Wing Foiling Session - 3/26/2022

I made to Hickam by noon and the wind was up - enough to wing and it was more consistent than it had been (but still not solid trades).  I wanted to try out the Stringfellow GoFoil Fuselage for the Project Cedrus Mast.

I pumped up the OR A 5.0

I'm going to have to try a shim - it felt like this was riding nose down a hair.

Marvin and Arvin were out when I showed up.  Marvin got caught in the wind hole near the channel marker.  He was able to get up on foil on his strong side (regular foot - outbound runs), but was having trouble on the way in.

Arvin was switching between the GL210 and the RS1000 - that was indicative of the up and down in the wind.  The other thing going on was the amount of north in the wind.  But at least it was wingable!!!

I headed out to Firsts early on before Harris showed up - but the wind was softer out there and the waves were not really breaking.

I have been mixing in the duck jibe into my transition repertoire - and I have been making more of them.  I'm only tacking now when the wind is strong enough to pressurize the wing - I can keep up on the foil if that is the case.  If the wind is lighter I'll jibe to stay up on foil. 

Not a bad top end speed for the GL210.  I did notice a couple of ventilation events, but these are now not even changing my riding - I just plow through them.

Next wind event is supposed to be here Thursday on - but there is some swell coming up from the south.

W:19/F:32/S:10

Wing Foiling Session - 3/12/2022

Picked up Tim and we headed to Hickam.  The forecast called for the strongest winds today to blow through in the mid morning to just after lunch.  I wanted to fix the strut bladder in the OR A 5.0, so I brought the Reedin SWX 5.2 - so this was a good opportunity to test these two wings in nearly back to back sessions.

The wind was blowing with a bit of north in it - then it shifted to the east, then back from the north.  And it wasn't as consistent as yesterday either.  Wind (even if it was erratic) is way better than no wind.

I got in a couple of early runs to get used to this wing, then headed outside for some waves.  I caught a handful, but the wind wasn't steady - I figured I'd better head in before it slacked even more.

Marvin showed up and was able to make some headway on his first session.

I tried pushing the GL210 to over 20 mph - no joy.  Seems as if both the PNL185 and the GL210 have sub 20 mph upper limits (form factor speed caps).  I'll go back over my notes (previous entries from this blog - there is a reason I do this) and see if that's true or if I've previously been able above 20 mph.

The other thing I was able to do was several duck jibes on both tacks (in bound and out bound).  The last few I was able to stay up on foil while coming out of the jibe.

I also managed to get a slow motion in bound tack (heel to toe, with a follow on foot switch) when trying to help Tim (he was not getting up from his knees to the standing position).

W:13/F:26/S:10

Wing Foiling Session - 1/23/2022

I committed an act of desperation yesterday afternoon - I went winging despite my better judgement.  From this picture it looked like a lake - flat, calm and the opposite of what you want for winging.

But every now and then a gust would pull through and it looked totally doable.  I had setup the GL210 - light wind beast (the GL240 is a monster - I've used Dennis's before - but for days like this....)

And this - the Reedin Super Wing X 5.2m.  Once you get up on foil, this thing generates so much power!  In conditions where the Ensis V2 6.0m would have been difficult, I managed to rip along at a good clip.

Mind you - this was not ideal.  There were more lulls than gusts and I spent most of the time schlogging.

The times I was up pretty correlates to the peak on the wind chart.

Good to know the low end of the X-wing.

W:2/F:8/S:4

Wing Foiling Session - 1/11/2022

As you can tell from the blog entries, the wind has been down for quite some time.  There was a blip in the wind forecast - today called for winds in the ridable range, amidst days on end with barely even a breeze.  I did not want to get skunked so I brought out the big foils - Maliko 200, GL210 and in case it was good, the PNL185.

Driving up, it looked light.  Setting up, it still looked light, but the forecast called for the winds to consolidate and strengthen a little towards the end of the day.  I was headed to the water at 3pm.

I started out with the GL210.  I had mounted the new camera mount, so I did not pump the OR A 5.0 that aggressively, so I had some down periods when I think I should have been up.  The battery died quick, so this session with the camera was mainly testing the mount.  The wind had a lot of north in it, so those blue streaks below were schlogging.

Lots of jibes - the GL210 is super easy to transition.  After a little bit, I wanted to ditch the camera so I could pump, but with the wind as holey as it was, getting back to the beach was challenging.

I did make it back, and I took the camera back to the truck and grabbed the M200.

I should have also checked the pressure in the wing - I noticed a little flex in the leading edge.  When I got back to the truck at the end of the session, I checked the pressure - 4 psi in the leading edge... I'm going to have to figure out what is going on.  I think I am not tightening down the valve enough (and am hoping it is not a leaking bladder).

