Wing Foiling Session - 9/8/2021

Went winging with Eli and Roland today.  While getting setup up just after 4pm, the wind looked really good - like 4.5m good.  But just in the short time setting up, the wind dropped down to good 5.2m.  HS1550 and chopped 300 rear stab on the 60cm fuse and 85cm mast.

It was perfect 5.2 conditions - and pretty steady.  As I type this, my arm injuries that I have been contending with aren't even sore!  And I caught a few standup, drop the wing and carve up and down waves.

Then the wind died

And after a long lull - there was a puff that let me ride for a little bit longer.  I figure it was only going to get worse from this point so I took a wave in.

Here is Roland coming in after staying out another 30 minutes after I came in.

Right to the beach!

Looks like the wind is forecasted to be much weaker for the next several days - maybe Sunday will be the next winging session.  I'll take what I can get and be thankful for it!

Wing Foiling Session - 6/17/2021

Hit Hickam after work.  The wind at the launch was light - if the runway wind sock weren't out there parallel to the horizon, one would have packed up and gone home.  Ken came in when the big group was setting up - he said an hour before (so 2:30pm) it was really strong, but was coming down fast.

I set up the same gear as Tuesday - Ensis 6.0, HS1850/Chopped 300/95cm mast/60cm fuselage, Narrow Wing Foiling Board.

Harris made a beeline for Firsts, so I followed.  Mark and his friend were out there already.  Firsts was breaking nicely and I got some good rides.  After a bit, I saw Prayot and Roland making their way out to through the channel to get in on the wave action.  Roland was holding his line, but Prayot started to drift downwind.  I went over to check on him a few times (you can see my tracks over at Seconds).  It didn't help that the wind seemed to have a bunch of holes in it.  Prayot had to paddle in from outside Seconds... that is a really long paddle.  Roland and I had made it in despite a long lull.

Was out from around 3:30 to around 5:30.  Wind was definitely declining.

I got in 11.85 nm and hit a top speed of 14.6 kt - most likely on the good wave rides.

If the wind were steadier, I could have used the HS1250 and logged some higher speeds - just waiting for the right day (but it is hard to give up the insurance policy that is the HS1850).

Wing Foiling Session - 6/15/2021

I was near home doing a site visit at one of our locations over this way - so I decided to launch at WPB.  The waves the surfers were riding were chest high on the sets.  The tide was filling in so I wasn't hesitant to bolt together the Armstrong (same setup as Sunday - 95cm mast, HS1850 front foil, Chopped 300 rear stabilizer with a +1 shim on a 60cm fuselage).  The wind was marginal - but just decided to go out anyways.  Roland and Prayot also went out.  Had to paddle out a ways to get to the wind line, but launched from Fenceline so the waves weren't breaking as bad as the other side.

We were out from 4:30 to 6pm.  You can see the wind was on the lighter side, but I've always suspected the anemometer connected to this site is reading way further inland.  There was decent wind on the outside.

This is the second time I've had this setup bolted on - the 95cm mast totally makes a difference in riding in choppy bumpy conditions.  I am always trying to make sure I don't breach the tail - and before even with the 85cm mast, I would have popped the tail in conditions like today.  This mast allowed the foils to stay submerged even when I was taking huge drops on the far outside waves.  

The HS1850 was perfect for getting up quick - and for staying on foil during the transitions.  But when up and riding, I was having a hard time keeping up with the waves and in managing the extra speed when dropping in from the top of the bigger waves.  I jibed into a couple and got to lull the wing while riding regular footed.  As the waves backed down (transiting over deeper channels) I had to quickly pulling in the wing and get going under wing power again.  My max speed was 16.2 kt (18.6 mph).  You can see from the blue-black distribution that I had some really long runs and several transitions while staying up on foil.

Using wind power to move around, you kinda forget to look how far out you are.  I would make the long runs to make sure I was gaining ground.  I was far enough upwind that I felt I could give up ground riding waves wherever they took me on the way in. 

Riding at WPB is definitely more "wild"  - a lot more to think about and manage compared to Hickam.  This is likely to be the last time I wing for several days - the wind is forecasted to go pretty light (which is great for prone foiling).  Hopefully when the trades fill back in, they will be strong enough to bolt on the HS1250 on this setup - with that front foil I should be able to move faster and still get up on foil fairly quickly.

As a note, Prayot came in down wind at a place where the shore break was stronger - he ended up wrapping his wing around a chunk of reef and one of the bladders popped.  Roland was riding. but wasn't gaining ground (he won't ride weak side/heel side headed back in).

I had a great time and didn't wash in at Campgrounds!!!

Next Time I Go Winging...

I'll be taking the Armstrong HS1850 out for a spin.  I can turn this foil nice and hard when prone foiling - now I'm excited to see what it can deliver powered by a wing!

85cm mast, 60cm fuselage, HS1850 front foil, and Uni300 rear stabilizer - great expectations!