Evening Session - 3/15/2022

I got in an evening session with the skinny 4'10" and the GL180.  I bolted on the 27.5" mast since the tide was on the low side and only dropping more.

Roland was out and we were pretty much trading waves.  The crowd was manageable (still had kooks that were dropping in though).

I caught more than a couple of handfuls of waves - pretty long rides, lots of turns and a few pump outs.

Not a bad way to end a work day!

W:14/F:27/S:10

Wing Foiling Session - 3/13/2022

Super fun session today!!!  Right around noon, a strong SE wind started blowing - this is pretty rare.  I had to paddle the board out past the swim buoy to set a line to ride up on foil and head away from shore.  With the white capping conditions, it was pretty easy to get up.

I pumped up the Reedin SWX 5.2.  I think I could have used the SWX 4.2 - and for sure I would have been comfortable on the 4.5 (Ensis V2) - but I'm glad I had this wing out.  

I also bolted on the Kujira 980 on the 85cm Project Cedrus mast.  I think having the small foil helped balance the strong winds and the 5.2.

I forgot my watch so I don't have a track - which would have been very interesting due to the odd wind direction.  I would pinch up on the way out, then ride the wind chop on the way in.  ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE HARBOR!!!  Super long rides getting so many turns on the run in.  The 980 is so agile - I've been riding the 1095 and 1210 more - these are all fantastic foils - but the turns on the 980 feels like hucking buckets with a shortboard on a head high wall - SO GOOD!!! I usually have to go to WPB to get similar rides - but in order to make the really long runs there, I need a west wind (which is just as rare).

I also got a bunch more duck jibes in - most of which were totally dry.  The strong winds helped - I would just hold the wing like normal, head down wind and when the pressure dropped out of the wing I swing my grip and get the wing to swing low and into the turn and done.

I was fortunate to be really close to the launch when the wind just died.  Harris was not as fortunate - he was foiling Firsts.  Brantly was able to pick him up and drop him back off at the launch (LUCKY - that paddle SUCKS).

W:14/F:26/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 - 3/11/2022

 The forecasts were converging on solutions that called for decent wind this afternoon - and for once, the forecasts materialized!!!  OR 5.0 pumped up for today's run - and I wanted to see if the strut bladder was leaking (was soft last time).  Wind was over 20mph - but the water wasn't whitecapping.

I wasn't expecting steady, strong winds so I brought the 32.5" GoFoil mast, and the GL210 and PNL185. 

The wind was good a strong when I pulled up at 4pm.  Ken was coming in (had his new 7.0 Cabrinha Crosswing X3).  Matt was also coming in.  Jim and Harris were still out.  Harris and I headed out to Firsts - there were waves and the wind was holding so this made for a great session!

During the second half of the session, I was just practicing turns to get them back to second nature.  And I was able to get a duck jibe in!!!  Second attempt was successful - but every other try after that was botched.

It has been so long since we had wind like today!

W:12/F:26/S:10

Evening Session - 3/10/2022

Got a late evening after work session in yesterday.  Marlon was with La and Noe - I waited until they got back home before heading out to WPB.  The tide was too low to foil, so I brought out the TJ Everyday.  Marlon brought his longboard and away we went.

I caught a handful of really fun waves - they had enough energy to keep the rides long and fun.

W:11/F:26/S:10

Evening Session - 3/7/2022

Pulled an evening session after work today.  Waves were really small and far and few between.  Tide was rising from 0.8' to 1.2' while I was out.  And there was zero wind - zero.

I brought the 4'8" prone foil board with the Axis setup again.  I wanted to confirm the mast placement and shim were good to go before changing things up again.

I caught a handful of really long waves.  The ART 999 is definitely a glider.  I got some 3 for 1s in all of this - but I definitely wasn't able to crank my turns around when trying to bounce off whitewater.  I think it is more me and not the foil - but only time will tell.

Roland was out and launching back flips like he had a new foil (but probably just trying to finally break apart his Uni).

Not a bad session considering the microwaves.

I'm going to take some measurements and swap out the 3 bolt Axis adapter for the 4 bolt, make the estimated mast adjustments and try everything out again.

W:11/F:26/S:9

Evening Session - 3/6/2022

Got in a late evening session - still testing the Axis ART 999 setup that I've been using the past couple of days.

Waves were small (maybe thigh high), tide was high (1.4') and the wind was onshore (but weak).  The crowd was manageable - but there were still a bunch of kooks who though dropping in is cool.

