Finally more steady trades have filled in!!! Mid-morning session at Hickam to do more training on the Axis ART999. Setup was the WWFB, the ART999/HA420 mounted on the 85cm (+4cm) Project Cedrus mast. Pumped up the OR A 5.0 (which at times felt great, and others felt under powered - makes me think I need to get a 6.0). I brought Tim out for his second session - he is well on his way through the long journey to becoming a winger.
This was the best wind we've had in quite some time.
I had stuck on the inside to keep an eye on Tim, but got drawn out by the waves breaking at Firsts. The ART999 is fast, stable, efficient and a wonderful foil - except when trying to get going. It needs a good strong gust to get it up, but after that it doesn't want to go down - just a few pumps and it glides through the lulls. I have my technique down for the jibes, but I am still feeling my way through the tacks - I can get it to go around and onto the other side of the wind, but then I drop off foil. I need more practice...
After a few waves on the outside (I was the only one out there), the wind started to back off a hair. I rode in and hung on the inside until a few more guys showed up - Harris and Jim both headed out. The second run out there saw some good waves still (amazing considering the time of year) - early Christmas present from the Southern Ocean.
Up at the front end of the session, I think a 6.0m would have been perfect. A few gusts came through - but in general I had to be careful to either come up on foil or stay up when driving through dead wind zones. A 6 would have just made riding in those conditions stupid easy (as well as the conditions of the past few days - 12 to 18 days; the 5 is turning out to be more of a 15 to 25 wing).
Nice top speed!!! I think I can still push this one a bit faster...
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