Wing Foiling Session - 8/8/2023

Stupid strong winds today!!!  This is Hurricane Dora throttling the tradewinds while passing 500 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands.  The surf was also on the bigger side.

Knowing that the winds were at ludicrous speeds, I opted to do a little testing today.  I ran two sessions with the same wing/board/mast and changed out the lower foil assembly.

Yup - the wind was nucking futs!!!!

First up was the HPS 700 and 380HA rear stabilizer.  I had this set right at the Eagle 1090 mounting spot.

This foil is predicable, smooth to rise and nice and loose.  Having just refinished both the foil and the stabilizer, this foil set still made some noise

I used the Mantis 2.5 that I got for Noe.  There were times I needed more wing to get up and go - but there were other times where nothing would have been small enough.

Track while on the HPS700.  I did manage to get a few tacks on this tiny foil.

Not a bad top end speed given the challenging conditions.

Next up was Big Ken's Cabrinha H800

This foil was really smooth - felt buttery underwater and well behaved.

I mounted it all the way forward in the mast tracks on No.25.

This foil does need energy input to stay on foil - which for the most part was not an issue today.

I fell a bit more on this run.  More the wind causing havoc

Also didn't get the same top end speed.  Again - I think this is more than just the foil - the extreme chop and turbulence, the nuking winds, and the fact that this was a new foil to me - this was still pretty good.

Tomorrow the wind will still be up - not sure where I'll wing...

Today will be a day to remember!!!

W:77/F:71/S:31

Dawn Patrol - 6/17/2023

HIC was setting up for their military surfing contest.  There were some really big buoys in the water - but none of that mattered - I brought the foil drive.  Marlon came with and brought his longboard.

I setup the ART999 with the HA380 rear stabilizer.  This stabilizer made the takeoffs more progressive, but also didn't provide much push on the occasions I was pumping out.  I think next time I will used the 375P.

I did catch a handful of incredibly long waves.  I am getting used to the process of throttling for a wave, waiting for the speed to build up, and then getting to my feet.  This last bit is what is giving me grief - pretty much the weight of the battery and not beinging able to po up instantly like I am used to from prone foiling.

I am going to have to get that coiled ankle leash - I finally got a method down for using a waist mounted version, but it still felt awkward.

The other thing I noticed was the battery box placement - I had it centered, but the battery in the box is not centered.  I could feel the weight bias towards the starboard side.  Not a big deal, but it was something I could sense.

W:53/F:54/S:28

Wing Foiling Session - 2/10/2023

The wind is still blowing with a vengeance - I picked Kalani up at the NEX parking lot and we were able to catch the wind at it's peak (I know I've said that every day now, but the forecasts keep shifting and the wind just keeps getting stronger).

I did do more refined sanding on the HPS700 and the HA380 - so I brought that foil set out for a third day.  I did bring the mast back another notch to see what the response would be.

And to gain some control back from the chaotic conditions, I pumped up the Cabrinha Mantis 2.5 that I had gotten for Noe.  This wing looks like a toy -

The wind did not disappoint - overall the steady state seemed a little stronger today compared to yesterday - and five huge gust events ripped through - the entire harbor would turn white with the newly born wind driven waves getting their heads ripped off by the 40 to 50 mph gusts.  Pure nuking futz!!!!

With the small wing I was able to stay in control better than yesterday.  Between the HPS700 (not having the carry/glide of the Eagle 1090/ARTs/Kujira 1095) and small wing, I wasn't tacking dry consistently.  Jibes yes, tacks almost.

We were out an hour - which was plenty considering the circumstances.

I didn't hit the outside - it was hard enough to run the inside course.  Going outside seemed like a bad idea...

Pretty much a NE wind.

Definitely caught the peak!

Not a bad top speed.

I'm pretty much convinced that the HPS700 and the Triton T1 foils I have are best suited for kite foiling (hmmmmm.....).

W:12/F:7/S:11

Wing Foiling Session - 2/9/2023

I had to pick up Noe from her school today, so I grabbed a short session at lunch.  This lunch session was aligned very closely with the peak of this current wind event.  Harris was also there sneaking in a session before he had to turn over his vehicle to his better half.

The wind was probably the strongest I've seen in a long time - definitely a notch above yesterday.

I setup the same equipment that I used yesterday - while setting up, I used the sanding blocks and placed a Donaldson trailing edge on the stabilizer.  It did stop the really loud high pitched vibrations, but the combo was still making some noise.

Riding was totally out of control today - I couldn't get in the harness line when the gusts were coming through and if I tried to turn, I would get swatted down.  The wind was kicking up waves really close to the taxiway - there was no clear water anywhere.

Totally EPIC!!!

This tells me there were gusts in the upper 40s (and possibly into the 50s).

You can see where I got smashed!  It was all I could do to stay upright - so hitting 21.1 mph (in these conditions) can be considered a major accomplishment.

Tomorrow will still have winds that are above 30 mph, but not quite reaching into the 50s.  My gear is staying in the truck... but I will try and clean up the trailing edges a little more - these foils should be quiet while ripping through the water.

W:11/F:7/S:11

Wing Foiling Session - 2/8/2023

Today was the first day of a multiple day wind event - and the first of a forecasted three straight days of ultra nuking strength!!!

Up to bat - the HPS700 and the 380 High Speed rear stabilizer on the Ultra Short fuselage.  I was debating on whether to use the SW2 4.2 or the SW1 3.6 - particularly because I have not used this front foil yet and I did not know what the lift would be like.

