Wing Foiling Session - 9/22/2021

With the 85cm mast out of commission, I broke out the 95cm mast.  I used the 60cm original fuselage with the +1 titanium shim.  The same foils went on - the HS1550v1 and the chopped down 300 rear stabilizer.  The wind seemed slightly stronger than yesterday and from the beach, the waves out at Firsts and Seconds looked more developed.

I'm jumping ahead, but after I shimmed the front of the mast base, this seemed to be a great setting for this foil combo.

When I got to the beach, Jim and Harris were already out.  I assembled the foil/board, carried it to the beach and figured using the 5.2 would be the best bet.

I used the electric pump again (4th time using it - trying to see how many inflate cycles I get out of a single charge)

I actually made two outings.  The first was to make sure the foil was properly set - and seeing as I was real close, I went ahead and headed out to Firsts.  The waves seemed cleaner, bigger and more organized today.  The tide was still high so that did slow the action down a bit.  I was able to get several waves where the face had some vertical to it and I luffed the wing.  Riding this way has always been harder for me at Firsts - but with the practice at WPB, it is getting easier over here.

I did head in because I noticed the board was riding nose down.  I grabbed the shims from the truck and got them bolted on.  The shims seemed to somewhat correct the attitude issue, but just a hair short of perfect.  I may try using the other shim from Wizard Hat.

I seemed to be going faster the second half of the session.  I think with the longer mast, the additional drag slowed me down considerably.  Pumping and taking off were also more difficult compared to the 85cm mast.  That said - I did not breach or pop the tail once.  The extra 4" of height also made it seem like I didn't have to think about the foil's position relative to the surface - I was there just to ride the wave.

I think as I use this mast more, it'll become a better experience.  I have used it in the past - but with the HS1850.  I'm going to try this mast with the HS1250 on a windy day - would be interesting to see the difference.

Wing Foiling Session - 9/21/2021

Roland and I hit Hickam this afternoon.  Perfect 5.2 wind (see graph below) and a high tide to make launching even easier than normal.  Lastly there was a south swell starting to show.  I had a great session until my last run - tried to jump, botched it and ended up jacking up the mast and the fuselage.  I don't really know how I bent these parts (no broken bones and just a scratch on my foot), but I did.

I wasn't sure at first, but this titanium core fuselage is definitely bent and the back of the mast cracked open.

Roland also had a great session until the last run.  All session he was trying out his new Naish S26 board.  He even went in to swap out his foils and adjust the mast.  On his last run, he blew out the stitches on the front wing handle - he was just trying out some tacks.

Anyways - enough about paying taxes.  I made a beeline out to Firsts and rode for over an hour.

Here is a little bit more detail on the wave riding session

I knew I was not maxing out today - only hit 17.5mph according to the watch.

If I go tomorrow, it'll be with the 95cm mast and the old 60cm fuselage.  Hopefully I'm done paying taxes....

Wing Foiling Session - 9/19/2021

Yesterday was another epic session!!!  When I pulled up to the beach, there were endless whitecaps.  I pumped up the 4.5 and bolted on the 1550.  Tide was on the higher side (although paddling out it didn't seem like it) and the waves were belly high on the background swell - with shoulder high sets running through every now and then.

Roland didn't get there at 2pm, so I went ahead and launched.  With as much wind as there was, I pulled up wind and got almost to Hau Bush.  The breaks seem to stand up more the further over you go.  You can see the track I took going downwind back to WPB.

I got in 20 miles in just over 2 hours.  I only got to 18.1mph - which is odd, because I felt like I was screaming on the waves.  I caught more rides today than most sessions - I picked off the big ones and had one ridiculous wave that went from all the way outside right to where the surfers were lined up.

I was powered up well on the 4.5 - except for a few holes in the wind.  The wind was definitely stronger than Saturday.  I think at times I could have been on the 3.6 and still ripping.

This was definitely one of the best sessions I've had to date!!!!

Epic!!!!

Wing Foiling Session - 9/18/2021

Ran errands in the morning with the kids - all the time waiting for the forecasted wind to pick up in intensity.  Finally got setup (HS1550v1, Ensis 5.2) and launched around 1pm.  PERFECT CONDITIONS!!!  Strong, steady Easterlies, S-SSW swell - not to big, not too small and a nice full tide!

Marlon also came out with his drone - he got some good video of Roland and I foiling up and down the break.

This is Roland - its hard to tell the difference between our wings, but I was on a 5.2 and he was on a 4.5

I got in 23 miles in 2 hours.  There were some awesome waves that came through every now and then - slingshooting on the waves, dropping in to the standup pit and riding with the wing depowered - this is the pinnacle of foiling for me!!!

