Parawing Session - 7/13/2026

When I got to the beach, there was wind.  It was further out, but there was wind and whitecaps.

There were still some decent sized waves breaking and the tide was super high.

Despite what I saw, I did not trust the wind.

I rigged big - AFS Enduro 1300/HA43 with the BRM S3 5.3.

But even that gear could not make the swirly wind any easier to get up on foil with.

Prayot came out with parawing and paddle.  Alex was out on Foil Drive.  Brent was out prone foiling.  And Derek was launching his Manta when I was packing up.

The wind just plain sucked.  Both too light and too swirly.

I did manage to get up, but it was work.  If anything, I'm getting more experience using the BRM S3 in underpowered conditions and getting up.

This is Hickam's chart.  The wind at WP follows this pattern but is often a touch lighter and a hair more north.

That is a long-worded way of saying it sucked.

At least I did not get skunked and the wind picked up enough at the end to get me back to the launch point.  In that regard this was a successful session!

I am going to take a rest day and work on the boards.  But I'm also going get the Foil Drive ready to go.

PF:8/W:3/PW:77/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 7/3/2026

Had the day off today - opted to skip the dawn patrol and wait for the wind to come up.  Prayot said he was going to Hickam at 12.  I kinda thought the wind would be better at 2 - but I had other things to do also, so 12 it was.

There was texture on the water - but just like the past several days, it was up and down (and swirly all around).

Big stuff - AFS Enduro 1300/HA43 on No.34 and the BRM S3 5.3 (today would have been good for a Flysurfer POW V2 5.5...., or the big Triple Seven PT Skin 7.2 that Kalani and Norm have).

Early on the wind was too light.  I was out on the water for a bit before I started recording data - just floating around waiting.

Eventually the wind came up, but it was still up and down.  Prayot made a beeline out to Firsts and Seconds.  I stayed inside because I didn't trust the wind.

More north than east also meant skillful navigation was required to avoid the paddle.

Way up and way down.

I mainly worked on light wind get ups and down loop jibes.  I didn't even try tacks because I didn't want to have to do the work to get back up on foil if I botched it.

More time down and up today - but it's been that way for the last few sessions.

I'm going to hit Kailua on the dawn patrol tomorrow to get around all the parking lot nightmares (Happy 250th Birthday America!!!!) 

PF:8/W:3/PW:68/FD:53/S:20

Parawing Session - 6/8/2026

I was going to rest today, but the wind started blowing around the house - I figured I'd at least check it out.

Robby was in the parking lot - working on a call he got, and not really looking like he was going to be able to head out.

The wind line was further out - and it looked doable.

BRM S3 5.3 and the Cab setup on No.34

The wind actually sucked.

I was hard pressed to connect my runs because the wind would not allow me to jibe.

The whole session was really just trying to get up on foil (which I probably did because of the S3)

At least I didn't have to paddl back in.

Trap wind - the gusts make it look doable, but the wind really isn't there

It was still good to get the work day off with time in the water.

Might be time for FD -

PF:8/W:3/PW:60/FD:41/S:18

Parawing Session - 5/14/2026

I forgot my watch at home, so no tangible data today.

When I got to the parking lot, there was wind.  I dropped off my board/foil and headed down to PVs so I could catch a ride back up and do the downwinder.  Stu and Norm were going to DW also.

Prayot was at the beach holding his Power Pack 4.3 - I told him he wasn't going to be able to get up on foil with that PW today.  I loaned him the BRM S3 5.3 - 

And I packed the Triple Seven PT Hybrid 5.7

When I was dropping the truck off at PVs, I did put up the Hybrid 5.7 to ground handle it - it had plenty of power with the wind present.

The rest of the setup was the same as yesterday - AFS Enduro 1100/Mako Carve Pro Medium/Short fuselage/UHM 80cm mast all on No.34

As soon as I hit the water - as usual the wind died.  But I figured the clouds overhead would blow through and the wind would return.  At least that's what I hoped would happen.

I drifted for quite some time before I picked up a gust strong enough to get me up onto foil.  I was able to get up in front of the last few cabins and make it out to outside Campgrounds.  I was WAY outside (bluewater).

The wind started glassing out - so I began paddling back in.

The wind did eventually filled in and I got up on foil making a direct beeline in.

I got in without issue - and to make sure I can in good conscience call this a session I jibed and headed back out.  I really didn't want to get stuck outside so I jibed again and made it in.

