Evening Session - 5/24/2021

A new south swell is hitting now - I kept the same setup as yesterday to get more time on the NL160.  I had some really long rides today - according to the Garmin, I got a 906' long ride.  I got three others that were at least 500'+ and several more between 350' and 500'.

I was able to paddle in to some white water bombs, stand up and ride through the turbulence, get setup on the face of the wave and ride the heck out of the waves.  I really like this front foil - so easy to ride!

Everyone was out today - Prayot, Kalani, Jeffrey, Scott, Roland and at least five other foilers - Eli launched with his Ensis 6.0 - from what I was seeing, there wasn't enough wind to get him going. This swell is supposed to stick around for a few days - looks like I won't be getting much else done... 

And in the name of science, I'll likely ride the Go Foil gear through this swell.

Evening Session - 7/21/2020

Marlon and I hit PTs again this afternoon.  The wind was supposed to be down and the swell was supposed to be holding.  The wind was down, but the tide was super high at +2.5' and that drowned out the swell.  Every 10 minutes or so a breaking set would pull through so I did get some rides.  I brought the wide 4'10" with the CF1600, but swapped out the Uni Tail for the 232.  Even though I've ridden this tail stabilizer before, it has been a while - like you would think it is faster than the Uni, and it turns easier.

The rear stabilizer change did make a difference and I had to find my footing again.  I actually caught several, but I think my left foot was too far forward (where it would normally go) and I would push the foil down.  With less surface area, the 232 shouldn't have the same lift as the Uni, so my front foot should be back a hair to compensate - easier said than done when you are dealing with muscle memory.

Marlon had more paddling power with the longboard, so he was catching more.  It did start to rain while I was out and it was coming down pretty hard at one point.  It took about 10 minutes for the rain clouds to pass and the setting sun did come out - and cast a complete rainbow - that made the paddle out totally worth it. The picture above has the rain still coming down on the left side.

It had been a while since I've been out in waves this small - I should have rigged up the 5'6" with the Maliko on the 29.5" mast!

I really like it that this is my home break!  Foiling has definitely opened up all the super mushy waves that no one wanted to surf before.  I'll take it!

Evening Session - 7/4/2020

Marlon and I hit PTs this afternoon.  The gate was open so we drove in and onto the sand next to the showers.  We checked the surf and at first it seemed small - but that was deceiving.  Sitting in the line up, the waves were breaking just overhead and the inside ones were chest high.  The tide was super high at 2.3' and with the bigger waves, we saw some overtopping of the berm.  What made today hard to ride was the onshore wind and the resulting chop.  Today's picture is an older one - with all the activity, I didn't take any today but this was the foil setup I used.

I did another shake up and brought out the skinny 4'10" with the Go Foil 24.5" (+ 3" track adaptor), the GL140 and the P17.5 tail.  It took me a couple of waves to get recalibrated on this setup.  My first two waves I wasn't getting my front foot up far enough to balance out the front wing.  I'd take the drop, veer left and then drop off foil in a hard nose dive (breaching).  I got tired of that real quick, shifted everything forward (paddling position is where it all starts) and the breaches thinned out.  The drops were really thrilling - you had to pick your waves carefully so you wouldn't get caught up in a pile of white water.  When I did catch the good ones, I'd take them left, do a swooping turn on a rapidly standing reform and get into high gear for the wall run.  I forgot how fast this wing was in the right conditions.  Marlon was catching everything (as usual).  Hopefully the wind lightens up and this swell sticks around.

Evening Session - 7/2/2020

Hit the beach after work - the wind was way down, the tide was dropping fast from a high of 2.0' (probably around 1.3' while I was out), and the surf was consistently around waist high if you stayed inside - but I stayed more outside to try and catch the chest high waves (which were more inconsistent).

I had the same setup as yesterday - wide 4'10", Armstrong CF1600 and UNI tail.  I caught a bunch but most were the second wave of a close double.  That made for fun rides in a very small pocket (trough between the two peaks).  Breaking singles were pretty hard to come by.  I got some good glides and carving turns - pulling G's going from low to high on a wave then top turning into a dropping face - lots of fun!

There was a C-17 doing touch 'n go's - looks like a big hydrofoil to me!

Marlon's Evening Session - 6/23/2020

After I packed up at PTs, I asked Marlon if he wanted to check out WPB - he said yes.  When we got there, it looked pretty good.  I asked if he wanted to go out and he said yes.

He caught some good ones despite the crowd.

