Foil Drive Dawn Patrol - 1/11/2026

Dawn patrolled on the Foil Drive again this morning.

Same gear as yesterday.

The waves were smaller than yesterday.  But if you patiently waited, some decent waves rolled through on the sets.

There was only really one takeoff spot this morning - out in front of the rental shack.  I was pretty far out so I wasn't competing with any SUPs or longboarders when catching waves.  And as I got closer to the lineups, I hopped out the back and let everybody get their share.

15 rides today.  That's really good considering the conditions.

Foil Drive definitely has it's place in the tool box.  I'm glad to have other tools to make best use of the presented conditions - but thank goodness for the Foil Drive!

PW:3/FD:4/S:3

Foil Drive Dawn Patrol - 10/11/2025

Dawn patrol - super high tide.  When I got to the beach there was overtopping (and it was still overtopping when I left 2 hours later).

There were waves, but they weren't breaking because of the full tide.  And a lot of the energy was reflecting back out to sea.

I rigged the same gear as yesterday to glide across the flat spots - the Enduro 900 is the sweet spot for me weight - performance wise.

I also brought out No.39 - conceptually moving faster across the water will result in efficiency of battery usage and engaging the foil faster.

Efficiency wise, I came in after two hours and I still had 40% battery.

Dennis was out.  So was the Lift eFoiler.  Mark and Andrew were out and over at 5-O's.  Noel was catching on his SUP foil.  And Roland eventually came out (just got back from a trip).

I stayed out in front of Cabins predominantly.  And I would wait for the peaks to show at the outside breaks.

Almost all the rides were on running bumps.  I only had one wave with whitewater (and that one was a blast!).

20 rides - half of them were super long from the outside all the way in (deep water - no issues with bottom strikes).

Thermals kicked in nicely today - but I abstained.  La's parents are here and she had to work - I didn't want them to have to stay at home the whole day so I ran errands with them.

I'll likely Foil Drive again tomorrow morning - the swell is supposed to pick up a notch.  We'll see if the thermals pop again.

W:56/FD:125/PW:47/S:8

Foil Drive Session - 10/10/2025

I actually tried to foil Hickam this morning so I could knock out some errands - but I forgot my prop.

I ended up at WPB - but to my surprise it was pretty good given the conditions (SUPER high tide, small-ish waves, ZERO wind).

Enduro 900/HA40 on No.41

Was pretty good fun -

I stayed on the Coves side of Fenceline to stay away from the surfers - 

Most of the rides were going right

15 rides - so fun when the surface is clean!

W:56/FD:124/PW:47/S:8

Evening Foil Drive Session - 10/8/2025

Onshore winds, low wave energy and a board that needs to be sanded were all reasons I wasn't going to go out today.  But Norm is back and I needed to burn a battery down to storage levels, so my arm got twisted to go Foil Drive-ing.

The conditions were not good - choppy and bumpy short period small waves...

Good thing I had the Enduro 900 - easier to connect the dots.

The rides were on the short side.  And to get some good turns in, you had to ride a bit further in to where the waves were standing up.

The curves indicate the rides where I got to carve a bit.

I know I missed several attempted rides - so I'll call this 17 rides.

It was good to get in the water regardless of the conditions.  I think tomorrow I will need to sand No.42 and get the clear coat sprayed on.  Marlon and La should both be working when I get home so the garage will be clear.

W:56/FD:123/PW:47/S:8

Dawn Patrol - 2/9/2025

Similar conditions to yesterday - but a little more chop on the surface, more frequent waves, and a slightly higher tide.

Same gear as yesterday.

Dean, Andrew, Marvin, Dennis were the crew today.

With the slightly bigger size, carving was than much easier - the standing parts of the wave made for whackable targets.

Marvin and Dennis were both on efoil and j-hooking into sections nicely.  I picked up a 20cm cable from Marvin - gonna try using that length when I get the new stator to see if efoiling is easier (like it is for Dennis).

Another day with a set riding pattern

Seventeen rides in just over an hour

Uber fun session!!!

W:9/FD:24/PW:1/S:1

Dawn Patrol - 2/8/2025

The forecasted bump did arrive.  Waves were usually waist high - but every now and then a nice one pulled through.  Tide was medium (and I did touch bottom on the way out).

There was some wind, but it wasn't messing with the quality of the surface conditions.

Most of the foil crew was out - Dennis, Dean, Andrew, Eddy, Charles, Mark, and others.

Same setup as the past multiple FD sessions - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This was an awesome session.  The conditions were clean enough to takeoff without contending with spray - that makes a huge difference in battery usage efficiency.

Seven miles in 1.3 hours and I still came in with 35%

Serious carving today - but you had to hunt down the pockets.  Unless you were on a bigger wave (of which I probably had 5) - then you just slashed and burned!!!

Definite patterns today! 

Twenty-one waves - speaks volumes to the benefit of clean conditions!

Super fun!!!

W:9/FD:23/PW:1/S:1

Dawn Patrol 2/2/2025

Dawn patrolled WP this morning.  Tide was high (and eventually drowned out the small waves).  Minimal wind.

Norm and Marvin also came out.

Same gear - no surprises.

I did bring the GoPro 12 Black to test out angles and a new floating selfie stick.

Lining up shots was not easy.  And trying to get pics of other people if they are any more than 5' away is not really an option. 

When I FD with Marvin and Norm, I don't get a lot of mileage - they burn through their batteries too fast.  I'm used to foiling with Dennis and Kalani where I have to be thrifty with the throttle to stay out for 2 hours.

When in Rome...

Despite the waves being small, I got plenty of rides in - and there was a pattern (I like it when there are ride patterns).

Those longer rides towards the end of the session were recycles powered by the battery.  I'll call this 15 rides - not bad (and continuing the streak of increasing ride counts)

Fun session this morning!  I think it'll be rest day tomorrow.

W:8/FD:22/PW:1

Dawn Patrol - 2/1/2025

Dawn patrol this morning - waves got smaller...

But the tide was super high and there was no wind.

The WPB Weekend Dawn Patrol crew was out in force - Eddy, Deam, Andrew, Dennis and others were out.

Same gear -

You had to keep your eyes on the horizon to look for ridable waves

The gear I have been using is specialized for these conditions - so I had plenty of rides.

Marvin was out on the Code 850S setup he recently acquired.  Dennis swapped the KT board for an Amundson (and he loved the change) - this was for prone FD.

I'm calling this 22 rides in an hour and a half

Definitely had to work it - but it was still a fun session

W:8/FD:21/PW:1

Evening Session - 1/28/2025

Shifty winds this afternoon = Foil Drive session.

Small waves, medium tide at 0.7'

Marvin and Norm were out also.

Everyone was on their normal gear.

Except I switched to the Magic Hub - just to remember what characteristics it has.  Those would be more torque and less top end speed.  Basically I need to remember this would be best for bigger waves.

Not bad run time - considering I was trying to mix in efoiling between waves.  I still feel more comfortable with my normal mode (lower throttle, prone - then gun it to catch waves).

There were some fun waves mixed in with the small stuff (where you were just trying to keep moving).

A few of these I was able to get some good turns in.

I'll call this 18 rides - but a couple of handful of these were just pickups and pumps. 

Always fun on the Foil Drive!!!

W:8/FD:18/PW:1