Parawing Session - 7/19/2026

I've grown tired of the up-down/swirly wind runs of late.  I've been looking at the airport anemometer readings and the direction seems to be a little more stable.

I had to stop into work anyways, so I did a Hickam session

And since I was at Hickam, I figured I'd work on dialing in the Silk 1050 and getting the Flysurfer POW V2 sorted out.

I started with the Silk 1050/152 and the BRM S3 5.3

I kept the mast in the same position to see how the foil behaved in flat water.

The wind - better than what I've been parawinging in - still had holes and swings.

The S3 did get slightly overpowered once, and twisted me off the board three times.  But each outing under these conditions is helping me to develop a coping mechanism (what that is I don't know yet - maybe use the Foil Drive and screw the parawing). 

The 1050 seems to need more runway (or board speed) to get up on to foil.

But there was plenty of wind (even if in spurts) that I headed out to Firsts.

There were a couple of surfers out at Seconds so I stayed away from there.

This was the part of the session that the direction swings made riding difficult.

Even if the meter read east, the wind felt totally offshore outside.

And it was strong, so I headed back in to swap foils and parawings.

On the inside, I botched and tack and moved the mast forward to see the difference.  The balance point was obviously different, but it was definitely over the nice balance point.

I'll drop it back again next time - I think the real issue is the quality of the wind we've been getting (sucks).

I'm calling this two sessions because I changed up the foils.  The Enduro 1100 got up faster, and I started with the Flysurfer POW V2

Lots of chatter on the web says "the Flysurfer POW V2 4.0 pulls like a 5.0" - I do not agree with that assessment.  It pulls like a 4.0 to me.

It also seems to power up when pointing more downwind (30 to 40 degree off the beam) with a smaller sweet spot.

Where this parawing absolutely shines is in transitions - it tacks so easy and jibes are no brainers.

Once up and running, it is stable (still has some jitters, but is fine) and you don't need much wind to stay up on foil.

With more time with this parawing and figuring out where it powers up, this should be an awesome surfing parawing!

I could feel the wind starting to slow down so I called it.

So I definitely had a less frustrating time today, but I'm really going to have to work out jibing the S3 when the wind turns north...

PF:9/W:3/PW:81/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/12/2026

Got out later today (got to pick up Noe at the airport!!!!)

Wind was up and down and swirly.

Tide was high and there was some swell pushing through.

Mark, Eddy, another winger I didn't know, and Kalani on parawing were all out.  Later Derek and Roland also came out.

I used the same gear as yesterday (BRM S3 4.2)

Strong north component to the wind again.  Definitely made using the parawing difficult.

In fact - on one of the earlier runs I had overshot the wind line on the inside and had to keep going out because there wasn't enough wind to complete a turn.  When a slight gust finally came, I jibed but botched the turn - I had to wait a while for the next gust to come through.

I did retract and ride a few times - but with the wind as fluky as it was, this was more risk than reward.  And with the AFS Enduro 1100, I got left behind on a few waves I was try to ride.

Frustrating...

At least I didn't have to paddle in.

Yup - the 4.2 needs 17+ mph to power up.  You can see the holes and the direction shifts on the chart.

Pretty much the same wind profile that has been coming through for the past several weeks.

I actually started thinking I should probably bring a wing next time...

More of the same forecasted for the week ahead.

PF:8/W:3/PW:76/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/11/2026

Needed to hit the grocery store, so I pushed my water session to the afternoon and went to Hickam.

Zach, Naomi, and Matt were in different stages of coming in.

There was some texture on the water - and Zach said it was blowing east.  But you could tell it was up and down.  And I had my suspicions that it would twist.

I wanted to test out the Flysurfer POW V1 2.5m so I used No.34 with the AFS Enduro 1100/HA40 on the 80cm UHM mast.  For backup I took the BRM S3 4.2m

Yes - I did say Flysurfer POW V1 2.5m

I found a great deal on the 2.5 and a 1.7 from Greenhat Kiteboarding - and I picked these up for the Gorge trip in late August. 

I started the session with this PW up, but the wind was not materializing for the 2.5

I swapped it out for the BRM S3 4.2

There were holes in the wind, but for the most part, the 4.2 was perfect for the wind today.  And I bet it would have been nicer to fly in yesterday's session also.

I really appreciate how stable the 4.2 S3 is - it really is a magic size (just like the Triple Seven PT Hybrid 4.3 is magic).

I forced myself to start tacking again.  By the end of the session I was jibing dry on the outside legs, and still getting field stripped on the inside.

Those points are tacks.

The wind did not feel this consistent.

So a few of these down slots are my botched jibes, but some are also the wind holes.

And the run I made outside to Firsts - I tried catching two waves but the wind was not cooperating, and I didn't want to risk that paddle in.

I like the AFS Enduro 1100 with the HA40 - the Mako Carve Pro Medium was a little pitchy for this setup.

I may go back again tomorrow (depending on Noe's arrival time).