The M200 was really fun to use (and I'm sure would have been better if I had the LE pressurized properly).  It had a decent speed considering how big and thick it is.  Definitely a session saver (maybe even with a OR A 6.0).

I'm glad I got some winging in - the forecast for at least the next week is really dismal for wind.

I'm going to keep track of what sessions I run this year.  Winging (W) - 1; Foiling (F) - 2; Surfing (S) - 4.  When I have a chance, I'll count the sessions from last year and see where I ended up.

Wing Foiling Session - 12/29/2021

I couldn't end this year on the session from yesterday, so after checking the weather forecast, I decided to bring my stuff and try again.  I still didn't think the winds would be terribly strong, so I brought the same gear as yesterday.  The clouds were a little thinner today - so the wind was more user friendly.

I was out from around 2:30pm to 4pm. Some holes, some schlogging but accompanied by a whole lot of lighter wind riding and learning to raise the foil without a bunch of monkey pumping.

I left my watch at work, so I don't have speed or track info - all I can say is this was a fun session and a fitting end to a solid year of prone and wing foiling!

Wing Foiling Session - 12/28/2021

 The wind had been blowing all day on Tuesday - I did bring my gear and took a break from work around 1:30pm.  I setup the OR A 5.0, the GL210 with the 16.25" rear stabilizer.  I had a two part session.  The first half the wind was decent, but I stayed on the inside because Brantly was there and I wanted to catch her when she went in to get her a bottle of whiskey (for letting me use her wing to chase down my wing when it got off leash a couple of weeks back).  I didn't trust that the wind would stay strong, so I purposely brought the GL210 (one of my bigger foils now).  The second half, I had brought the GoPro out and even went out to Firsts (since it looked like Harris was having a blast out there.  Well - the clouds got thicker and the wind started to flake out.  I rode two really fun waves then started heading back in.  Looking at the pictures I took with the GoPro, you can see the wind was on the lighter side - almost no texture on the water...

All that blue on the track - pure misery trying to limp back to the launch.  Every now and then a gust would blow through and I would get up on foil.  At one point after being frustrated, I noticed the leading edge seemed soft - in fact it was and that was one reason I was having a hard time getting up on foil.

You can see I was out in sub 15mph winds - 

I eventually made it back in - uuugggghhhhhh!!!!!

If I came in after the first half, I could have called this a great way to close off this year of wing foiling.

Wing Foiling Session - 12/25/2021

And to top Christmas off, La and the kids came with me to Hickam while I was getting in an afternoon winging session.  Light winds (steady state had <15mph, with gusts touching 20) made for challenging conditions.

I pumped up the OR A 5.0 and bolted on a foil I haven't used in a long time - the Go Foil GL210.  I did schlog still, but this foil gets up quick so when the gusts hit you can get going.

Surprisingly it also has a decent top end.  The speed chart below showed a max speed of 18.3mph.

You can tell the wind was pretty much from the NE.  Transitions were super easy on this big foil.

The conditions were definitely representative of the low end of this equipment.  If I want to go out consistently in less than 15mph, I think the OR A 6.0 will be needed (hmmm).

Again - surprising speed from the GL210.

Fun day at the beach!!!  Merry Christmas to every one!

Wing Foiling Session - 6/10/2021

Hit the beach for a third day straight - but today was special... NUKING WINDS ABOUND!!!!

I was out from 3 to 6 - but I did go in a few times to make adjustments - had closer to two hours on the water.  I changed it up a bit today - brought out the Narrow Wing Foiling Board and bolted on the Go Foil GL210.  I also put on a pair of One by One foot straps to start jumping.

My first runs were not good - footstraps were not in the right place (too far back) and with the wind so strong, I was getting destroyed - full speed drops.  Good thing I was wearing a Gath helmet - even though I didn't get airborne, I did get body slammed.  My first trip in I put the front strap as far forward and towards the rail as I could.  That made all the difference and I could control the foil again.  The GL210 had a weird starting pattern - it would wheelie up and seemed like it was stalling - then if I pumped through that mess, the flow cleared up and I was flying normally.  I went in a second time to push the foil forward - and that cured the occurrence of the wheelie.

Harris came out and he made a beeline for Firsts.  I would have joined him, but I had to work through all the issues with getting back on different gear.  He came in by the time I was going out from the second adjustment.  Prayot and Roland came out and we were going back and forth.

 

I absolutely love nuking winds!!!  I got the GL210 up past 15.5 kts and got in a total of 12.55 nm.  I was nailing my inside jibes and holding on for dear life on the outside tacks.  With the strong wind, I was able to jibe on the outside without switching feet and rode for whole runs.  The Ensis 4.5 is an awesome wing and it was perfect for today's insanity!!!!

