Parawing Session - 7/26/2026

Hit Kailua again this morning - the south shore is still pumping and without stable, non-swirly wind, it is worth the drive over.

Wind was lighter than yesterday - for a bit, until a squall blew through (and dumped a lot of rain).

I headed out as the squall was settling -

BRM S3 4.2 - nicely powered!  Cabrinha Prestige 905/Union 160 rear stabilizer on the Apex mast all bolted on to No.34

I actually did two sessions -

First was riding the squall's tail end

Short but really nice session -

You can see the wind coming in from the NE

The 4.2 turns so nicely - and I rode it out until the end of the squall -

I drifted in and was going to pack up and head out - but I ended up talking to a bunch of people and the wind built back up.

I took the 5.3 out and was again nicely powered.

I have been trying to develop a more standardized method of retracting and packing the big parawing.  I did get better redeployments.

The waves weren't so energetic that I was able to ride long distances without the parawing.  Was good practice for drifting the S3.

Did botch a redeploy and had to wait a bit to takeoff again.

It has been nice riding more stable (magnitude and direction) wind for a change.

We will see what Fausto brings over the next few days -

PF:9/W:3/PW:86/FD:55/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/24/2026

 

Left my watch at home this morning, and didn't feel like taking pictures today -

So this is the only frame of reference for today's session.

Lots of wind again - but it didn't have any ass to it.  Just a lot of swirly blow that didn't easily produce any tow.

All the same gear as yesterday - but I switched out the rear stabilizer to the Tweaker 390/160 with the blue shim (standard 2 degree setting).

I got up, made some runs, got some clean outside tacks and down loop jibes on both approaches.

And there were a few times I was getting overpowered in the gusts.  I figured it would be a good time to test out the Flysurfer POW 2.5

It wasn't.  No ass in the wind (at least when I had the 2.5 up).

Well - at least I got out.  The rest of the south shore is getting hammered.

Tomorrow BRM is having a demo session at Kailua!

PF:9/W:3/PW:83/FD:55/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/23/2026

It was blowing at Hickam - but it was up and down.

The waves were gear smashing size (breaking over the runway revetment) - so I just stayed inside. 

The other lunch bunch said they were overpowered on 4.2 wings

I used the Flysurfer POW V2 4.0 for power and No.34 with the Cabrinha Prestige 905/160 rear stabilizer (78cm Apex mast).

Along with the up and downs with wind strength, it was also a bit shifty (typical - not as wide swinging as it has been). 

The down loops are great on this parawing.  The tacks in lighter wind are also good - but that wasn't the case today.  I tried tacking a few times but got slammed on the way out of the transition.

And getting up with this parawing is still eluding me....

If I go tomorrow (at lunch), I'll use the BRM S3 4.2 to see if it is different or if it is still difficult (which means it is the wind).

I'm guessing the S3 will be easier to get up with (because it has a massive sweet spot).

On foil already, the Flysurfer is pure magic.  I think I could have been on the Flysurfer POW 2.5 (which maybe that is the parawing I should use tomorrow instead of the BRM) 

These down periods are lulls below the start up threshold of the POW V2 4.0

It is really nice to have an option to just chillax when the entire south shore is getting body slammed (the last time I went out at PVs in conditions like this - it was one of those days when I started praying to get back to shore...)

PF:9/W:3/PW:82/FD:55/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/10/2026

Conditions similar to yesterday - especially the shifty winds and the high tide.

The surf has come down - but if you were patient - there were sneaker sets still coming through.

Same board/foil - back to the BRM S3 5.3

The wind was slightly better - at least there was less up and down.

When I launched, I was good with the BRM S3 5.3 - but as the session went on, the issue became the strong gusts coming through - wishing I had the 4.2.  But then the wind would slack and I was glad to have the 5.3

And you can see the wind shift in these charts.  That was the hard part - the wind was swirling and the parawing wouldn't hold shape.