I caught some really long rides - this foil is definitely a lemonade maker.  My first wave I picked up at the first cabin and ended up after a 3 for 1 over past Fenceline.  On my last wave I was going to try a hacking top turn, but looking over my shoulder I saw a bunch of BOBs (kooks just sitting around) in the re-entry area so I opted not to try.  I'm starting to get the feel of this foil - it is definitely a pumper - I think it is easier to pump than the Kujira 1095; but the 1095 seems to turn better (at least at this point) than the ART 999.  That may change as I get more time with this foil.  

I did notice there is a slight divergent angle between the foil and the bottom deck of the board - almost like I don't need the shims under the front mast base bolts.  But I also am not sensing any "nose down" board attitude, so this may be a case of leave well enough alone.  More testing needed.

W:11/F:25/S:9

Dawn Patrol -3/5/2022

Dawn patrolled with Marlon this morning.  When we got to the parking lot, he went to check the surf and came back with a look of disappointment - small surf with a lot of people poised to jump on it.  I was going regardless because I wanted to get the setup dialed in.

Marlon said he was going to just drone (but he did take his longboard out towards the end of my session).

I put the 3 bolt Axis adapter on the 68cm Project Cedrus mast and put on the same ART 999/400P/Crazy Short fuselage setup on the 4'8" prone foil board.  Immediately I noticed the 3-bolt adapter puts the fuselage significantly more forward than the 4 bolt adapter (that I used yesterday afternoon).  I did end up making two adjustments out on the water and by the end of the session, I felt like I had it dialed in position wise.

I caught several waves despite the small size and Saturday morning crowd.  I got 2 for 1s on most waves and at least a couple of 3 for 1s.  This foil combo definitely has glide and seems a little easier to pump than the Kujira 1095 - but I need to get more time on it before I can judge the turning ability.  I did not breach once with this setup (which could not be said for the Kujira 1095 on this mast).

Fun morning even though the surf was small.

Here's where the mast ended up sitting.  Looking at how far back the mast is, this is mostly attributed to the 3 bolt Axis adapter on the mast.  Pretty amazing the mast is this far back for a 1000+ sq cm front foil.  At first I was thinking this may be a detriment, but on further contemplation this can help when the mast track boxes are too far back on a particular board.  I'm going to have to use the 4 bolt adapter and see if placing the center of lift in the same place relative to the board (knowing the mast will go forward) will produce the same results (I love experimenting with this stuff!). 

W:11/F:24/S:9

Evening Session - 3/4/2022

The thermals did not develop yesterday afternoon - so I decided to go and take the Axis ART 999 out prone foiling.  I setup the ART 999 with the Crazy Short fuselage, the 400 Progressive rear stabilizer mounted on the Project Cedrus 75cm mast (with the 4 bolt Axis adapter - more on this on the next post).

The surf was small to begin with, but the main issue was the crowd - mostly kooks who would paddle in on a wave already being ridden.  Really frustrating.  This was the first time I had this front foil out for prone surf foiling so I was trying to get the mast positioning adjusted - not easy to do when 5 people on Wavestorms/Gerry Lopez Costco specials feel it is ok to drop in (Costco is ruining surfing - just saying).

I did manage to catch enough waves (like 3) to get the mast position set to ballpark (mostly equal foot pressure).

I should have used the 68cm mast (didn't hit bottom, but was too focused on not hitting bottom).

W:11/F:23/S:9

Wing Foiling Session - 3/3/2022

While I was driving home, Harris texted me and said there was wind.  I had noticed the thermals kicking in from the west, but I didn't check on it until Harris said Hickam was not that good, but White Plains did.  I checked the wind chart and was totally surprised - thermals blowing from the WNW (offshore at WPB).

I got home and asked Marlon if he wanted to go to the beach.  He asked what I was doing and I had already begun to pack the winging gear.  He said he was pass on surfing (based on an earlier drone recon mission) and just take pictures.

Here are two he grabbed of me.

I forgot my watch, so I won't be posting speed charts and track overlays.  But this was pretty spot on magnitude wise.

This direction of wind is rare on the south shore.  I was riding waves that were forming in the strong west winds.  The wind was full of holes and I had my fair share of lulls.  I did manage to get some really good rides in - wide wing foiling board, Ocean Rodeo A 5.0, GoFoil's GL180 - great equipment!

Hopefully another thermal develops tomorrow!

W:11/F:22/S:9

Dawn Patrol - 3/2/2022

Marlon and I dawn patrolled yesterday morning (my last day of vacation) - the swell was still decent size (belly), the tide was high and the wind was down.  When I was stretching on the beach, the waves were actually firing - chest to shoulder high sets that were dominating the middle break.  I even thought I should go back to the truck and change out the Kujira 1095 for the 980.

