Wing Foiling Session - 7/30/2022

Hit Hickam with Kalani around 12:30 today.  Ryan and Bill were just finishing and they said it had been schlogging city.  Jim was taking a break and said it had been schlogging city.

I checked the wind and wished I had brought the 6.1 and the 1440.

Oh well - 5.1 and 1210 - run whatcha brung...

Some texture on the water, but there were some serious lulls.

When the gusts hit, it was on - I brought the GoPro out and got some interesting shots.  This one is me mid-tack.  You gotta lean over and commit to the turn.

And here is the prize!!!  I built No.25 specifically to jump.  At WPB, I can use the incoming waves as ramps and boost.  Here at Hickam you have to plan and wait for the right conditions.  If you look at the picture, rear stabilizer and front foil are clear of the water - not my first jump, but my first documented jump!!!

I did make a run out to Firsts.  The waves were on the small side because of the swelling tide, and the wind was pretty iffy.  I got one wave and came back in.

I guess this was what the wind was doing, but it sure didn't feel this strong.

The forecast for tomorrow is better.  Might get more jumps in!!!

W:77/F:64/S:17

Evening Session - 7/29/2022

Almost a carbon copy of yesterday.  The differences being the waves were a hair bigger (and more frequent), tide was a little higher (we did go an hour earlier), and Marlon switched out the longboard for his Firewire Seaside.

Marlon flew his A2S first before going out - I did the opposite by foiling first, then coming in and flying the Mini 3.  While I was out, I had to pick and choose my waves wisely - there were some really good sized waves that were pitching lip.  I didn't get any double dips, but I did have a bunch of fun rides.

I'll download some pictures later and update this post - but I was able to recognize Roland in the water from 20' up (he was wearing his hat).

Marlon came in before I could find him (he had paddled further over towards the shack), and he started flying his drone again.

If I could do it over, I think I would have had fun using the green dually, or the Toots Asymmetric.  

W:76/F:64/S:17

Evening Session - 7/28/2022

Marlon and I hit WPB for an evening session.  Instead of hitting the water straight away, I flew the heli-cam for two batteries (code for droning).  I got some fun footage - checkout my Instagram for the videos (even though the quality took a hit - not that these screen shots from the videos are any better).

An old friend Ky was also at the beach -  

After I burned through the two batteries, I went ahead and got a few waves on the prone setup (exactly the same equipment as yesterday).  I got some fun rides, but it was mostly maneuvering around a bunch of people - pretty crowded for a Thursday.  Conditions were nice for surfing - mainly almost no wind.  There was also a rising swell starting to show.

Tomorrow may be a good day to surf - 

W:76/F:63/S:17

Evening Session - 7/27/2022

The wind was forecasted to come down today - it didn't.  I think I could have been on the same gear that I've been using and gotten up on foil easily.

But I didn't want to wing today - too sore.  I did want to get wet so I put together the prone setup.  4'8" foil board, 68cm Project Cedrus mast, Crazy Short black fuselage, ART999/400P.

I caught a handful of waves - only having to bail on two of them (it was pretty crowded today, and the waves were on the small side - that always condenses the crowd).  I did pump out on the others and I did get some good carves in while turning.

Derek was out - and he made winging look like it was easy as store-bought pie.  It's always a good show when he is out (and he always goes out with gear you wouldn't think would work - today he had a 3.5 wing up...)

This has always been a good setup for me.

Good to mix things up every now and then.

W:76/F:62/S:17

Wing Foiling Session - 7/26/2022

Hit WPB after work.  The wind was whipping when I pulled up - but it came down a bit while I was rigging.  There was also a swell starting to show.  Lastly - the tide was nice and high.

I used the same setup as the past several sessions - 5.1/1210 & 178/85cm Cedrus/No.25

I took my time setting up today - I took the mast off and placed the footstraps back on.  I got the spacing spot on this time around.

Middle is on the fifth hole back

Front of the front straps are on the fourth hole back

They are perfectly spaced and balanced now.

The wind was pretty much perfect for the RS 5.1 - I pretty much winged all over the place.  I jumped three times - with each one better than the last.  The third one was pretty high - and I had enough hangtime that I felt like I could even rotate.

There were some good-sized sets that came through.  I had a couple where I stayed regular stance after the jibe, then dropped the wing and didn't have to wrestle with it. 

There were some runs where the RS was starting to get unruly - these wings do not like to be overpowered.  But in the lulls, this was the wing to have today (compared to the SWX - which would have eaten the gusts, but not done so well in the lulls).

