Evening Foil Drive Session - 8/8/2025

Today was the first showing of this big south swell.  It was big -

I setup No.41 with the same setup as I have been using but swapped out the Enduro 900/HA40 for the Silk 650/HA38

I wanted to get the mast position dialed in using this foil on No.41 - and initially I felt I needed a bigger day to do this.

Turns out that needing to be on the throttle longer to lift a smaller foil starts to position you in a more critical takeoff position.  Something I've gotten away from since I started Foil Drive-ing.

But I kept trying to take waves - and after three waves and three adjustments, I think I have found the sweet spot.

It was nearly double overhead on the big sets breaking outside.  The problem was there was too much water moving all over the place.  There was plenty of wind - enough to have gone winging comfortably - and that put a lot of chop on the surface.

That in turn made catching waves harder.

Picking the right wave was everything today.

An issue made even more challenging by using a different foil for the first time on a shorter board - factors that individually make for longer takeoffs.

Despite the challenges, I did manage to catch a few notable waves.  And the Silk 650 is tremendously nimble.  It just needs a lot of energy to move it through the water.

.

I think the perfect conditions for the Silk 650 would be a glassy head to head and a half high day, with a lower tide to get the waves running 

By the data sets, I count 12 waves ridden - with multiple attempts that ended up with the waves leaving me behind, or me pulling out of a bottom dropper. 

I need to spend more time on the Silk 650 to get it past the twitchy stage (me, not the foil).

But tomorrow morning, as this swell peaks, I am going to use the Silk 850/HA40 and No.40 to be able to get up onto a rising wave faster so I have the ability to get onto the section where I want to be (and not where I find myself due to the late takeoff).

W:55/FD:101/PW:19/S:4

Wing Foiling Session - 7/5/2025

Yet another day of weird wind - if you looked at the water's surface, you would have thought a 4.5 would have been perfect.  But that was an illusion and the direction was shifting a lot.

There were waves at Seconds and the tide was favorable for not hitting stuff underwater.

I brought several boards (to give Miles a chance to figure out what he is looking for in a board) - I used No.40

I wanted to test out the positioning for the AFS Silk 650/HA38

And to compensate for the small foil, I pumped up the North Mode Pro 5.5

As I took out two foils - I put the wind chart up first to cover both

The issue with the first session was the lack of wind.  Yes - lack of wind.

Long blue line - most of the session I was just drifting.

Eventually the wind came back at a level I could get the Silk 650 up.

This foil does not have the weird hesitancy that I was experiencing with the F One SK8 750 - but I do need some wind to get this foil going.

While up - I figured I should just get back in.  I did go down on the way back - but I was lucky to have enough wind to get back up.

Once back on shore, the wind seemed to straighten out.  And everyone was headed out - Mark, Harris and others.  I went back to the truck and swapped out the foil and adjusted the mast.  

The AFS HA Ultra 750/HA38 was bolted on!

With the wind straightening out, the Ultra 750 was spot on!

When I got out to the surf - I ended up spending most of the time at Seconds.  It was breaking harder than Firsts and only Zach was out (and he was windsurfing).

Overhead breaking surf!  Not as big as 2 days ago but still super fun!

The wind was still a little shifty - but I could pump through with the Ultra 750

The big gap was when I went down on the inside of Seconds - I didn't want to try and takeoff over the reef so I paddled back into the channel.

Super fun session!

W:51/FD:92/PW:13/S:4

Evening Foil Drive Session - 6/9/2025

After parawing practice, I set up the Foil Drive.  There were still some good sized waves coming through.  The tide was super high.  Unfortunately the wind was blowing at good speed.

I got to pick this foil up today - so of course I had to go and try it out...

I also used thhe Kaohi Invisi leash.

I used the regular Max battery today - needed to discharge it to storage levels (especially if the wind is coming back).

The water was so choppy that it was difficult to takeoff and ride.  And when I did get up, it was either spot on ride, defiantly pitchy or it wouldn't reach foiling takeoff speed.

I felt like a total kook today.  I went inn and grabbed a wrench so I could push the stabilizer back.  I also moved the foil forward a few notches.  

After the adjustment, the foil did start to deliver the goods.

I'm not even going to count - today was that difficult.

Although on the distance chart, you can start counting.

W:42/FD:84/PW:8/S:4