I sat on the beach this time and got to talk with Dennis about foil equipment performance.  Given the two separate breaks this afternoon, it seemed as if WPB had the better conditions - like I said on my previous post - tomorrow WPB may be the call...

Evening Session - 6/20/2020

Happy International Surfing Day!!!  To celebrate, Marlon and I went surfing (not foiling - surfing).  We opted to checkout WPB - super crowded, but manageable.  The tide was high at 2.0', the wind was up, but not fast enough to shred the surface, and the surf was overhead as a new swell was hitting.

Marlon brought his shortboard and I used the asymmetric fish.  I caught a couple of bombs and had a blast going right.  I can lean in to the bottom turn and project out.

I watched Marlon on a couple of waves - the board suits him!  Hope you all out there got a chance to get wet today!

Evening Session - 6/18/2020

Marlon and I went to PTs for an evening session yesterday.  The wind was up and it was chopping the surface up.  I could even feel the turbulence from the surface interacting with the foil as I was riding.  It made catching waves more difficult - so Wednesday was not a fluke - the choppiness made the waves at WPB harder to catch.  The tide was high at 1.7' and the swell was chest high.

Marlon was catching, but the wind seemed to be affecting his ride length - lots of aborts after the drops, especially as he went right (straight into the wind).  I had the same setup out as on Wednesday (wide 4'10", GL140, P18W, 24.5" mast) and I had a few takeoffs that made it totally worth it.  Towards the end of the session the wind did back down a hair and I was able to catch a few waves from the takeoff zone all the way to the beach.  A challenging but still fun day.

Evening Session - 6/15/2020

I did another solo session this afternoon.  The swell-wind-tide were pretty much the same as yesterday.  I had the same setup as yesterday but switched the front wing for the GL180 to try and get longer runs.

Not only did I get longer runs (the GL180 and squeeze blood from a rock), but I was having a blast on the takeoffs.  If the waves were any bigger I would have been blowing up on the takeoffs - instead I was carving straight from the takeoff.  I had to pick my waves - but it was really fun (again) today!!!

Evening Session - 6/14/2020

Did a double dip yesterday evening - solo though - Marlon had his fill on the dawn patrol.  It was a tad windy - enough to be noticeable going right, but not enough to blast the surface.  The tide was lowish at 0.6', and the swell was chest high on the sets, but waist for the most part. 

I had the wide 4'10" with the GL140 - fun takeoffs, but it was tough getting longer rides after.  Fun session! 

Evening Session - 6/12/2020

Marlon hit the beach with some friends earlier so he just came along for the chillax time.  We hit Pine Trees and there were actually more than a handful of people out - four Wing Foilers and a family of surfers.  The wind was up and steady - but it seemed to be coming from a direction that didn't chop the surface up so much (probably a little more N in it today).  It was definitely strong enough to keep the wing foilers going.

The tide was probably at 0.9' - I didn't have any adverse interactions with the bottom today.  The swell came down a notch from yesterday, but there was still enough energy to make good use of the GL140 (the only change I made to the gear today).

I caught a couple of handfuls - some really long rides back to the beach and a few fun takeoffs - I've said it before and I'll say it again, the GL140 is really fun on steeper takeoffs and when trying to whip a turn.  If the wave keeps a lump going I can keep with it, even if it involves a little pumping - then when the reform stands up closer to the beach I can pick up speed and have a little more fun.

If I had flipped the front wings (GL140 yesterday, GL180 today) I think both sessions would have been optimized - both were still really fun.

Evening Session - 6/10/2020

Went solo yesterday afternoon.  The trades were up, there was texture on the water, but not enough to make it a bad session.  Midway through the session the wind actually died down - but it came back up for the rest of the time I was out.  It was strong enough to be noticeable while going right (straight in to the wind).  The tide was going up to a high of 1.9' - while I was out it was probably 1.7'.  And the swell was mostly waist high with the occasional chest high sets.

I brought out the wide 4'10", the GL180, P18W all on the shorter mast.  The shorter mast made riding in chop much easier, but the rides were not as thrilling.  I was even paddling for the larger waves without fear of breaching or blowing up with the GL180.  Pumping was also a little easier, but obviously there was less clearance.  It is amazing the difference 5" can make between the two masts.

I had some really long rides and the waves were walling up better than they had over the past several sessions (probably the lower high tide).  On the lined up walls, I tried to go as fast as I could - the P18W is the fastest rear wing I've used to date.  As a trade off, turns were a little harder to initiate, but if I setup the GL140 I think I'll use the P17.5 rear - that will make that setup optimized I believe.  I was able to pump back out to the line a few times.  For most of the session there were only one or two other people out.  Super fun session!

