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Do you step off gracefully?

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Peter_Frank
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Do you step off gracefully?

Postby Peter_Frank » Mon May 18, 2020 10:01 pm

Meaning, how do you go ashore?

Wingfoiling or kitefoiling, almost same thing it seems.

I always ride foiling, so far in, on both foil types, that it is only one or two feet deep, and then I fall back on my back in the water.

NOT very gracefully, I know, but fast easy and safe.
Kite racers do the same, except they lift the foil all the way up above the water, having straps, while falling on their back in lower water.

If you jump off your board to lee or windward, and land on your feet, even on a sandy bottom when you dont know how deep it is exactly, the risk of foot injury is extreme, some of my friends has really had some issues...
Even worse if small rocks and shells, you will cut your bare feet :roll:

Thus falling back on you back is safe, and the kitefoil can be tilted on its side so it does not scrape on anything.

A bit more difficult wingfoiling, because of the high span, tilting it on its side is not as good as just going slow and let it stop straight on the sandbank, after you have jumped off.
Here I also fall on my back, and this is even more ridiculous, as the wing does not lift and is taken down over me ha haa, must look stupid, but safe :naughty:

Have sometimes headed upwind a tad, fallen deliberately upwind, and had the wing fall to the side of me, a bit more elegant.

Of course one could just stop out when deep, and jump in the water, and get pulled to shore from here with the kite, easy.
But no way I want to stop further out than necessary...
Not possible with a wingfoil, as you can not drag to shore, but have to sit on the board, or swim besides it, to low water :roll:

A boring topic maybe, just curious, sitting here waiting for something, but have honestly thought about how you guys/girls do it?

Going all the way towards shore, jumping high and holding the board under your arm, and landing gracefully on the beach, is of course top - but hardly possible as too low that close to shore in most spots, and can be risky, only advantage is you can see the ground, so no risk of foot injury :thumb:

This does only apply for kitefoil though, not wingfoil.

8) Peter
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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby flying grandpa » Mon May 18, 2020 10:29 pm

With me is exactly the same, Peter.
Safety first. :thumb:

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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby Craz Z » Mon May 18, 2020 10:53 pm

naw carbon is too expensive to be a trickster.

I judge the depth and bail or stall the foil and walk off then roll the board over and walk it in looks graceful enough and doesnt risk breaking anything. Sometimes when water depths drop over known hidden secrets aka boulders I'll high mast it and bail to get that little bit closer to the exit point.

I once tried to be a trickster and high mast the foil and grab the board on my plunge into the water and got a serious gash on my palm. Missed the board and got a samurai sword slice instead.

I like the safety idea rather then the stylish dismount points keeps me in the game longer.

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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby FLandOBX » Mon May 18, 2020 11:04 pm

Good topic. I confess that I'm still trying to sort all of this out in my own riding.

When I ride to the shallows and hop off the board, I'm always worried about where the foil will go. I feel like there is a risk not only of my feet landing on a sharp rock or shell, but also of the foil rearing its ugly head and biting me.

Then there are the many times I've tried to ride to the shallows and unexpectedly hit a sandbar, only to face-plant in front of cheering onlookers. Definitely NOT a stylish landing. :cry:

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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby gl » Mon May 18, 2020 11:46 pm

I usually jump off onto my feet just before the foil hits bottom leaving the board foil down. It had never occurred to me that I might hurt my feet as I wear boots because of the shells. There is the odd rock so from now on I will use your method Peter. Thanks for starting the topic.

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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby JakeFarley » Mon May 18, 2020 11:54 pm

For my surfboard I come in and send the kite overhead and dismount on the lee side using the lift of the kite to keep me from landing hard. Not sure if you have enough lift with a kite for foiling to do that.

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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby jumptheshark » Tue May 19, 2020 12:35 am

Almost all rocky exits. Stop and plop with plenty of depth.

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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby davesails7 » Tue May 19, 2020 12:47 am

Peter_Frank wrote:
Mon May 18, 2020 10:01 pm
If you jump off your board to lee or windward, and land on your feet, even on a sandy bottom when you dont know how deep it is exactly, the risk of foot injury is extreme, some of my friends has really had some issues...
I broke my leg jumping off my SUP when I thought it was deep water back in October and still working back from that injury :( I'm definitely more careful coming into the beach on my foil now!

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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby Jyoder » Tue May 19, 2020 1:52 am

Just ride the foil right into the ground, boost off, and land on the beach. Every now and then it’ll actually work.

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Re: Do you step off gracefully?

Postby PrfctChaos » Tue May 19, 2020 2:32 am

Check 20-30 seconds into this clip. Oyvind the legend.



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