PF:8/W:3/PW:75/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/5/2026

I went to pick up a second hand Foil Drive High Output rotor - then picked up Kalani and Stu at the NEX parking lot

I brought No.40 - which I'm thinking of taking to the gorge in August.  AFS Enduro 1100/Mako Carve Pro Medium/80cm UHM mast - power provided by the BRM S3 4.2

Another day of crazy winds - up/down - swirly and everything in between.

I spent the first runs trying to get my bearings - wind was not making it easy.

After several runs, and multiple jibes - I went out to Firsts.  The waves were supposed to be pretty sizeable.  I was able to get a few - but no retracting - wind was directly offshore.

I also worked on both tacks - and at the end of the session I was sailing out of the tacks

Crazy wind - but the 4.2 handled nicely

There is plenty of wind on the horizon... just hope it settles out and is less crazy.

PF:8/W:3/PW:70/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Dawn Patrol - 7/4/2026

Forecast favored Kailua - but reality did not match the forecast.

There was texture on the water when I was setting up - but that quickly changed.

And the parking lot was pretty crowded - the 4th of July brings everyone out to the beach.  The "tent'icles were all out and more were coming.  I actually don't like going to most beaches on holidays... too crowded and people are everywhere.

AFS Enduro 1100/Mako Pro Medium on No.34.  BRM S3 5.3 for power - but I actually needed more...

So to start - I didn't get skunked, but I wasn't far from it.

The wind was just below the lower limit of the Enduro 1100 - S3 5.3

I did get up on one gust and was getting along fine on the lower wind level.

I jibed on the outside, caught a wave, retracted the parawing and started riding the wave.  But it was mushing out and when I tried to redeploy the parawing, down I went.

And that was the end of foiling for today.  I spent the rest of the time paddling or hoping the gust was enough.

I did not do the walk of shame - but did have to paddle back.

I don't think the Enduro 1300 would have helped - the wind was just too light.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  Lately it's been a losing proposition as the wind has been fluky.

Probably a sign to start prone foiling again... 

PF:8/W:3/PW:69/FD:53/S:20

Parawinging Session - 6/28/2026

Lazy Sunday - I didn't get out and about until later today, and water time wasn't until mid afternoon.

The reports showed Hickam to be the best bet.

I wanted to mix things up - No.42 with the AFS Enduro 1100/Mako Carve Pro on the short fuselage and 80cm UHM mast.

Power provided by the BRM S3 5.3m parawing.

The wind was a little up and down - but that was good practice for pumping up onto foil.  Which I had to move the mast up from where I had originally started (balance point).  I still think I can move the foil forward some more.... but it kinda is far up as it is.  No.42 is my version of a light wind board, but I felt like I needed more wind to get up.

With the high tide, I felt like playing around - made three trips out to Firsts to pick up a good wave and ride back in.

Holes....

Holes and the forced pit stops.

Nice low stress session! 

PF:8/W:3/PW:66/FD:52/S:20

Afternoon Parawing Session - 6/22/2026

The forecast was calling for the trades to fill back in.  And on the drive home after work, there were signs the wind was blowing.

This is just as I got to the parking lot - nice texture on the water.  The wind line was a bit further out than normal, and the waves were about chest high.

AFS Enduro 1100/Mako Carve Pro Medium, Short fuselage, 80 cm mast all bolted on to No.34

BRM S3 5.3 was the engine of choice.

As usual - the wind shifted around as I paddled out.

Prayot came out after and had his Vayu 6m.  He had a few points where he was down - but he was having a much better session than I was. 

I did not get skunked - and I used the time that I was up on foil to get the mechanics of takeoff, riding and transitioning back down.

The wind had a hard north component and that made for difficult retracting.  I tried twice but it wasn't worth it.  The botched redeploys added insult to injury.

The wind strength explains a lot.

And with the larger waves still breaking outside - it made me think today would have been a good day to burn a battery on Foil Drive.  I'll keep a closer eye on the conditions tomorrow.

I don't mean to sound down on today's session - it was nice to be out on the water.  The time up on foil was a bonus.

PF:8/W:3/PW:61/FD:51/S:20

Parawing Session - 6/5/2026

Did a downwind run from WP -

down to PVs

Norm and Stu used wings (Norm used a 4.0m - Stu on a 5.0)

I used No.34 with the AFS Enduro 1100/Mako Carve Pro

Power provided by the BRM S3 5.3

Initially I thought the 5.3 would be too much PW for the wind that was blowing through.  It actually was just a bit above perfect for most of the session.

And the surf hadn't quite settled as much as the forecast said it would - still some head high sets running through the course.

The wind angle was more into the wave trains - that makes retracting the parawing tough.  I mainly rode swell while drifting the parawing.

I wondered if the 4.2 would have worked in the wind present.  This graph is the wind over at Hickam - it would be 3 to 5 mph less over at WP.

Honestly I was still a little iffy from the Tuesday session out at PVs.  I stuck to simple jibes to make sure I didn't come off foil (not wanting to experience the current drag again).

Kalani also set out to do the DW run, but 1/3 the way down his rear lines pigtail connector broke.  He turned back and made it back to WP.

Norm had a hard time starting - but once he got up on foil he was able to stay up.

It was a good run, but I need to shake this ghost...

PF:8/W:3/PW:57/FD:41/S:18