Before the wind shift, I was able to get several retracted PW runs.  And miraculously those were lined up with some of the larger waves (longer runs on taller, more energetic waves).

Prayot was out using the Ozone PR V2 5.0 that I just fixed, but he forgot his harness.  If I was getting blasted with my harness on - he was using gorilla arms.

Derek and Roland came out on wings later.  Everyone was lining up more parallel to the beach after the wind shift.

These last two runs of wind have definitely had big ups/downs and directional swings.

More comparisons between the S3 and the Maliko.  The S3 is way more stable in flight.  With the handle and harnessed in, the S3 has a pretty big range (also tied to the canopy stability - and that is a direct result of the additional upper bridle lines).

Neither likes swirly wind.

The bigger sizes need more meticulous packing to increase the chances of successful redeploying.

The upper bridle lines on the S3 like to grab the end sections of the canopy - which sometimes makes the launching process a little longer.

Fun session (even if a little frustrating with the wind shift... how do you even rig for that???? - backpack with the next smaller size and frequent swaps???)

PF:8/W:3/PW:74/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/9/2026

I got home from work and there was wind blowing - but it wasn't as strong as the past couple of days.

By the time I got to the beach, it seemed to have filled in a bit.

Waves were definitely down in size (but again - some sneaker sets coming through).

Same board and foil as the past couple of sessions.

I changed the PW from the BRM S3 over to the BRM Maliko.  I wanted to change things up and get a more direct comparison between these two PWs.

I primarily used the 5.1, but I had the 4.0 in a plastic bag out with me.

The beginning of the session saw good wind.  During a few runs I had contemplated swapping out the 5.1 for the 4.0 - but didn't because the wind didn't stay on for more than a few minutes at the higher strength.

The belt I had on went through multiple failures.  First it came off by becoming unbuckled.  Then the cleat that holds the leash on popped off.  And lastly it kept sagging.  But I made it work.  I needed to use this specific belt because of the reverse J hook.

I got a few great retracted rides early on.  Not as good as the previous two days - but still really good.

Then the wind took a turn for the worst.  It was still blowing, but it did not have any push to it.  I spent more time trying to get into a wind stream to get back up and over to the launch.

It took forever, but I finally caught a gust towards the last cabin.  I rode that wind back to the first lifeguard tower and eventually picked up another gust to get back above Fenceline.  I did a final retract and headed in.

Thsoe blue lines were my first class ticket on the struggle bus. 

This chart was not indicative of what was out on the water.

Looks like 35-65 up verses down.

So in a nutshell - the BRM S3 has more control, way less fluttering, launches off the water way easier, stays in the air better.  The Maliko seems to have more raw power (but also gets overpowered faster), is simpler to fly, and redeploys easier.

With the bar mod on the Maliko, it wants to stay further up in the wind window flying off the front lines.

The way I fly the S3, it sometimes sits at a weird angle near the front of the wind window - only when it is underpowered.  This is likely more me than the parawing - but time will tell.

Typing this after the session - I feel like I work harder flying the Maliko - my arms, back and hands feel more strained.  But the Maliko is still fun to fly! 

PF:8/W:3/PW:73/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/8/2026

I got to the beach later than normal - next post is why.

The wind line was a lot further out than normal - but it looked strong.

The surf was down from yesterday, but there was still energy moving around.

Same gear as yesterday - but I went ahead and replaced the North adjustable head screws with normal countersunk bolts.

Same parawing as yesterday as well.

I actually forgot all of my stash bags - so I didn't have a harness.  I figured it would be a good opportunity to test my parawing handling skills - knowing when to bleed power and edging harder to deal with the stronger blows.

I also told myself I'll just do a shorter session today - so I don't put myself into a position where I get hurt because I'm tired.

Well - the waves were breaking much bigger on the outside - and I picked up four big ones (and botched one where the parawing field stripped me).

Two of these waves were much bigger and I was able to ride them for way longer than normal.  I took the second big one all the way back inside.