So I wore my helmet and bolted on the Go Foil and footstraps so I could jump today.  I made five attempts, but they all ended badly.  My body wanted to jump the wing and foil like a kiteboard - but I'm sure that is the wrong way to jump.  Going to have to work on this...

Wing Foiling Session - 12/4/2020

I've been eyeing the forecasts and there has been minimal winds for days - and there will be minimal winds for days to come, but for today - well there was a call for wind and wind there was!!!

I pulled up the the launch at 1500 and went to measure the wind.  My anemometer was reading lows of 10 mph and highs during the gusts just into 20 mph.  I pumped up the 6m Ensis.  Prayott (first time on wing) and Harris were out.  While out winging, the gusts were really apparent - from shlogging to nukin' in the same run.

I had altered two variables (against my better knowledge) - pushed the foil up another 1/4" and then I removed the washer from the rear screw of the rear stabilizer.  The foil setup felt a little faster (less drag from flattening the rear stabilizer), but it also seemed harder to get up on foil (less lift out the back).  Between the two, I'd rather lift out of the water sooner (so the washer is going back in).  One thing I did notice was the higher riding height and the squirtiness of the tail.

The other thing I found out was that I don't like footstraps in this sport.  I went in after the first run and took them off.  They were in the right spot for riding, but that also turns out to be the best spot for standing to pump to takeoff.  All that work to get them on... oh well - at least I know.

The other thing that happened this session was I made a few complete jibes.  It is getting easier.  Still need to work on my exits.  You can actually see the loops where I made the jibes.

I think next time I'm going to set up the Armstrong HS1850, 60cm fuselage, CF300 tail on the 85cm mast.  It's going to be several days before there is enough wind though.  That'll give me time to add a layer of fiberglass to the front of the board (final seal coat), to pull off the footstrap inserts and to reinstall the deck pads.

Wing Foiling Session - 11/28/2020

 The reason I was working on the projects/testing earlier in the day was so I could wait for the wind to swing around.  This morning through the early afternoon, the wind was light and blowing from the North.  After lunch the wind picked up strength and came more from the North East.  Knowing the winds are going to back off until next Friday, I felt compelled to try out both the repaired board and one of the Ensis wings.  You can see how big this wing is from the picture below.  It didn't feel too different handling wise from the Echo 6.0M - they are both big wings chord-wise.

The wind was on the light side, but earlier on it was a little more consistent.  Of all the sessions I've had so far, this one had the most and the longest lulls.  That's fine - more training for smaller boards and shlogging conditions.  Winging has definitely been making me use muscles I didn't know I had.

I was able to turn the wing on my outbound tacks, but I definitely had to look to grab the back handle once through the turn.  That was a significant difference from the Echo where I could tack blind (not looking for the grab point after the turn).

It felt like the Ensis 6.0M took less effort to get up on foil compared to the Echo 6.0M.  Not by much but enough to be noticeable.  I even got in a few wet (board on the surface) jibes in today.  Practice-practice-practice...

This is going to be a fun wing to use!  Can't wait for strong wind days to mix with some swell.  Thanks to Marlon for being so patient and for taking the awesome pictures!

Wing Foiling Session - 11/25/2020

I've been trying to determine what wings to get - I currently have a 6.0 Duotone Echo and I really like the ease of use of the boom.  But what I don't like is fact that flagging is not automatic.  Last week when I caught a wave and tried to dump the wing power, I had to use both hands - a little awkward.

I am using this demo Ensis 5.2 wing to see what else is out there (thanks Jeff!!!).  I was really interested in the V1 version of this wing when I was looking for a first wing - but it wasn't in stock anywhere.  With winter setting in here in the Northern Hemisphere, wings are starting to become available.  I'm glad I got the Echo, but I do want to ride waves so the Ensis seems like the next step forward.

This wing had almost the same power as the Echo 6.0.  The handles were almost as easy to use as a boom - but there are no hard parts to worry about.  On my first run, I got up pretty quickly once a gust hit.  According to the iwindsurf.com report, there was a burst of wind that held over 20mph with higher gusts.  And there were lulls down below 15mph.  I was able to tack the wing - but it isn't as easy as the Echo (which has more dihedral).  I got further on my inbound jibes so this wing won't slow my learning curve down.

This is Harris trying out the wing.  He normally uses a Slingshot 5.4 V2.  He said this one felt weird to him.  Coming from a different wing, I felt that way too, but considering this is a smaller wing than the Echo 6.0, this wing may be in my future...

Here's the runs I had - obviously I drifted down during the lulls, and got back up wind on the gusts.  Seeing as my board needs to be repaired (and tomorrow is Thanksgiving), I'll keep my eye on the wind, but I'll likely prone foil and fix the board.