Go Foil was seamless - which wasn't the case going the other way (at least for me).  What I did notice going from the Armstrong HS1850 to the Go Foil GL180 was the smoothness of the Armstrong - it didn't feel like I was riding a foil because it just slipped through the water with minimal friction.  Today using the Go Foil it would go fast, but I could feel drag and turbulence more than I could on the Armstrong.  The Go Foil was still fast when I got it lined up - real fast.  I need a GPS watch to start quantifying these factors.  I think if I round out the stabilizer tips, I can reduce some of the perceived drag.

I ended up catching a bunch and getting several long rides - tons of fun from totally junk waves.  There were some longboarders out and they would catch the waves when they peaked, but they would fade quick and they'd have to stop - on the foil, I'd ride the same wave all the way in - accelerating on the walls even though it was unbroken.  I've said this all before, but it never gets stale at all!  

Evening Session - 7/24/2020

I puPTslled a solo session yesterday, but Noe wanted to come take pictures (because I pay her well).  Same setup as last time (wide 4'10", Armstrong HS1850, Uni Tail) with no adjustments.  The swell was behaving differently at PTs compared to WPB the day before - the depth difference really showed with PTs breaking on the outside and mushing out (which is perfect for foiling).  The wind was up, but with a bit on North in it, the trees did a good job blocking.  The tide was rising up to a 1.9' high (was 1.5' when we got there).  It was inconsistent, but there were some shoulder high sets.

I got two solid double-dips - so much fun!  It wasn't crowded but I must be getting old and crotchety because it seemed to me that everyone out there was trying to block me or drop in on me.

I did breach a few times - gonna try and swap out the uni tail for the 232 to see if that cures the breaching before playing with the mast position.  Might have to wait though - Hurricane Douglas is approaching...

I got lucky on this one - you can see the front wing starting to poke out...

The HS1850 definitely has a wide range - I didn't feel like I was going to get blown up while taking the drops on some of the larger waves, and I barely had to pump to glide along the tiny bumps.  What I do feel I'm giving up when using this wing are the tighter, banking turns that I would get to lean into -  the wing tips would definitely surface if I cranked turns I normally do on the CF1600.  I'd say the benefits outweigh the negative - 2 for 1s have never been easier.

Noe Hiking - 7/23/2020

Not what you are thinking - the other hiking

Evening Session - 7/23/2020

I pulled a solo session this afternoon at WPB.  I figured since it is relatively more shallow than PTs, it would break better given the higher tide.  It was breaking better - even some chest high sets pulling through every now and then, but mostly in the stomach high range.  The tide was rising while I was out and was heading towards a 2.4', but was probably in the range of 1.5' to 2.0' while I was in the water.  And the wind had swung back to trades in the 10-15mph range - not bad conditions.

I have been tuning the Armstrong HS1850 to get it to fit on the fuselages.  Had to file the wing internal mounting hole a little at a time - but I finally got it to go on snug.  Originally it was short of the bolt holes by nearly 3/4".  For familiarity I kept the Uni tail on.  I pulled the mast back about 1/2" in the tracks to compensate for the additional lift from the 250 extra square centimeters.  I got lucky on the adjustment and the 1850 flew fine.  This wing did not throw me off on takeoff, and when I got situated there was no need to pump to ride out the waves - nothing but glide from this thing.  It is stiffer in the turns (as one would expect from a straighter, wider wing), but it does have a dihedral in it so it does turn better than the GL180

I pushed this foil pretty hard - bigger white wash, some green wave takeoffs and it was totally predictable.  I'm going to have to ride this a bit more - and will probably swap out the uni tail for the 232 as there seems to be lift to spare.

Evening Session - 7/22/2020

I pulled a solo evening session (Marlon and Noe were both at Marlon's internship program today) over at PTs.  Everything was worse today - the tide was higher (2.5'), the swell was less consistent and the wind was a bit onshore.  Regardless - I paddled out and caught 5.  I replaced the 232 with the Uni - I figured more lift would make the dismal conditions better (I was correct) - everything else was the same as the previous day.

It didn't rain on me like yesterday (I did like that - it doesn't happen often and it feels good) - but there was rain all around the area.  I wanted to bolt on the HS1850, but I needed to file off some rough edges (maybe tomorrow - it might be even worse than it was today...)

Evening Session - 7/21/2020

Marlon and I hit PTs again this afternoon.  The wind was supposed to be down and the swell was supposed to be holding.  The wind was down, but the tide was super high at +2.5' and that drowned out the swell.  Every 10 minutes or so a breaking set would pull through so I did get some rides.  I brought the wide 4'10" with the CF1600, but swapped out the Uni Tail for the 232.  Even though I've ridden this tail stabilizer before, it has been a while - like you would think it is faster than the Uni, and it turns easier.

The rear stabilizer change did make a difference and I had to find my footing again.  I actually caught several, but I think my left foot was too far forward (where it would normally go) and I would push the foil down.  With less surface area, the 232 shouldn't have the same lift as the Uni, so my front foot should be back a hair to compensate - easier said than done when you are dealing with muscle memory.

