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