Lastly - I went ahead and stopped by WPB just to see what the conditions were like.  It was about as impacted by the wind as PTs, but the breaking wave height was a little smaller.  Not that we didn't already suspect that the waves get smaller the further east you go, this really is just a data point in that direction.

Evening Session - 6/7/2020

Marlon did a double run today - he hit the beach earlier to meet a friend.  I stayed back to help get some projects completed (La fixed my board socks, and I built a new plant trellis for La).  He went back with me for an evening session.  The tide was full high at 2.2'.  The swell was waist high with occasional chest to head high sets.  And the wind was normal trades - with the surface choppy again.

I am still on the experimenting track.  I brought the wide 4'10" out and I set it up with the tall mast, the GL180 and the P17.5 rear wing. 

I set the mast to the same setting I had marked for the 24.5"+3" mast.  The big experiment was whether I would have to adjust for the different mast height.  The foil was predictable and for the most part the same as if I were riding the shorter mast.

I had some long rides again - to be expected with the GL180.  I also had a few blow ups from trying to catch the bigger set waves - I did catch a few that I didn't blow up, but those were green.  I did hit bottom once - while recovering at the end of a long ride.  Got some minor scratches (I just put a coat of spray paint over it to smooth it all out - hydrodynamics).  So the big data point from today was the mast height does not impact the mast location (for a given manufacturer).  Mast height should impact other things - like the amount of leverage you can bring to bear on a turn, but for the center of lift and the center of gravity math it doesn't contribute.  Now that I've worked through a bunch of these permutations with the Go Foil setups, I am get the itch to breakout the Armstrong foils again...

Evening Session - 6/6/2020

Marlon and I hit Pine Trees again.  The really high tide (+2.3') was washing out the reduced swell.  Every now and then a head high set would come in from the new swell that is supposed to show up later this weekend.  But it was the wind that was defining the day - it was up again and it was doing a good job of chopping up the surface and hold me back when I went right.

Marlon was picking up waves, but the wind was shortening his rides.  He stayed out half the session and paddled in to hang out at the beach.

With the same setup as yesterday - skinny 4'10", GL140, Ono Foil W228, 29.5" Mast w/track adaptor - with the GL140 sanded down and the front top deck of the board waxed up, things were more predictable today for me..  I got a few calibration rides in then started going for the bigger waves.  The drag wasn't there today, so the unsanded front wing was the culprit yesterday.  I tried focusing on the Ono Foil W228 rear wing today - I felt like I wasn't getting as much lift as I was with the other two Go Foil rear wings.  It is certainly smaller - 3 inches smaller so there is a linear loss.  But when you start to consider the the slight thickness increase across the entire width, there should be additional lift there somewhere.  It is definitely a smoother and faster responding wing.  I'm going to put the GL180 and the P18W on tomorrow (supposed to be the same height) - or I may take the wide 4'10" out.   To me it seems as if the wide 4'10" has more secondary buoyancy and with its extra weight it paddles into waves like today's much easier.  It also seems to dampen the effects of the surface chop more than the skinny 4'10".  The skinny version is better for calmer days where you don't have to fight surface texture.  Lastly the 29.5" mast does put you 5" higher than the 24.5" - that doesn't sound like much but it is a bit un-nerving at first.  After the calibration rides, I kept trying to get the foil closer and closer to the surface.  But the wave size after the takeoff almost mandated pumping - again tomorrow with the GL180 I can ride more and pump less.  More variables... more fun!!!

Evening Session - 6/1/2020

Marlon and I went out this afternoon - TO WHITE PLAINS BEACH.  MWR opened it back up.  The swell was up (I should have brought the GL140) - just overhead on the sets.  The wind was the same as it has been - but at this break, there are less trees along the path of the wind to break up the flow - so the water gets a little choppy.  The tide was hovering around a small high - about 0.6' - I didn't touch bottom so that was good.

So the waves were a little too big for the GL180.  I caught a few good ones out the gate, but the whole middle part of the session I would catch a wave, it would pitch out, I would make the drop, and after a short run I would lose lift and the nose would drop out.  I didn't feel like I was over foiling despite the dynamic takeoffs, nor did I feel like I was foiling through turbulence - but regardless I lost it on 5 straight waves.  Needless to say I was pretty frustrated as just yesterday this gear combo was working perfectly.

I saw Marlon on the middle peak and out further towards Fenceline.  He was picking up some good drops and got a few really long rides to the inside.

