Evening Foil Drive Session - 10/13/2026

The forecast (surfline) was calling for good wind - enough to parawing in, BUT it just seemed too be a little on the lighter side as I was looking at my normal indicators.

Also knowing the tide was on the low side, I figured it best not to parawing.

Instead I setup No.43 with the Cabrinha Whippit 850/Tweaker 160

This front foil (with this rear stabilizer) has taken over as my favorite foil combo for destroying waves.  Small, giant or anywhere in between, this foil can handle and rip!!!

But even as good as it is, it doesn't hold a candle to this (La asked to come to the beach today!)

And with La at the beach, I used the regular Max battery to keep the session at a reasonable timeframe.

Curvy, squiggly lines!!!

I've developed the feel for this foil now and I can lean in and get harder turns out if it.  I think the AFS Silk 850 V1 can still hook into a peak better, but the Whippit is turning out to be faster, more versatile, and easier on my knees.

11 rides - super fun and this foil combo keeps getting better!!!

Probably gonna take a rest day tomorrow knowing the winds should be coming back in a couple of days.

PF:11/W:3/PW:125/FD:72/S:26

Dawn Patrol Foil Drive Session - 10/11/2026

Nice swell hitting town this morning!  Surfline was showing 600 kJ in the swell -

I took Stu on to Hickam and Prayot also came out with his SUP.

Same lower as the past couple of days - just swapped boards to No.40 (wanting speed to pick up the larger waves)

So after today's session, I can say the battery wasn't the difference (I used both and had similar results).  The wing screws did have a contributing factor - having used those first, then switching to the nuts only on the battery swap.

The swap back to the blue shim was probably the larger factor in regaining pitch stability and takeoff ease.  And the swap over to the Tweaker rear stabilizer was what gave me the grip in the turns (which is still weird to me).

Anyways -

You had to wait for the swell, but when it came around... Freight Train!!!!!

The east bowl was firing at Seconds today!!!!

These were taken by Peter the lifeguard - but I caught some bigger ones when he wasn't taking pictures

First run was with the regular Max battery and the wing screws (just in case I needed to adjust - which I did once - the original marks seemed to work just fine).

Drops, carves and pit sitting!!!

11 rides (including the ones pictured) on this first battery

I didn't count this as two separate sessions - since they are pretty close together in time and I really didn't change equipment.

Second battery was the High Output

Even more carves!!!!

10 rides this session - and I caught probably one of the best bowling waves I've ever had at Seconds - double overhead and I stalled to stay just in front of the gaping maw - EPIC!!!!

 

The Whippit was confidence inspiring - except when I was driving through whitewater - little flutters, but not surprising (which is where the Silk dominates)

I'm going to let this session sink in a bit (and shift over to shorter sessions surfing).

PF:11/W:3/PW:125/FD:71/S:25 

Foil Drive Dawn Patrol - 10/10/2026

Dawn patrol at PVs

Slightly overhead on the sets.

Norm and Stu were also on Foil Drive.

Same setup as yesterday - but I made three changes:

1. High Output battery

2. Streamlined bolts

3. Blue shim on the rear stabilizer

Definitely better performance today - the whole setup felt like surfing a shortboard on a perfect wave!

I'm just not sure which change made the most difference...

The HO battery certainly made an endurance difference.

The curvy tracks show how well the Whippit turns.  I really don't know why I didn't gel more with the foil when I first got it???

But from today's performance, I'd say this turns nicer than even the AFS Silk 850.....

The sets had some time between them, but when they came and you picked the right wave - the rides were phenomenal!!!

20 rides - and they weren't all overhead runners either.  I had several chest and belly sized waves where I could carve equally as well as on the bigger waves.

In regards to getting rid of the looser back end feeling I used to have when riding this foil (and the reason I stopped using it) - I'm thinking the Tweaker rear set is helping.

And check out that top speed!!!

Super fun session!!!

PF:11/W:3/PW:125/FD:70/S:25

Foil Drive Session - 10/9/2026

Decent surf this afternoon, and a nice high tide to boot!

Went out with Stu (AFS Silk 750 V2)

I wanted to try something different - the Cabrinha Whippit 850/Tweaker 160 rear stabilizer on the 390 fuselage.  I used the yellow shim to see if I could get a grippier feeling out of the tail (as compared to the last time I used this while Foil Drive-ing)

It took me the better part of the session to get the feel of this setup.

The yellow shim did make the tail not slip - going to have to continue experimenting with this...

I had the wing screws on to make sure I could adjust the foil position if I needed to - but what I got out of them was more drag.  That coupled with my using by old regular Max battery, I felt like I was not gaining speed on takeoff.