On the bigger waves, I felt like I was going faster than this - but the watch has spoken.

Also - I saw a bunch of wildlife today - multiple turtles, lots of fish and one pretty big hammerhead.  Lots of action!

The wind is forecasted to weaken for the next few days.  I can actually use the rest (but there is always prone foiling!!!)

W:76/F:61/S:17

Wing Foiling Session - 7/25/2022

After work session at Hickam.  I wanted to try jumping today so I put on the footstraps.  I took a guess on the location based off of the pictures I had taken, and on the width of the straps.

Everything else was the same as the past few days - RS 5.1/1210-178/85cm mast on No.25.

I headed out and made a few turns to see if the straps were in the right spot - then I headed out (over the reef since it was high tide) to Firsts.  There were some waves breaking and I got to ride several - but the straps weren't dialed in.

I headed in to make the adjustments and they ended up where you see them now (fingers up indicate the footstrap insert hole number from the front).

I forgot my watch at work so I used my phone and Strava for the track and speed log.  With the footstraps, I went ahead and tried jumping.  I got airborne four times - each higher than the previous attempt.  I can see some height in my future when I do this with incoming waves.

Good wind today!

W:75/F:61/S:17

Wing Foiling Session - 7/24/2022

Today's session was running the Bluewater Hawaiian Classic race in the wing foiling category.  Start was at the tip of Koko head/Portlock and the finish was at the Kaimana windsock.  Marlon and La came with me - and Marlon got to fly his drone to get some cool pictures (and he said a person he was flying with totally lost her drone to the ocean...).

This was just after the start.

I think Marlon took this before the start.

I didn't mention this yesterday, but there are a ton of malolo flying around - really cool to see!

I used the same gear as yesterday (5.1/1210/178/85 mast/No.25)

The winner of the race (Robert of Blue Planet Surf Shop) posted his GPS track

Compared to my route, he took a slightly more outside track and he switched tacks a lot more often.

He also had a 7.0 meter wing up - I think two things would have made a difference for me.  First would have been the 6.1 wing that I had originally planned to inflate.  I was swinging the wing a lot in the middle of the run.  The second thing is a longer mast.  The breaches I experienced would have been avoided if I had the Clydesdale 96.

The wind was slightly better than the run from yesterday. 

And today was a bee's line to the finish.  Honestly I had a great start - just lost it going this fast downwind (when that is my least used point of sail).

I wasn't last, not by a wide margin so I did fine.  I haven't seen the results, but if 13 started, 5 finished behind me so that makes me 8th???

I was able to get most of the way to the wind sock by wing power, and I pumped the rest - UNTIL I HIT A CORAL HEAD as a wave was sucking out.  Needless to say I was boiling pissed. Oh well - I needed to fix yesterday's scrapes anyways.

This downwind stuff is really fun!

W:74/F:61/S:17

Wing Foiling Session - 7/23/2022

For today's outing, Roland and I did the Hawaii Kai - Kaimana downwind run.  Marlon came with us to drop us off at the keyhole along Kalanianaole (near the boat ramp), and then he was able to meet us at Kaimana Beach Park for a pick up.

I put up the same gear I've been using for the past several sessions - No.25, RS 5.1, 1210/178 on the 85cm Cedrus mast.

Super fun session!!!  Today was the fun run and practice for the Bluewater Race tomorrow.

Here is the track from the run and a break down.

The launch was not as bad as I thought it would be.  There were some holes in the wind (and Roland got stuck) - but some broad reaching and I was out at the point.

I don't think Roland had much direct downwind experience, so the I hung back until we got into some steadier winds - never leave your wingman...

The wind hugged the shoreline coming through the passes.  I tried to stick to the wind lanes as much as I could.  Periodically I would keep pulling to the outside to keep the Diamondhead crossing manageable.

That is until we reached Diamondhead... then the surf was too irresistible.  Roland and I probably spent 30 minutes here catching waves - so much fun!!! 

Then one last run outside to get positioned for the run in to Kaimana.

I couldn't see the windsock and headed in to the canoes.  Then I saw the windsock further over to the left.  Tomorrow I'll have to try and get a better site line on the windsock so I don't come short.

This wind graph is from the airport meter so it isn't exactly correct for this run - and we covered a lot of distance so not that it would matter much anyways.

For the race tomorrow, I'm thinking 1210/178 again since that setup has been reliable and fast.  And if the forecast holds true, the wind is supposed to be down a notch, so the RS 6.1

We'll see...  anyways - winging today was so much fun!

W:73/F:61/S:17