Dawn Patrol - 9/30/2023

Dawn patrolled today.

The wind was actually pretty strong even before the sun came up.  Unfortunately I had banked on the wind being light and I had planned to test the Spitfire 960 on the Advance + Crazy Short fuselage.

I kept the -0.5 shim on the Progressive 375 - I am getting to know this fuse-stab setup well now so for this first run on the Foil Drive, I figured I should keep with the current theme.

I measured the offset of the SF960 from the Kujira 1210 from No.32 and moved the mast up 5 cm - which pretty much pegged the mast all the way forward.

I went out despite the wind, chop and backwash.

The foil setup is definitely more nimble than the HPS980.  I'm pretty sure I had to stay on the throttle a bit longer, but the takeoffs were still on the early side (non-critical).  I'm glad to have this over the HPS930.

Counting the bumps on the chart, I got 17 waves in 90 minutes - that's pretty much a wave every 5 minutes.

There is an errant reading (probably a wipeout), so I had to go through the graph to find the top speed - 19.7mph.  With the shim in place, the rear stabilizer felt a little looser than I like.  I can deal with this while on the wing (by leaning more on the handles for added stability), but using the foil drive, going too fast and having a looser tail and get unnerving.  

I think the Advance + Crazy Short may also be a contributing factor.  If the weather has calmer conditions tomorrow morning, I'll see if removing the shim helps stabilize the setup.  It's not that it is bad - it is actually super responsive, I think I am just looking for a little more drive when riding waves without a wing.

If the setup still rolls too quickly, I may also try to setup the regular Crazy Short fuselage (I can't isolate the cause of the issue if I change too many things at once).

Marlon used the prone setup again this morning.  I did not get to see any of his rides - but he said he got a few waves in.  He mentioned that the tide and the chop made for challenging conditions.

W:101/F:91/S:36

Wing Foiling Session - 9/29/2023

Got in a pau hana winging session today - while I was setting up there were white caps on the outside.  I didn't have confidence that strength wind would last the whole session.  I also brought out the smaller gear (No.32, Spitfire 840), so I opted for the bigger wing today.

There were some waves still coming through - I caught several head high and a few overhead waves on the outside of the cabins.

Marlon was going to prone foil again today - but he ended up talking story with one of the other photographers who was taking pictures at the beach.

Decent stats!

I actually got in a bunch of tacks to drop on to incoming waves.  I also got in a tack off a wave on the inside (when a surfer took off on a wave I was on - had to bail to avoid getting stuck inside - made it!)

Mostly up session.  So much so my right quads were getting sore (but I can and did switch). 

Also mostly up session because I saw a decent sized shark...

Marlon did fly the drone - but he has not downloaded the footage yet.  I may edit this once he post processes.

Great session!

W:101/F:90/S:36

Evening Session - 9/28/2023

The wind is backing off, so I Marlon and I got in a late afternoon prone foiling session!  

I setup my standard gear - No.21/PC 68-72cm mast/P170/Flex Rear Stab

Marlon took out the gear he has been learning on.

We adjusted the mast position forward a quarter inch - seems to have worked since he was up on foil multiple times.  He just needs more practice to get settled in on the foil (instead of the board).  Also those first generation GoFoils need a lot of front foot pressure - he was compensating by placing his hands on the rails... maybe we need to pull the mast back a hair.... more practice tomorrow!!!!

I caught several - but since I've been winging so much lately, my pumping back out game sucked.  I'm so used to just sheeting in to get back out....

Roland was commenting on the Lift 120 that Duke has been using - they lined them up to see the size difference.

The 120 has a shorter chord and is about a hlaf inch shorter on each wing tip than the 140

Not to mention the 140 has a way different profile across the span.

W:100/F:90/S:36

Wing Foiling Session - 9/26/2023

The forecast is calling for a gradual decline in wind speed moving through the week - I figured I should get in some good winging while it is still here.  Waves were smaller than yesterday (not always a bad thing - definitely makes the paddle out less death defying).  The tide was really high (also makes paddling out easier).  And the wind was strong on the outside, but lighter and swirly on the inside.

I pumped up the 5.2 knowing I was going to use a smaller board (No.32) and a smaller foil (Spitfire 840).

BTW - if I haven't said it already - THIS FOIL IS SICK!!!!!!  And so is this board!!!

Marlon came out and flew the drones.  Roland was also out.

The wind was a little on the soft side, but I was able to stay up on foil for the most part.

The wind was strong enough at times to tack on to the incoming waves -

And this front foil slices and dices so well - it is not as smooth and flowy as the SK8 950, but it is way more dynamic.  I'm betting if I get a smaller Progressive stabilizer, I'll be able to drive roundhouse cutbacks on this thing.

I caught some bigger waves on the outside, but Marlon was following Roland during those waves.  Overhead while I was up on foil - some much fun!!!!

