Gong Veloce impressions

[TomW]

3rd session today in choppy turbulent water and 7m hyperlink. A bit underpowered at times on 20m lines. A lot of sea grass floating around fouling my mast and I was hitting stuff in the water getting ejected off the foil.
I'm starting to think that the pro m might be better in higher wind ,choppy and turbulent conditions.
Will get my replacement 40 surf stab soon ( loaned the one I have to a friend), and will do 2-3 more sessions on the Veloce before switching to m pro wings.

[TomW]

Sessions 4 and 5. Yesterday 33km on 13m hyperlink good power. Had a lot of trouble, turns out there was a lot of seaweed in water.
Today complete overpower on 9m hyperlink in 18-20 knots and choppy with decent windswell. 35km. Great session, really enjoying the active and committed riding this foil requires. Challenging compared to the Pro M, but more exciting.

[Flyboy]

Why such a big kite? I'm not sure about the Hyperlinks, but in 18 - 20 knots I would probably be on my 5m wave kite. I'm not a racer obviously.

[scottnorby]

Great thread!
But I have to say ......growing up in the PNW riding gusty winds with limited access-- I am excited about winging
Much better access to the water and no need for a beach to launch from
And it sounds like the place you live may be tricky to kite (seaweed and sketchy launches) like here?

After 20 years of kiting im sorry to say that kite foiling felt like mowing the lawn
Never really stuck-- coming from a strapless surfboard in waves background

But Winging.....is a whole new deal
Just Encouraging you to try Winging's complex simplicity
But never stop kiting

[TomW]

Why such a big kite? I'm not sure about the Hyperlinks, but in 18 - 20 knots I would probably be on my 5m wave kite. I'm not a racer obviously.

I should have been on my 7. Wind increased despite the prognosis.

[TomW]

Great thread!
But I have to say ......growing up in the PNW riding gusty winds with limited access-- I am excited about winging
Much better access to the water and no need for a beach to launch from
And it sounds like the place you live may be tricky to kite (seaweed and sketchy launches) like here?

After 20 years of kiting im sorry to say that kite foiling felt like mowing the lawn
Never really stuck-- coming from a strapless surfboard in waves background

But Winging.....is a whole new deal
Just Encouraging you to try Winging's complex simplicity
But never stop kiting

Hi Scott, launches, on the beach are fine. My local spot , 1km from home, usually is clean, but been a lot of rain and wind this year. Churns up vegetation. South from me in the sound, theres a lot of eelgrass and that's a problem for all forms of foiling.

I've considered winging, but even at 15 knots, there's a huge amount of chop and wind waves. Waves are completely junk and unorganized. Onshore wind most of the time. Beaches are sparsely populated, so no crowds on the beach. Plus, I'm not very strong in my arms and shoulders, getting up in yrs so it's not getting better.
Haven't totally closed the door, but still sceptical.

[Flyboy]

Great thread!
But I have to say ......growing up in the PNW riding gusty winds with limited access-- I am excited about winging
Much better access to the water and no need for a beach to launch from
And it sounds like the place you live may be tricky to kite (seaweed and sketchy launches) like here?

After 20 years of kiting im sorry to say that kite foiling felt like mowing the lawn
Never really stuck-- coming from a strapless surfboard in waves background

But Winging.....is a whole new deal
Just Encouraging you to try Winging's complex simplicity
But never stop kiting

Everybody's got an opinion ... that's usually based on their own experience. Hood River = big winds, big river swells. Pacific coast = big winds, big waves. Perhaps less call for foiling? Living on the Great Lakes = lots of light winds with occasional strong wind/waves, kite foiling makes a lot of sense. It's true that foiling feels a bit like everything's is "slow motion" compared to riding a SB in strong winds/big waves.

I'm curious what the balance of windsurfing/foiling vs kitesurfing/foiling vs winging is in the Gorge these days? I can see that access for kites is much more problematic than it would be for windsurfers or wings.

[scottnorby]

Great thread!
But I have to say ......growing up in the PNW riding gusty winds with limited access-- I am excited about winging
Much better access to the water and no need for a beach to launch from
And it sounds like the place you live may be tricky to kite (seaweed and sketchy launches) like here?

After 20 years of kiting im sorry to say that kite foiling felt like mowing the lawn
Never really stuck-- coming from a strapless surfboard in waves background

But Winging.....is a whole new deal
Just Encouraging you to try Winging's complex simplicity
But never stop kiting

Hi Scott, launches, on the beach are fine. My local spot , 1km from home, usually is clean, but been a lot of rain and wind this year. Churns up vegetation. South from me in the sound, theres a lot of eelgrass and that's a problem for all forms of foiling.

I've considered winging, but even at 15 knots, there's a huge amount of chop and wind waves. Waves are completely junk and unorganized. Onshore wind most of the time. Beaches are sparsely populated, so no crowds on the beach. Plus, I'm not very strong in my arms and shoulders, getting up in yrs so it's not getting better.
Haven't totally closed the door, but still sceptical.

Totally understand....and yeah it's pretty demanding when you are learning.
Everyone who learns seems to quickly lose 10 pounds in their first month

Just trying to help....

And I think the growth of Winging will not be as noticeable at first because there are so many rideable spots ...it will be spread out growth.
RIders are picking it up in Oklahoma, Minnesota, and all over the USA in small lakes
Kiting is more confined to locations where it's applicable and have safe launches....so you see those crowds blew up in a couple of years when kiting started.
Winging is going to happen places we never imagined

And on the PNW island where we live we have three lakes, and the salish sea, and our options are from every angle.
Good for kiting too....but more restricted launching than winging----so we are winging in spots we never imagined.

[atomic-chomik]

Rad

[TomW]

Great thread!
But I have to say ......growing up in the PNW riding gusty winds with limited access-- I am excited about winging
Much better access to the water and no need for a beach to launch from
And it sounds like the place you live may be tricky to kite (seaweed and sketchy launches) like here?

After 20 years of kiting im sorry to say that kite foiling felt like mowing the lawn
Never really stuck-- coming from a strapless surfboard in waves background

But Winging.....is a whole new deal
Just Encouraging you to try Winging's complex simplicity
But never stop kiting

Hi Scott, launches, on the beach are fine. My local spot , 1km from home, usually is clean, but been a lot of rain and wind this year. Churns up vegetation. South from me in the sound, theres a lot of eelgrass and that's a problem for all forms of foiling.

I've considered winging, but even at 15 knots, there's a huge amount of chop and wind waves. Waves are completely junk and unorganized. Onshore wind most of the time. Beaches are sparsely populated, so no crowds on the beach. Plus, I'm not very strong in my arms and shoulders, getting up in yrs so it's not getting better.
Haven't totally closed the door, but still sceptical.

Totally understand....and yeah it's pretty demanding when you are learning.
Everyone who learns seems to quickly lose 10 pounds in their first month

Just trying to help....

And I think the growth of Winging will not be as noticeable at first because there are so many rideable spots ...it will be spread out growth.
RIders are picking it up in Oklahoma, Minnesota, and all over the USA in small lakes
Kiting is more confined to locations where it's applicable and have safe launches....so you see those crowds blew up in a couple of years when kiting started.
Winging is going to happen places we never imagined

And on the PNW island where we live we have three lakes, and the salish sea, and our options are from every angle.
Good for kiting too....but more restricted launching than winging----so we are winging in spots we never imagined.

We are off topic, but totally get the stoke. I'm attracted, and see the versatility. Its fantastic that people with limited kite spots can get out there. If I was lake bound, I'd be one it for sure.