Good wind nearly the whole session.  I think I could have gotten away with using the 4.5 - but I wanted to test this wing also (like I tested the 6.0) - repairs all good!!!

The spikes in speed touching 20mph were on the drops - moving that fast on a foil is super exciting.

I was up on foil for the majority of the session - you can count the times I came down - mainly wipeouts, a couple of times to rest my right leg (after jibing multiple times to ride waves and head back out), and once when the wind backed down.

Epic session!!!

Wing Foiling Session - 9/11/2021

I got my ass handed to me on Saturday afternoon.  While I was setting up, the wind was blowing nicely and the waves were borderline too big to foil (lip pitching when they broke).

It did seem a little on the light side as I was setting up.  I figured I would use the HS1550V1 to surf the waves, but pump up the 6.0 to compensate for the smaller front foil.  Used the Scoprega pump - this is a good unit - heavy, but after the warranty service to fix the stripped drive screw, it works brilliantly.

Well, it all went downhill fast.  I was able to get out through most of the breaking waves area.  Once deep enough, I flipped the foil into the water to prevent the wing from having a chance to get ripped.  And just as I was getting set to wing the rest of the way out, I got picked up and thrown backwards by a wave.  The foil board went upside down at some point, and when I got resituated, there was a smaller hole on one side of the strut, and a large rip on the other side.

Then the wind died and I had to make the call to paddle in.  I picked up a gust to foil through the break zone, but I was way down wind of Fenceline (pretty much at the last of the cabins).  There is a shallow reef ledge in this area so I knew getting back on land was going to have it challenges.  I was making it fine, until the last 10' - a wave came up and I was sure all my gear was going to get chewed up.  I still need to triple check, but upon inspection I only had a spot on the rear stabilizer that got scratched up.  I had not done the walk of shame in tons of sessions.

I definitely paid taxes today - but it certainly could have been worse.

Wing Foiling Session - 9/8/2021

Went winging with Eli and Roland today.  While getting setup up just after 4pm, the wind looked really good - like 4.5m good.  But just in the short time setting up, the wind dropped down to good 5.2m.  HS1550 and chopped 300 rear stab on the 60cm fuse and 85cm mast.

It was perfect 5.2 conditions - and pretty steady.  As I type this, my arm injuries that I have been contending with aren't even sore!  And I caught a few standup, drop the wing and carve up and down waves.

Then the wind died

And after a long lull - there was a puff that let me ride for a little bit longer.  I figure it was only going to get worse from this point so I took a wave in.

Here is Roland coming in after staying out another 30 minutes after I came in.

Right to the beach!

Looks like the wind is forecasted to be much weaker for the next several days - maybe Sunday will be the next winging session.  I'll take what I can get and be thankful for it!

Wing Foiling Session - 9/3/2021

The wind was forecasted to be really strong this afternoon - the forecast was not wrong.  There were some big swaths of white caps blowing around and there was also a sizable swell.  I rigged up the same foil setup as yesterday, and opted for the Ensis 4.5.  I picked this wing over the Reedin 3.6 because it seemed to be a notch below the "are you  nuts?" level.

I forgot my GPS watch so no data from today's session.  You can see the wind was really up, but that there were still some lulls.  There were some really big waves coming through.  I jibed to dropped into a handful - talk about tapped the energy source!!!! That didn't mean today's session was without its challenges.  The chop was really big - and it made riding swell very difficult.

You win some, you lose some!

Wing Foiling Session - 9/2/2021

I pulled a later afternoon winging session today - had gotten wrapped up in time sensitive errands.  I was rigged and in the water by 4:20pm.  There were white caps and definitely some swell pushing through.  I pumped up the Ensis 5.2 and bolted the HS1550 onto the NWFB - same setup as last time.

From the overlay, the wind was definitely from the ENE.  With the swell pushing from the SSE, you would have thought the luffed rides would have been awesome - and I did get a couple of really fun swell riding runs, but with the wind really up or really down, most of the slingshot jibes onto incoming swell ended up with a drop off foil because of the lulls.  Was actually kind of frustrating.  You can see my drops on the overlay because they are colored blue.

Still - not having wind over the past several days, anything was a welcome sight.  I got in a total of 17.5 miles with a top speed of 17.8 mph.  While the wind was up, I was up on foil without issue - but when I hit a dead wind zone, I was schlogging

.

