Friday after work foil session

I got my mom up north and my email inbox under control and headed out for an late afternoon foil session. The wind report didn't suggest anything good would come up. The temperature for the first day of fall seeming more like the middle of summer and I wore a shorty I didn't even zip up. I set out on the Techno 148 with the 36 inch slingshot H2 hoverfoil. This was the first time that the 7.0 felt comfortable for foiling.

In fact, I was feeling very comfortable. This was my 15th session foiling. I could pump onto a plane in the 12 knot gusts and keep going in the 8-10 knot wind. The pumping motion that seemed to work best was 1 or 2 slow pumps and then many more frequent (and getting smaller) pumps.

Overall this session was quite different from my first sessions where I needed whitecapping 15 knot gusts to get going. I really only overfoiled once and even then I didn't have any catapults. Top speed was again 30km/h which I've been told from a few sources now is really the top speed for this foil. And that is fast enough for me!

As the session went on, I noticed that I had my legs straight and was standing most of the time. I recalled sessions from 2 months ago where my legs were bent the whole time and I was super tense. I was relaxed enough to spend a few seconds looking down under the board to see the foil slicing through the water. Cool!

I was feeling much more comfortable on the foil, and even tried turning downwind twice to initiate jibes. Well learning to jibe may have to wait until next year!

Smiling cdn guy with the foilboard

The foil runs - two jibe attempts!

Canada D(eh) super session - first foil video!

Canada day, July 1st 2017. The west wind had come up quickly after the last rain showers went through and the sun started shining.

The small 4.7 sail and board I used for my first few runs!

I actually started out on the small 4.7m sail as it was so windy - that doesn't happen often. After 3 very nice runs the wind had dropped and I walked up to get the 6.2m sail but that wasn't even enough.

Launching the wind foil board

So I got the Techno with the foil and did some more runs with that. This was now my 4th time ever trying this new sport. It is really exciting as the America's Cup boats are now using foils to get all the way around the race course!

My lovely wife got the first ever video of me wind foiling! It is definitely easier wearing the waist harness. I did a few short foil runs usually getting up going for a bit, then dropping back down. When I started trying to go down wind I'd usually wind up gently wiping out. I did a dozen or so runs like in the video.

4th foil practice from Canadian Guy on Vimeo.

And now the wind was building again. Back to the 6.2 and Skate 108. I headed out for my first long regular session of the season. The weather was warm (20c), the water was getting nicer, and the wind was perfect and building from the west. Especially after downhauling the sail at Taggart's island to make it more comfortable, I had some awesome runs back and forth. I went over to visit Scott and OJ and have them text home that I'd be late for dinner! Maximum speed was 53 km/h.

Full track looking west, 35 km. So much fun going between all the islands

Total time 2.5 hours, 35 km!

After dinner there was a great boat parade through the harbour. It was so windy, I could have still been windsurfing at sunset.

Canada day boat parade in windy Key Harbour
(view looking west out toward the sunset and same direction as my track above)

What a fantastic Canada Day!