So without a harness/stash bag, there were a few stints that I would have appreciated a hook in - but otherwise it wasn't much of an issue.

What was worse was redeploying the parawing.  I really got two redeploys in - and got field stripped the rest of the time.  I'm sure it is the packing job - I'm going to have to figure this out.

So from that feedback and the wind chart, the BRM S3 4.2 is great in 17 to 25 mph winds.

Ridiculous fun today!!!

Norm did a WP-PV parawing run - used his Ozone Pocket Rocket 5.0 V1

Zach was out earlier on his windsurfer

And Roland was launching as I was headed back to the beach.

Tomorrow should see similar conditions to today.  I'll try not for forget my stash bag.

PF:8/W:3/PW:72/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/7/2026

It was windy all day today -

Got home and packed up for a strong wind session!

Decided to use the Cabrinha Prestige 905/Union 160 Rear Stabilizer - mounted on to No.34 via the Cabrinha Apex 78cm mast.

Power provided by the BRM S3 4.2

The wind was still weird.  Way up, then way down.  The S3 4.2 was the right size for today - but during some gusts, the S3 3.4 would have been nice.

At least the direction was relatively steady.

Norm launched from PVs and rode upwind to Fenceline.  He rode a bunch but then headed back to avoid getting stuck.

The waves were big - like breaking outside on the 3rd reef big.

I paddled further than I needed to - but I didn't want to deal with launching the parawing in an area where I would have to contend with white water.

The first part of my session was trying to find the safe riding zone - where I could catch and ride waves without getting smashed.

I did catch a few runners with the parawing retracted - one was really long - felt like a monster was chasing me (but I got in some good carves).  

Back half of the session was just trying not to blow away in the strong gusts ripping through.

On the inside, I was down loop jibing more than regular jibing.  I was tempted to try tacking onto a wave - but I figured I should wait for a less big day to reduce the consequences of a botched maneuver.

The down time slots were due to lulls.  But overall I was up more than I was down.  And I didn't get smashed!

I figured I had a good session and should end it on a high note.

Wind will be up for the next several days

PF:8/W:3/PW:71/FD:53/S:20

Dawn Patrol Parawing Session - 6/27/2026

Did a dawn patrol at Kailua - the wind was supposed to be really strong from the get go -

There was texture on the water - enough that I brought up the BRM S3 4.2

Then the wind pretty much stopped - for 45 minutes.

Cabrinha Prestige 905/160/78cm Apex mast on No.34

So the wind was just below where I could pump up.  Just as I was getting up on foil, I'd outrun the parawing.  I paddled to shore and walked back up to the launch.  To add insult to injury, I got stung by a man-o-war.

I switched out the 4.2 for the 5.3 and paddled back out.  I still had to wait a bit - but the wind did fill in - the 4.2 would have been perfect.  I really should start packing two parawings.

But the S3's can handle a wider range of wind and I made it work.

I did get in several fully retracted DW wave ripping runs - this is what this is all about!!!!

I did end up getting tangled a bunch.  I'm going to re-evaluate my leash, the stash belts, and my retracting technique to avoid this issue.

This wind chart is all jacked, but that was the point of showing it.

Fun session - even with the gear issues.

PF:8/W:3/PW:65/FD:52/S:20

Afternoon Parawing Session - 6/26/2026

Smaller waves today -

Higher tide.

Same shifty wind (but slightly stronger and a little more dependable)

Same board/foil - swapped the parawing up to the 5.3

Kalani was out again - and Roland eventually came out.

With the wind questionable, I didn't take too many chances.  Regular jibes and kicking out earlier to stay in the wind line.

I only got a few rides with the parawing retracted.

I only felt overpowered once - the rest of the session was either sitting on the board waiting for sufficient wind, or riding powered.

Looks better than 50-50

Will likely dawn patrol Kailua tomorrow.

PF:8/W:3/PW:64/FD:52/S:20