So it was good to get back to the amenities of WPB - but honestly I found myself missing the waves and conditions at Pine Trees.  I may skip tomorrow as I'm doing some maintenance on the GL140 - but next time we go, I think it'll be Pine Trees.

Evening Session - 5/31/2020

Marlon and I hit the beach around 5pm - it was still a little crowded, but manageable.  The conditions were pretty much a copy of yesterday.  I changed out the front wing to the GL180 and the tail wing from the flat wing to the wing with turned up tips. 

With the GL180 I was picking up waves on one side of the beach and riding them all the way across to the other side.  Then I'd ride another back to the other side.  I pumped back out to the break several times and had a few 2 for 1s.  With the turned up tips rear I could turn the foil harder and I didn't breach a tip. 

I saw Marlon on several of his takeoffs (all on the peak).  He nearly completed a helicopter takeoff, almost got a cover up, and could have had a floater on another wave.

This was one of the best foiling days I had so far!

Evening Session - 5/30/2020

Marlon was feeling better today so we went out in the evening.  I was mistaken yesterday - the tide was a rising high, but it was 0.5', not 1.0'.  Today it was about the same height - 0.5'.  The wind was up but nothing out of the ordinary for this side of the island (and not really impacting the surf shape either).  The swell was about the same as yesterday, including the lulls and the wait between the sets.  I had the same setup - GL140, P18W, 24.5" + 3" mast, 4'10" prone - but I really should have switched the front wing to the GL180.  I had several waves, but only a few long ones - and even these were not long in GL180 terms.  If we go tomorrow, I'll likely swap the front wing.

Marlon had a bunch, but he was getting similar results to mine - shorter rides.  He went in a few minutes earlier than I did to make sure he wasn't over doing it (he got his wisdom teeth pulled yesterday).  Still a fun day in the water -

Evening Session - 5/29/2020

Marlon came with me this evening, but he didn't surf - he didn't want to over extend himself as he just had his wisdom teeth pulled.  The swell was waist high for the most part, but chest high surf would roll in from time to time.  The tide was a rising high going to 1.6', but while I was out it was at least above 1.0'.  I had a couple of "love" taps from the reef - I didn't notice any damage so no foul.  The wind was up, but it only was an issue when I was trying to go right - got under the board and made for a slower ride.

This was the first day I foiled in a few, so I had to shake a little rust off.  Had some good takeoffs and a few long rides.

The GL140 did not fail me.  Better for the takeoffs that were present, but the GL180 would have made for much longer rides and some wave connections (I did get one with the GL140 today).

Marlon heard from someone on the beach that White Plains is supposed to open on June 1st.  That will help spread the crowd around again.  Funny thing is I might not want to go back (because I really like this place).

Evening Session - 5/25/2020

Marlon and I waited until 5pm to surf.  It was worth the wait - super light wind made for very easy wave catching conditions.  The swell was chest high with a few bigger sets every now and then.  And the tide was high at 1.9'.  Marlon brought out the GoPro board mount and the mouth mount.  I got him to tail me on an inside wave - fun pictures!  These pictures were all from the same wave.  I nabbed some from the outside that had some really fun drops - some GL140 magic!!!  No breaching - lots of speed runs and some hard turns - can't really ask for more.

And he had some great takeoffs, even though the GoPro seems to magically shrink the wave size and blow up bellies.

Really fun day of surf!

Evening Session - 5/24/2020

Marlon and I hit the beach in the evening to grab some of the elevated surf.  The swell was chest high with a few bigger ones every once in a while.  The tide was super full at 1.9'.  It was already deep just off the beach (I could have been using the 29.5" mast with the 3" track adaptor...).  The wind was the driving factor - it was blowing side on shore and it was stiff.  I went right early in the session and I was definitely going slower.  But the wind did die back as the sun got lower on the horizon.

Here are some pictures Marlon asked me to post.  Additionally, I witnessed Marlon on a pretty gnarly wipeout.  It was on a bigger set and his board got airborne and was flying all over the place.  I do not know how he did that, but it was spectacular.

After I figured out that I should go left at takeoff so I didn't fight the wind, then turn back to the right as I got in the wind shadow on the inside, the rides got really good.  I really like the combo I'm foiling now - I switched back to the GL140 and it paid dividends.  At my weight, I'm giving up pumpability (which is what the GL180 offers), but the speed gains, ability to crank turns without fearing breaches, and being able to takeoff on steeper waves or make it through big whitewash pickups totally makes this front wing the best I've ever used.  So don't judge your session on what you see from the beach - I would normally have turned this blown out surf down, but once I was in the water, I ended up getting one of my better sessions this year!