I bet I could have done this faster with a big PW like Norm's Triple Seven PT Skin 7.3

The forecasts are all over the map again - I think I'll avoid the skunk and break out the Foil Drive -

PF:8/W:2/PW:43/FD:36/S:16

Parawing Session - 4/3/2026

Grinding concrete floors at work... needed to rinse all that dust off

Wind was just parawingable -

Nice high tide - waves if you were patient.

Same equipment as last session, but bolted on the AFS Enduro 1300/HA43 (from the lesson learned last session)

Stu, Prayot, Kalani, Eddy, Robby, Roland, Duke and Derek were all out at some point.

The wind was more up and down than I thought...

If I wasn't so stubborn, I think I would have had a blast with the North Nova Pro 5.0

But instead I had a 50-50 session - half up, half down.  I could have gotten up pumping the wing - but instead I chose to train in lighter wind.

I did get a few double loop jibes in.  And I did get field stripped a few times.

In between those extremes I did a few normal jibes.

I did get to ride a few waves - but Robby and Eddy got the good ones.

I could sense the wind backing off so I figured I'd try and catch a few waves on the way in.

I got up on two - but the parawing pouch was full of water and my weight was not distributed properly.  But I did get up so it counts!

PF:5/W:2/PW:31/FD:23/S:9

Parawing Session - 10/16/2025

There was wind but it was weird.  It actually was a low pressure system moving over Oahu.

It was onshore, with hints of trades periodically.

Nice full tide.

I brought out the same gear I've been using.

Prayot got a new to him board - nice S. Ordonez Lift.

I paddled out pretty far to get into the wind line - and it was blowing side on.  I got up and riding without too much drama.  Had to hold the E-W line to use the wind.

Then the wind shifted and everything turned for the worse.  I didn't have to paddle in too far - and it was pretty easy on No.42

Prayot did get up on foil once, then stashed the PW and didn't get back up with the PW for the rest of the session.  He did pick up three waves prone foiling the board.

The low end on the Flysurfer POW is pretty darn incredible - but it can't pull in nothing winds.  Which is pretty much what we got after 2:30pm

At least I got up on foil (three times as a matter of fact), rode some waves and got in some solid jibes (save the first one where I couldn't get the PW to roll over).

Forecasts are calling for much stronger winds over the next few days.  I'm hoping they are correct and I can bring out the smaller PWs.

W:57/FD:127/PW:50/S:8

Parawing Session - 10/15/2025

Winds were a bit deceptive today.  There was texture on the water and the trees were moving, but the actual tangible wind felt weak.

Surf was small and the tide was medium depth.

DW crew today - Stu and Norm - both on wing.

I used the same gear as yesterday, but moved the mast up to the position where I had previously mounted the Enduro 900.

It felt like I could get up onto foil a little faster than yesterday - but it is hard to determine if that was the mast position or the wind (which did fill in)

Getting started was the hard part today.  The first two turns I botched - but the wind was shifty and light.

After that, I felt like I was up and riding for most of the session.

Even though it didn't feel like it, the conditions were better today.  Norm was up and riding all over the place - so that definitely means the wind was better today.

Tight correlation between speed achieved and wind speed again.

I'll likely just PW WPB tomorrow.

W:57/FD:127/PW:49/S:8

Parawing Session - 10/14/2025

The trades started to fill back in this afternoon.  Norm, Robby and I setup for a WP-PV DW run.  There were genuine white caps at the top of the run (WP)...

And whitecaps at the bottom of the run.

I bolted on the AFS Enduro 1300/HA43 setup on to No.42 through the UHM 80cm mast.

This was the second time I've had the board out - and the first time on parawing.  I used the Flysurfer POW 5.0

Despite the whitecaps - of course the wind backed off as I was paddling out.  I still managed to get up on foil multiple times (because the wind would shift and drop off a lot).

My first two runs early on stopped because of botched jibes (from spinning winds).  Then the wind just flattened out.  Then it would gust, carry and drop, then repeat.

I got more takeoffs goofy footed than regular.  And by the end of the session I was nailing my jibes again.

I think I need to push the mast forward a couple of notches next time I go out.  There were some runs where I was pumping enough that I should have been up on foil.  Perhaps that would have reduced my down on the water time.

Also of note, I believe the bottom shape on this board makes standing and doing whatever it takes to get up on foil way easier than doing this same thing on the KT Dragonfly - it was way less stable in the roll axis.

At least I didn't get skunked!

You can see a strong correlation between these two graphs.

This was a great first run with No.42 on wing.

W:57/FD:127/PW:48/S:8