Marlon had more paddling power with the longboard, so he was catching more.  It did start to rain while I was out and it was coming down pretty hard at one point.  It took about 10 minutes for the rain clouds to pass and the setting sun did come out - and cast a complete rainbow - that made the paddle out totally worth it. The picture above has the rain still coming down on the left side.

It had been a while since I've been out in waves this small - I should have rigged up the 5'6" with the Maliko on the 29.5" mast!

I really like it that this is my home break!  Foiling has definitely opened up all the super mushy waves that no one wanted to surf before.  I'll take it!

Evening Session - 7/19/2020

Marlon, Noe and I headed over to PTs yesterday evening to catch some waves.  The wind was up, but it had a little more North to it so the trees were able to block some of it.  There was still some texture, but it wasn't blown out.  The swell had a little size to it - chest to shoulder on some of them, with the background mostly in the waist high range.  The tide was way up - +2.3' and it was over topping the sand berm.  Noe came to take pictures - when Marlon and I weren't moving, she likes to take pictures of the ghost crabs, waves, sailboats, planes and birds that pass by.

I brought out the same setup as Saturday - wide 4'10" and the Armstrong CF1600/Uni tail.  Marlon brought his longboard and was catching everything.

After a session, I got my footing back on this setup and catching waves was more automatic than Saturday.  I got some long ones, but there were more fishermen out (as there normally are on weekends), and they were kinda in the surf break (I'm not complaining for me - there were tons of kids out and they were in the zone more than I was).  Well - on one run I had to do the limbo to avoid getting caught up in a line.  Actually I think the fisherman was using a grappling rig because the line didn't give while I was riding through it.

Other than that, I had a bunch of fun rides and great takeoffs.

Another great day at PTs!

Afternoon Session - 7/18/2020

The kids and I hit PTs at the high tide - which was about 3pm - this was a lot earlier than Marlon and I normally surf.  The tide was high - around 2.2', the swell was stomach to chest high (on the sets), and the wind was not too bad. 

I had my new full coverage rash guard on - I didn't want to get fried going out this early.  I switched up the gear - wide 4'10" with the Armstrong CF1600 and UNI tail.  Super smooth, but it felt like I had to exert a lot of back foot pressure - not that I'm complaining about that, just makes me wonder if I've got the mast position optimized.  I had to get recalibrated - I have been getting more used to the skinny 4'10" positioning.

I got several long runs, and several wipes, but overall it was a good day (and I'm glad I went to PTs - crowd was not a factor). 

And you can't beat the parking!

Evening Session - 7/17/2020

Marlon and I hit WPB this evening.  I was hoping to get a repeat of yesterday, but alas it was not to be.  The swell seemed to be similar to yesterday, as well as the tide (dropping high), but the wind was on the waves and it made for very choppy conditions that were not easy to ride.  In fact, I spent most of the first 2/3s of my session not catching waves that would back off and if I did catch something, there was a BOB hanging out inside of me (so I'd pull off the wave to make sure no one got hurt).

Marlon was doing his thing towards Fenceline - but it looked crowded over there also.  After the sun went down, I finally started catching waves where I didn't have to worry about running into people.  I got several fun ones to balance out the scale.  I should have gone to PTs....  Same setup as the past few sessions - no additional feedback (set up perfectly).

Evening Session - 7/16/2020

I pulled a solo session at WPB.  The wind was side onshore from the east - and it was blowing enough to make you think twice about paddling out, especially coupled with the waist high predominant swell (every now and then a stomach/chest high set would pull through).  The tide was dropping from a high of 2.0' - was probably near 1.0' while I was out.

I brought the same setup as last time - skinny 4'10", GL180 and the cut down P18W.  No breaching at all this time - and I got the same "gurgling" that I get out of the Armstrong CF1600/Uni 300 when the wings are just under the surface.

I started out in the break out in front of the two cabins, out at the second break.  I caught a bunch and got calibrated quick, but the rides were not long when compared to the waves at PTs.  I looked out at the third break and thought that I could probably pick up the wave as it peaked and keep on going as it fizzled out and keep going until it reforms on the second break.  I paddled out and caught four like that - from the steeper takeoff on the outside, riding the faded out wave for yards, picking up the reform and riding that for tons of yards more.  RIDICULOUS FUN!!!  Especially given the crappy conditions, I felt like I was on fire today!!!

Evening Session - 7/12/2020

Marlon and I hit PTs in the late afternoon.  The wind was up, but not too bad (and good enough for the 215 pound Wing Foiler using a 6m Ozone Wasp and a 280 Maliko).  The tide was flat at 1.0',  The buoys were reading 2.5' - they were barely breaking, but if you waited long enough there were waist high sets.

I had the skinny 4'10" (I think this board and I are finally clicking), the GL180 and the chopped P18(16)W.  Marlon and I caught one together and what happened???? I breached.  But I did catch several more after and not only did I not breach, with the slight drop back in the mast position I was riding the GL180 without any weird resistance (autopilot).  Next time I'll bring my phone out and get a GPS track with this stabilizer and the uncut one and see if there is a speed difference (all other things equal).

Marlon was catching everything (as usual).

Will probably start shaping the 5'2" Wing Foiling Board and helping Marlon fix a couple of dings in his board - the surf doesn't look to be anything special over the next several days.