Tomorrow is supposed to be 21 to 27 - I'll see if there is enough wind to put up the 3.6, or if the 4.5 will carry the day!  I'm also contemplating using the HS1250.  Iwindsurf.com is calling for stronger wind, while surfline.com is saying it'll be a notch stronger than today.  We'll see...

Wing Foiling Session - 8/24/2021

I hit WPB for a winging session after work today.  Got to the beach around 4pm.  The tide was nice and high (over 2'), there was a nice little swell pushing in.  Best of all, there was texture on the water from wind that was strong enough to drive me with the Ensis 5.2m2 and the Armstrong HS1550V1.

I left my watch at the house, so no data today.

The waves were just big enough to whip into them on a jibe and luff the wing - I got three like that - smiles for miles!!!  I also rode several goofy - I actually think those waves were longer rides for me.  Roland came out - he was on his smaller Amundson and the Ensis 4.5m2.  I saw him get a bunch of jumps in.  My next board will be lighter so I can jump it.

Lots of fun today (even though I lost my GoPro)!!!!

Wing Foiling Session - 8/6/2021

The wind was blowing pretty good for most of the day yesterday.  I had not planned on going winging, but all the trees moving drew me out.  By the time I got to the beach, the wind had backed off a little bit.  I was hoping to have enough wind to use the 3.6 - but I think I was lucky to have enough to put up the 5.2.  My watch battery needed to be charged so no data for this session.  But the waves were mostly small, and because of the high tide they weren't really breaking either - so no real loss.

Definitely bigger wing conditions.

The HS1550v1 has been my go to lately.  I tried jumping a few times on the outside - I need to correct something in my timing - I'm not getting the tail out of the water.  My tendinitis in my left upper forearm doesn't get helped when the wind is lighter and I have to use bigger wings.  The break was full of wingers - Derek, Brian, Josh, Kalani, Roland, Paul, Daniel, Mark and me - that's the most wingers I've seen out all at once over here.  Other than that - this session was mainly just going back and forth and riding waves back goofy footed.

Kalani seemed to have gone in early - and this was why - his front handle stitches popped.  Hopefully he brings it to Brenda to get both handles tightened up.

Saturday (today as I write this) is supposed to be the last day with wind for a while - I think I'm actually looking forward to prone surf foiling for a little bit - this has been a fantastic run of really good wind - but I need to give my arm a break to let the tendon heal up.

Wing Foiling Session - 8/3/2021

After work today, I was going to work in the garage, but the wind was cranking hard as I was driving home.  The crew was texting and I changed my mind.  I got home, loaded the truck and headed to WPB.

The wind seemed a little lighter and the waves were a hair smaller than yesterday.  I decided to pump up the Reedin 3.6 and see where it fit in.  The rest of the gear was the same as yesterday (HS1550, chopped 300 rear stabilizer).  Roland inflated the Ensis 4.5 and Kalani was on his 5.2

The wind had a lot more north in it today as well - so there was a larger wind shadow in the inside.  I had to swim the board and wing out pretty far out before I got to the wind line.  Yesterday on the Ensis 4.5, I felt that I had plenty of power and could have used the Reedin 3.6 - which is the primary reason I took the Reedin out today.  In the wind line the Reedin had really good pull and I didn't feel overpowered.  I did find myself expending a lot of effort trying to find the sweet spot - seemed like front hand more forward, back hand further back and sheeting in was the motion required to get the wing pressurized.

I got 14 miles in and was out for just over an hour and a half.  I wanted to try a different setting for tracking speed during the session - so I used the "run" app on the watch.  The run app records speed in minutes per mile (see graph at the bottom).  I think I'll just use the "bike" app.

I was out from 4:30 to 6pm.  There were a couple of lulls where I was schlogging, but I mostly felt well powered on the Reedin.  With more north in the wind, I had a harder time jibing while regular footed and luffing the wing while riding waves.  I got on to a few bombs and the wing would want to twist and flip.  On one run to spun around twice.  In general today, I could have just as easily used the Ensis 4.5 - and in the past before my tendinitis I would have probably looked at this wind and pumped up the Ensis 5.2.  The experiments I've been conducting to see how small of a wing I could use is opening my eyes to what can be.  

So if iwindsurf.com is predicting gusts in the red band, there should be enough power for me to use the Reedin.  The higher the better for the Reedin (25 to 35+) - lots of whitecaps and smoke on the water.  If there are more holes in the wind, or if it is closer to 20mph in strength (so call it 20 to 30),  I'll use the Ensis 4.5 - so steady whitecaps.  17 to 25 is 5.2.  And 14 to 20 is 6.0

I was able to stay up on foil more than not again today.  Good session!