Right off the dock I caught a few shorter runs in the Harbour and headed out toward Dead Island. There the wind was steadier. But without gusts to get going, I had a hard time getting up on the foil. My pumping technique still needs work. And once I'm going, when a lull comes I can't decide if trying to pump the board like I see in so many videos will ever work as well for me as pumping the sail.
My last run back from the Bay was a pretty epic full 3 km, all on the foil. I felt nicely balanced with both feet in the straps and hooked into the harness. Just twisting my hips seemed to be enough to control the overall setup. I think that might be my longest foil run yet?
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| 3km foil run from Dokis Island to Key Harbour |
The APProSail app on my Garmin Vivoactive 3 watch failed once again to record this session. I know I was out for around an hour, reached 16.6 knots (30 km/h) and likely covered 10 km. Might be the last time I use that app though.
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| Nice weather! |
I'm going to rig and try the 7.0 sail next time if it is just 12 knots.
Carl, how many sessions did it take before you could foil reasonably steady? And are you on the Slingshot 76cm?
ReplyDeleteHi Brian, great to hear from you. This is my 4th year foiling. The first two seasons I was on my narrow BIC Techno and Slingshot FW1. I pretty much always was on the edge, thinking I was about to overfoil or stuff the nose. Likely 30 sessions? My thighs would burn on long runs. I moved to the 76 cm front wing last year, that helped a lot. Now on my 9th? session on a dedicated wider Stingray board, I’m finally feeling really comfortable, especially after moving the wing back by switching the fuselage direction. Jibes are still elusive, but getting closer. How long have you been foiling?
DeleteThanks Carl. I wanted to have some expectations. I just got a slingshot Wizard 125, but I haven't had the conditions to try it out yet. I went out in light wind and struggled just to uphaul the thing. At 125L and the heavy wing, and my weight at 213lbs, the board was a total sinker. I've been off the water due to injuries and surgeries for two years, so I just need more time on the water.
DeleteBrian, you will grow to love it. And depending on your injury, it might be better than short boarding since it is so smooth. Check out this post from my first ever session... https://windsurfing-en-provence.blogspot.com/2017/05/my-first-wind-foiling-session.html
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