By the end of the session I was using the steeper wave faces to takeoff.  Stu said he saw me taking off at the peak of a good sized one - principle described in motion.

Towards the end of the session I had figured out how high I was up off the water and I could then use that to work out my turns. 

There were some good overhead sets - but placement was pretty crucial today.

17 rides - with the earlier ones being shorter, and the later ones being super long and carvy.

I'll get in a dawn patrol tomorrow on Foil Drive - but also will keep an eye on the wind.  Surfline is calling for parawingable trades to be blowing....

PF:11/W:3/PW:125/FD:69/S:25

Parawing Session - 9/11/2026

We are in between storms and the wind and surf are also somewhere in-between...

On the drive home the wind looked like it would be good for a parawinging session.

At the beach, it did look like the wind line was a bit further out, but it was there.

Nice higher tide and mellow waves -

Made for a good day to try out the new BRM L1 6.5m!

Paired it with the AFS Enduro 1300/HA43 on No.44

I probably should have taken out No.42 instead of No.44 - not really the board's issue, just shitty wind.

In fact, this inaugural run of the L1 6.5m was originally headed for stinky skunk.

But, the wind did gust up a few times and I salvaged the run

But despite getting up, it kinda felt like I was really just bobbing around.

When the wind did pick up, pumping the L1 felt more like using a paddle to power up.  There was a rhythmic pumping which was pretty different than how the S3 powers up (more the wing developing pressure and pulling you up onto foil).

Obviously being the first time out, there is a lot to learn - and this is going to be fun!

I'm going to be paying a lot of attention to the wind range of this particular parawing.

And all through the session, I never felt overpowered.  I'd say this was a great start!

Waves and wind are going to be small and light for the next several days...

PF:11/W:3/PW:107/FD:63/S:25

Moving West - Day Three

Looking at the forecasts on Monday morning, the wind had turned easterly, and their was hope that on the western side of the gorge there would be rideable conditions.

We stopped at Viento State Park (Oregon) - and there was wind.

There was also a bunch of other people all looking for the same thing - on a Monday morning!  There were a lot of wind-foilers and more kiters than I thought could launch from such a small takeoff spot.

And the wind and current were aligned - so conventional wisdom took over (stay up wind).

Last session (for a while) on No.34

I used the Silk 1050 and BRM S3 5.3 to make sure I didn't drift downwind.

This was a surprisingly fun session.  Not much wave action, but being surrounded by a bunch of like minded individuals was pretty cool.

This is Nick's GoPro shot of me (upper right hand corner).

The gorge walls were much steeper here - no real downwind recovery - so no margin for error.

The wind had a bit of up and down - but it was good fun.

The guys said it was time to keep moving west -

And they were right as the wind started to drop

PF:11/W:3/PW:98/FD:61/S:25

We drove through Portland to head over to Manzanita Beach out on the Oregon Coast.

The drive over was nice (tight winding road - not so good for dragging a camper trailer through, but beautiful old growth pine trees).

When we got to the beach, the wind was strong and side onshore from the NW.  But the water was cold - too cold for my 3/2.  And I didn't necessarily want to get the gear all salty again so I passed on this session.

This is Kevin on a 7m Cabrinha Drifter, and Nick and Dennis on 5.5 wings.  They both said they should have been on 4.2 wings and Kevin said he was good.

This made me want to kite on a directional in surf again...

Nice group to foil with!!!

At this point La and Teresa picked me up and we headed back north!

Awesome first trip to the Gorge and the Oregon Coast!!!!

Late August Gorge Trip - Day Two

This was the beginning of Day Two.

Wind was still up from the previous day, but it was forecasted to drop off.

Dennis and Kevin checking the conditions -

I took out the same setup from yesterday as the wind was still up.  And again the BRM S3 3.4 was perfectly powered.

Headed downwind a bit more than yesterday afternoon - but honestly the waves were best up towards the campsite.

I didn't stash the parawing much this session - the waves were too short and only in the couple of spots today that it didn't make sense to take it down.

Dennis mid-tack.

The wind got really strong so I went in for a break.  The launch-landing spot was so easy (not as easy as Hickam - but pretty close).

After snacks, I headed back out but switched to the Silk 1050/152.

I got up and had some rides, but the wind started to fall off so I went in - twice - to size up the parawing.  But in both cases (4.2 then the 5.3), it was too little too late.

We broke down camp and prepared to head off west in the morning.

Pretty incredible that the wind can be nuking in the morning, then glassy a few hours later.

The camp site was really nice - clean bath house, no bugs, nice quiet location - made me really miss the Trail Manor.

PF:11/W:3/PW:97/FD:61/S:25