Evening Session - 9/12/2022

Evening session with Marlon.  Waves were up - if you didn't pick the right one, you were going for a ride (pitching lip).  Tide was transitional, but the waves were breaking further out so it really didn't matter.  And there was hardly any wind.

Marlon was catching some good rides (I saw his first few - nice takeoffs and good turns).

This was an experimental session for me - I took the 899 out again with the 375P on the ultrashort fuselage, but I shimmed the front of the rear stabilizer to get the angle to zero.

I paddled into some of the bigger waves and immediately ate it.  Then I paddled for some reforms, and I ate it.  Then I went to the inside and got up, but the change in pitch angle on the stabilizer made the ride really loose.  It was not fun - 

I caught a few on the inside to make sure it wasn't a fluke - it wasn't.  I went in and took the shims off and went back out.  Problem solved - 

Fun session!

W:92/F:77/S:19

Dawn Patrol - 9/11/2022

Dawn patrol this morning saw a bigger swell, but oddly it wasn't breaking - just like yesterday...

The tide was pretty full (but waves still break on a fuller tide), and there was no wind - super clean!!!

I opted to change out the ART 999/400P/Crazy Short setup that I have been using lately to the ART 899/375P/Ultra Short fuselage.

Lots of surfers showed up in anticipation of an uptick in wave size -

Every 15 minutes or so, a set showed up that was breaking on the far outside.  It was just odd that the swell would pass through to the far inside without breaking.

Marlon was shortboarding, but at some point he went in and was flying the drone.

I caught several really fun waves.  The 899 provides for a less abrupt takeoff, but definitely harder to pump back out.  What it gave up in glide and pumping (which it still did have - just not as much as the bigger ARTs - but that isn't unexpected) to made up in additional speed.

This was the first time I used the 899 surfing (and this is also probably one of the longest streaks of using the ARTs in the surf).  I ended up changing too many variables - the front foil, the fuselage length and the rear stabilizer - all different this run.  I did enjoy this setup, but I think it would have been more appropriate if the larger waves were breaking throughout the range.  The 999 would have let me connect more waves.

There was a really long lull between the first wave I caught and the series Marlon took pictures of here.  I ended up having to position much closer to the inside before I was riding again.  Tomorrow is supposed to be the peak of this swell(?), with some trade activity returning.  I think I'll continue to give my bout of golfer's elbow on my left arm a break - so I'll likely prone foil again tomorrow.

W:92/F:76/S:19

Wing Foiling Session - 8/27/2022

Got to go winging after a little bit of a hiatus (a trip to the Philippines to visit relatives as we all remembered my Mom - it was a wonderful trip, but I'm also glad to be home).

Trade winds are back with a vengeance!!!  I loaned Kalani my ART 999 so I bolted on the ART 899.  I also used the Project Cedrus 96cm Clydesdale mast that I received before I left for my trip.  To round out the equipment, I used the Wide Wingfoiling Board, the 420HA rear stabilizer and the Ultra Short fuselage. 

Lots of wingers came out for this new wind event - me, Kalani, Jesse, Arvin, Bill, Matt, Harris and Ryan.  Harris, Jesse and I were out at Firsts.

The wind was coming strong out of the East.  There was a good base level of wind, but the gusts coming through were really strong.  At times the 5.2 was fine - other times I could have used the 3.6.

This was the track of the first session (5.2 SWX/420HA rear stabilizer).

I caught lots of waves - and they were fun, but generally weren't standing up.  A few did and they were standouts!!!!  Harris was up and riding, but Jesse had a 4.5 Ensis Score, 30l Armstrong sinker and a 925HA front foil - he spent most of the time I was out waiting for a gust to get him going.

I went in to check the bolt tightness and to swap out the rear stabilizer and wing.  I swapped out the 420HA for the 375P, and the 5.2 SWX for the 4.7 SW2.

I headed out to Firsts again to ride some waves, but the tide was rising and the waves were starting to dampen out.  Jesse made it back out with a bigger board for redemption.

I think the wind did actually pick up also, but my top speed jumped up a notch with the new setup.

I managed to get several outbound tacks in (and jibes both ways) - so the 899 delivered without issue.  The new mast was really fun to use - riding up high was more relaxed, but I did ventilate a few times and I wasn't able to recover from it (like I can do with the 85cm mast - going to need to learn to recognize this; and maybe the mast height is a factor in the recovery...).

Good testing day and super fun riding!!!

W:86/F:72/S:19

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

Wing Foiling Session - 12/23/2021

The wind came up again today, which was fortuitous because Jeff let me demo the Axis ART 799 and 899.  There were serious whitecaps when I pulled up to the parking lot so I pumped up the Reedin SWX 4.2 again (more practice equals better understanding right?).

The pattern is stronger winds up front (in and around noon) with a decline as the afternoon progresses.  With this, I bolted on the ART 799 first.  

I spent an hour on this foil so I can get a good feel for it.  The issue I noticed with the Reedin SWX not liking wind below 20 mph was exacerbated by having such a small front foil on.  You can see the wind - as strong as it was, still had a lot of ups and downs - which was super evident on my speed chart below.

Lots of blue... means lots of schlogging.

At times I looked and noticed I got blown downwind.  I was not going to paddle back - I had to wait for the gusts, and I learned with the Reedins (both the SW and the X) it is best to point more downwind during a strong blow and get the wing and front foil pressurized quickly.  Then when you are up on foil, start rounding up wind.  Once you are moving, you can point really high and you need a lot less wind to stay up on foil (until you need to turn... then the painful process of getting back on to foil starts over).

It took a while and several startups, but I did wing back to the launch.

At this point, I wanted to switch out the front foil to the ART 899.  The wind had dropped a notch by this point, but if you stuck closer to the runway, the wind was pretty good still.  Harris came out by this point and after I practiced my transitions using this foil, I headed out to join him at Firsts.  I caught a couple of waves, but the last one was overhead and was breaking - awesome present from the Southern Hemisphere considering the time of year.  The 899 surfs really well - rolls over easier than the 999 (as to be expected considering the shorter span and narrower chord).

From my tracks you can see the wind had more east in it today.  Despite these two foils being smaller than the 999, I did not seem to go appreciably faster (20.6 on the 799... go figure - I though I would have hit 25mph with this foil; and 21.8mph on the 889 - I did feel like I could go faster on this one, just need a little more consistent wind).

I'll take a picture with all three ARTs lined up and post that later.  One last note from today's session - I've been experiencing what seemed like episodes where the foil loses traction and I almost wreck.  At first I thought the rear stabilizer was breaching - but I notice it happening when I am towards the channel side of the harbor area - lots of chop and turbulence.  I recall reading about mast ventilation - and now I think that is what is happening as it does not occur on the top of the harbor (towards the taxi way) as there is significantly less chop up there.  Also oddly enough - this has only been happening with the Project Cedrus masts.  It really doesn't even happen if I am just cruising or surfing waves - it only happens if I am pinching hard upwind and am in choppy conditions.  I'm going to have to study this more.

I think this is the last session I'll have with the Reedin SWX 4.2 for a few days at least - the forecast calls for lighter winds for at least the next week.  Lighter winds - not zero winds, so I'll keep the Ocean Rodeo handy!