Lots of tracks today - 

Those dips kept me on the surface (not enough power to liftoff with the equipment I had).  But most of the session was perfectly powered.

There was an errant reading on the graph (probably a crash), but looking through data, I did get a 19.7mph top speed.

Really fun session today!!!

I'm probably going to take tomorrow off and get some errands done.

W:100/F:89/S:36

Garage Works - 9/25/2023

Marlon painted the bottom of his new longboard today.

And I finished repairing Roland's lighter wind wing board.

Wing Foiling Session - 9/25/2023

The wind was decent this afternoon.  With the high (but dropping) tide and a lully Tasman Sea born swell pushing through, this was a really fun session!

I opted to use No.25 today - but from using No.32 a lot recently, I did not think I would have the adjustment to get the Spitfires over to where they needed to be.  So to mix it up, I used the ART 999 mounted on the Advance + Crazy Short fuselage.

And the verdict is the Advance + fuselage really loosens up the characteristics of the ART 999.

Definitely had the mast pegged forward -

I had to paddle pretty far out to get to the wind line.  Once I was outside, getting up on the new setup was actually kind of easy.

The set waves were stupendous when they came through - over head (while up on foil) and a couple of them just kept churning down the line!!!

I've been trying to get in more toe-heel tacks - and I got one under duress today (the left had a pitching lip, so I exited right and had to tack to clear the wave).

I also caught a few waves by tacking on to them - epic!  I did botch more than I made - the ART 999 took some getting used to in this less stable mode. 

You can see the wind shifts on the image above and the chart below.

High speed was probably from one of the bigger waves.

I did trip quite a bit today - the ART999 felt totally different today - but it was super fun getting to feel a different flow from this foil!

W:99/F:89/S:36

Garage Works - 9/24/2023

After Marlon and I got back home, he was the one working in the garage -

Painting the top deck of the longboard he shaped -

He really wants to be the one getting this board put together.

Tomorrow will be the bottom deck painting.

After that will be routing in the finbox slots, epoxying in those boxes, glassing the bottom deck, sanding the laps, glassing the top deck, then placing the fill coats.  Maybe another week?  Maybe another 2 weeks...

Wing Foiling Session - 9/24/2023

Headed to Hickam again today.  On the weekends, the crowd at White Plains can be a little too much - particularly during launching and landing.  I prefer to remove myself from that equation - and why not.

This was a picture taken around 9 am - tiny white caps on the surface - so the conditions were doable.  And today ended up being an exercise in patience - ups and downs abound.

Marlon needed the truck to go to work, so I hitched a ride with Kalani.  I didn't want to bring a bunch of extra stuff like I normally do - so I packed just the SW2 5.2 and the SK8 950

So nice - I had to post it twice!

Two hours out on the water - just shy of 19 miles.

As mentioned earlier, the wind was up and down, and shifty - mainly from the NE back to E.

And here you can the wind direction shifts.  At the front end of the session I was staying close in because of the up and downs.  Ryan came out and asked if I was going out to the waves.  The wind was starting to fill in better so I said sure.

Outside was a bit more consistent, but there were still some lulls.  The waves were intermittent with the rising tide - but I was able to pick off some fun ones.

Not a bad top speed - blasting at the end of the session in the gusts!!!

This shot is proving to be most elusive - what is happening here is a wave is breaking and I'm communing with it as it transforms from a gravity wave into turbulence and friction.  I am heeled over trying to stay in the pocket of the peaking wave and looking for a spot to redirect 180 degrees.  The GoPro isn't picking all of that up because it is mounted too high.

The GoPro does grab the tacks pretty well - but it is hard to see how leaned over I am to make this transition.

Oh well - I guess I'll just keep on trying ;)

W:98/F:89/S:36

Wing Foiling Session, Part 3 - 9/23/2023

Last change - swapping out the -0.5 shimmed Progressive 375 rear stabilizer for a straight Progressive 350.

On the forums, there is a lot of chatter about what rear stabilizers work best with the Spitfires - most posts say the smaller the better.

I keep saying this, but with the Progressive 350, this setup is as close to a high performance shortboard.

The 350 seemed to smooth out some of the abrupt feeling that the 375 had - this may actually be a figment of my imagination.

I was down more than I was on the previous session.

This one ride was sick!!!  I thought I had placed the camera in the correct spot - but the wing was not horizontal enough to get the shot I was trying for - but this is close.

Was just in front of a decent sized breaking wave.  The GoPro seriously makes big waves look small accentuates bellies.

I took the back footstrap off - I am not really interested in jumping with a foil.  This freed my back foot so I can actively balance out the foil.

Tacking onto a peaking wave!!!  Incredible feeling when the timing is perfect!

Tomorrow I think I am just going to stick to one foil -