Another WP-PV DW run this afternoon!!!
The wind was stronger than yesterday - but still a bit on the gusty side.
The tide was nice a full and the waves were still mostly down (but a few longer period sets did come through).
The DW crew was Robby on FD, Norm and Stu on wing, and me on PW.
This was the third consecutive day on PW and I'm not going to say it is now easy - but I am gaining more experience and things are getting "easier".
Takeoffs are basically "tractor pulls" - where the PW pulls you up onto foil. The trick here is to do whatever it takes to allow the board to develop forward speed - which is way easier said than done at this coast - so much chop to deal with... but if you can learn and do it here, you can do it anywhere (seriously).
I was able to switch to goofy foot at least three times today - and once was right in front of Norm while he was finishing his run (when I should have finished...). Switching is just the same as when on wing, but you cannot lean on the PW as much. This was more akin to switching while prone foiling (super hard) - but the muscle memory from doing this on wing helped out a lot.
I haven't kite foiled yet, but from what videos I have studied, and from talking with people that do kitefoil (Phil and Nick), to jibe you move the kite and follow it with the board carving the foil. Jibing on PW is pretty much the same thing - move the wing then follow. Which is completely different than jibing while winging - which is it's own thing like nothing else.
More red than blue is a good thing. The stronger wind helped a lot with being able to takeoff more consistently - also repetition and developing muscle memory. The shifting wind direction did not help at all - it kept throwing my sense of direction off.
I never felt overpowered - the Flow D Wing has a high top end (but the low end like I felt yesterday is around 17mph).
The pinnacle of today's session was switching from goofy to regular and blasting a jibe in front of Norm. I should have stopped there, but I got greedy and wanted more.
I ended up with more rides and more practice, but I couldn't get in towards shore because of the northerly shift. I ended up stranded on the outside where we normally Foil Drive.
It was only a 20 minute paddle into the wind today to get back.
8 different runs! Definitely the best day on PW so far!!!
Based on what I've been experiencing with the D Wing, I think I need to get a Ka'a 4.8 so I can recover the bottom end (to get up earlier and stay up on foil longer). Any bigger and I'm in FD coverage (so not worth it).
W:37/FD:67/PW:4/S:4
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