Marlon bolted on his longboard and I was able to see him catch several.

I was cheating by staying on the inside.  I caught several that would have me going from cabins almost the whole way to fenceline.  It was a little frustrating to see an epic swell firing when I first got there, only to have it back down for almost the entire session.

The waves were bigger than this - just one of the pictures Marlon took while checking it out pre-session.

The Kujira 1095 - intuitively you would not think that foil is as good as it is - but honestly I'm having a hard time foiling on anything else.  It is that good!  Also - I did foil with the 75cm mast - I didn't breach once.  Going to have to figure out what I'm doing with the 68 (but not until a low tide day).

W:11/F:21/S:9

The Beginnings of No.24

Here is the result of a lot of pondering on taking the good things from No.23 (square rails, low chine, and straight tail) and adding a little more volume for those lower wind days.  This is the template for the 5'2" prone foil board I built a while back - just opened up a few inches to get the width above 24".

I didn't cut it out yet - I'm still contemplating other options (like using the wide 4'10" template and opening that up - I don't think I'm benefitting much from the length of a 5'2" so dropping it down to 4'10" should reduce swing weight inertia and keeping the width at 24" will provide stability and volume).

Well - at least I got the centerline measured out...

Dawn Patrol - 3/1/2022

Dawn patrol this morning - swell is showing up (belly to chest high), tide was higher at 1.3' (dropping down to a bottom of 0.8'), and there was no wind.  

I wanted to validate my theory of breaching recently with the 68(73) cm mast.  Riding the 75(80) cm mast made foiling super easy - I didn't even think about trim - I just rode.  From now on, the 75 will come out as long as the tide will support it.  I'm still going to use the 68 - but I may start to transition to the Axis ART foils (and I'll start with the 68 mast).

The swell was pumping when I first got to the beach.  By the time I was out in the line up, the swell seemed to back down.  I ended up catching a bunch of long rides.  Andrew, Rick and Tim were out.  Seemed like a Saturday but on a Tuesday.

Tomorrow is supposed to be even better!!!

W:10/F:21/S:9

Evening Session - 2/28/2022

I hit WPB in the late afternoon.  The tide was supposed to be on the low side - a low high tide at 0.8' dropping fast to bottom out at 0.3'.  I did not want to fret about bottom strikes, so I brought out the TJ Everyday.

The waves were on the weak side at maybe waist high on the rare set (thigh high and lower for the most part).

With this combo of factors, I brought the Firewire TJ Everyday out.

If I could only have one board - this would be it.  The Everyday turned crap waves into super fun performance surfing.  Sure it was still pretty much gliding and cruising, but maneuvering to stay in the pocket, manually controlling speed by hand dragging in the face, and getting in a hard 180 cranking turn when the opportunity arose - all make this one incredible board.

Glad to have gotten in another surfing session among all the foil missions!

Roland was the diehard foiler (even with the low dropping tide...)

W:10/F:20/S:9

Dawn Patrol - 2/27/2022

Marlon and I got to the beach a little earlier today than we have been - I had a time table to keep to get Noe and La over to music and sailing respectively.  There was leftover energy from the WNW still on tap this morning.  Quick draining tide and almost no wind made for really clean conditions - a big change from yesterday.

Marlon and I brought out the same gear as yesterday.  Post session Marlon said he got some really fun waves.

The waves over in front of the cabins really weren't breaking.  And up until the last half hour, every wave I caught ended up with a wipeout - incredibly frustrating.  I eventually told myself to calm down and focus on keeping the board closer to the water (to prevent the catastrophic breaches I was having).  My last four waves were back to normal for me - long rides with lots of hard carving turns.  I did move the mast forward a quarter inch so the back foot pressure issue from yesterday was resolved.  I'm attributing the blow ups from yesterday and today to the 7cm mast height difference.  The extra height allowed me to still ride high and have the tail buried sufficiently.  Going to the 68cm mast took that margin away, but I did not adjust my riding accordingly.

Now that I have identified this, any time there is wave energy and I can catch waves outside the shallows, I'll bolt on the 75cm mast.  I can be more aggressive on takeoffs and turns and not pop the tail out of the water.  Whenever the tide is lower and the wave energy is less than optimal, I'll use the 68cm mast.  These conditions are where the waves are small (thigh high and lower) and the tide is between +0.7' and +1.0' (above 1.2' I really don't worry about the bottom interactions). 

I'm glad I figured all that out, and that there is still purpose having the 75cm Project Cedrus mast (I thought with the 68cm mast I would be using the 75 way less).

W:10/F:20/S:8