I pumped up the 3.6 anticipating the wind out at Firsts would be "knock your socks off" nuking.  I was not wrong - 

With as much wind as there was, getting up on foil was not an issue.  I'm going to sand the rear stabilizer - it was singing like a canary, but in general everything was balanced, controllable and fun.

I tried a few tacks - but mainly stuck with jibes because the HPS doesn't have the carry/glide of the ARTs.  I actually needed more wind during the lulls (20mph wind instead of 35) and that was another reason I stuck with the jibes.

There were some waves, but Harris had much better timing than I today - every time I looked back he was on a breaking wave.  I had some that were standing up, but I only caught one breaker.  I don't get much loitering time with the HPS700 (it wants to keep moving) - I can float/stall most of the other front foils I use at Firsts - ART999, Kujiras, Go Foils - I wanted to try it out and I did.

This is where I had the mast - actually the same spot as the Eagle 1090... hmmm.  Maybe for tomorrow's session I'll bolt on the HPS700 again (I'm sanding the 380 stabilizer first to test if I got rid of the singing) and adjust it a hair back... 

The front foil size is not the only factor in determining the mast position - fuselage geometry and targeting the board/rider center of gravity are perhaps equally weighted factors.  If you look at my feet, they are really close together and far forward.  That means I was having to exert more force further forward to balance out the front foil - I think I could push the foil back a hair and get better balanced (which would see my feet further apart and a bit more aft).  Every foil is different, but I want to try some different positions before I lock anything in.

Just epic conditions today - no other way to describe it.

Massive gusts!!!

I'll play around with the foil position tomorrow - and I'll head closer to the taxiway (to get to flatter water) - I know I can go faster than 21.5 mph.

And after the run with the HPS, I'll try and get a back to back with the ART999 to see if I can get the reduced camber foil to go faster!!!

CRAZY NUTZ!!!!

W:10/F:7/S:11

Wing Foiling Session - 7/9/2022

 I had to go to work yesterday, so I got in a truncated session at Hickam.  ART999/380HA/Ultrashort Fuselage, 85cm Project Cedrus mast, Wide Wing Foiling Board and the mighty Reedin SWX 5.2 were the equipment pieces of choice.

The wind was pretty consistent.  Arvin was out already when I got there (he's in the middle of the above picture).  My first few runs were to get my bearings on the Axis setup (I had been using the Takuma Kujira 1210 the past couple of sessions over at WPB) - including turns.

After the warm up, I headed out to Firsts.  The waves were further apart (good so I did not have to ride through white water) and the bigger ones were about 10 minutes wait between them.  They were breaking in the bowl and they were slow enough that I would ride upwind of the breaking section and watch the lip crumble about a foot over my head - this is truly an incredible experience that I cannot put into words. 

The speed chart below shows an interesting point - I'll need to experiment more, but dropping to the 380HA from the 420HA didn't necessarily yield a faster top end speed.

The 380HA had noticeably less lift than the 420HA I have been using, but not so much that I felt like I wasn't getting any lift - it was definitely closer to the critical point of being effective/not effective. 

W:62/F:61/S:17

Wing Foiling Session - 7/2/2022

Today was an experimenting day.  Winds were forecasted to be really strong - which they eventually were, but there was a slow start.

I ended up with four segments to this session.

First segment was with the Takuma RS 6.1 - it was pretty light to begin with.  I also had bolted on the ART999/420HA combo again.  And just as I launched, the wind started to fill in.

I tried a few inside tacks and got them around - I'm thinking the front foil is what makes all the difference in this transition - the Kujira 1440 was the easiest foil to do this with.  I might have to use that foil to develop the muscle memory, and then come back to the faster foils.  The wind got pretty stiff, so I went in to switch wings.

Second segment - same lower, and swapped the RS 6.1 for the SWX 5.2

I was still pretty powered, but decided to stick this out because I was not grossly overpowered.

After a few transitions to get recalibrated, I headed out to Firsts.

With the lower tide, the dropping swell still had nice form - I picked off several rides that were just as good as the ones from earlier in the week.  The peaks would show and the waves would run at that same height through to the bowl.   There they would break and I would maneuver around the section and keep riding the wall as it marched on.  SO MUCH FUN!!!  The SWX rides best barely luffing from the first riding handle (not the luffing handle).  From this position, I could pull a little power when needed to stay with the wave, or book it to a better section. 

The wind had seemed to fill in even more (just a notch below nuking) so I headed in.

I was contemplating going ahead and calling it a session, but I decided to swap out the ART999/420HA to the ART899/380HA and get some speed runs in.

I had gotten in about 20 minutes of some really fast runs - but the Strava app had not recorded the run.  That third segment saw some spectacular blow ups (there was a constant spot where the wind would spike up and if you weren't ready by softening up on your stance and preluffing the wing, you got bowled over), and some potential records for me.  Oh well - serves me right for forgetting my watch yet again.

I had just enough time left before I had to take off for work to get in one more segment and make sure it was recorded.

This was the data from the 4th run

24.61 mph max speed.  Not too shabby.

I feel that run was as fast as the others that weren't recorded from the third segment.  I'm going to have to tune in the 380HA rear stabilizer - it was singing like an opera singer on opening night.

Fun session!!!

W:59/F:61/S:17