First! May I ask you:
what eye protection you have in mind? I am very, very interested
As to the rest, I must apologize if I didn't come across cleanly enough, I should have been a bit more specific.
I am certainly not a "good" rider (and even that... is probably bragging on my side
), but I routinely do flying jibes, tacks, and toeside tacks. No foot switches during tacks, no jumps, only ride strapless.
And I
could ride those conditions, and succeeded, but found them too harsh as the foil would shake most of the time, stall some time, so very tough, and to a point (imho) even dangerous, as I had no way to "flee" large waves if needed as the foil wouldn't accelerate or would stall.
Hence the question whether a bigger, chubbier kind of foil would fare better in these conditions.
Or if higher aspect ones could be the ticket.
And if significantly larger sizes could help (I usually ride 1200-1300sq cm medium A-R; some foilers here scrape the barrel in ridiculous winds – 5 knots – on SAB 1100...).
I think what I met to be a very specific set of conditions, removed from normal foiling. My experience is that in calm water practically any foil will do, but when the see is frothing to this extent, well, my current setup hit a wall.
So, maybe this is just no-foil territory for normal people like me. It may well be, and that will be ok.
But if different foils are better suited to those conditions, and maintain lift and suffer less the loss of lift due to foam (and I suspect air embedded even under the surface, as surface water was very very light coloured and "bumpy" when riding), then it becomes doable.
Better: it regains
safety, because doable it already is (I foiled in that mess...), but not nice, and not safe enough for me.
And if it's safe again, then it's a hoot: it's a challenging environment, but not uncommon here, unfortunately, in winter.
But honestly, having to overcome a coming 2m+ wave with a foil, climbing over it, I admit it has a certain... exhilaration.
So, the question lingers: are other kinds/types of foil better suited to this? I wouldn't mind even a larger 1600/1800 foil, probably. Stability is
bad in these conditions, the board just shakes under your feet, falls down and recovers, it's a lot of effort (for me) to navigate.
As to your other suggestions, I answer below:
1) answered before!
2) I agree completely. But the last two sessions, this was just impossible. Waves breaking were too large to bodydrag, they would hit me like a ton of bricks and send me and the foil flying backwards (dangerously). Hence, I could only waterstart with instant foiling, and navigate the mess hopoing to gain enough speed to overcome the bigger waves coming. Took sevedral times to time everything and get over the foam and cross the incoming waves. With some "interesting" falls
3) it's a Groove Skate Pro. Am no exeprt in boards, but I was explained (or they tricked me!
) it is "designed" for waves. Large, 115cm, big scoop, thick, about 3.5Kg. I was even thinking of something
much smaller, because facing bigger waves is easier the shorter the board, less risk of hitting the surface when climbing.
4) my foil is not super low aspect (had the Onda, don't like it anymore), but still pretty low A-R, and 1200cm. Won't go lower than that, as with my weight stall speed becomes very abrupt, which is challenging already in good conditions...
5) So very true. The foil can be a harsh mistress.
Let me put up a couple words for Gong though: yes, their Alu setups are heavy, but I'm riding a full carbon setup, and their mast is actually as light or lighter than SABFoil, for example (2.800gr Gong, 2400gr Sab + fuselage, but the Gong is 8cm taller).
And masts+wings are bombproof, in my experience. In any case, a far cry from the ultra-light Moses Onda setup, which I weighted at 3.3Kg mast+wing+stab.
Thanks for your help
P.S.
The Horue rider is impressive in the videos...
jakemoore wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 3:25 am
ieism wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 10:19 pm
How on earth does one learn to foil without experience on a TT or surfboard?
Foiling in overhead surf no less!!!!
1) you have to build your skill into these conditions. Pay dues in flat water and smaller waves. You have to be able to make transitions with enough fluidity to go around anything you can’t cross. At minimum touchdown jibes should be near 100%
2) I find that I need to get out past the mess to get started. There is no use if a wave is going to break over your head before the board is in position. If it’s onshore winds it might take 20 minutes of body dragging. There is a Horue video showing the best technique to body drag through whitewater. It’s less efficient but you don’t get thrashed. Once riding I can ride back into the mess.
3) the board is as important as the wing if not more so. It’s fine if the board touches if you have the right shape. I like to imagine the waves licking the board on the way out.
4). I like a low aspect shovel shape wing 800-1200 cm2, a relatively short mast and nothing sharp. I’m playing around with a Moses 1000 wing which is pretty much the opposite in every way. Even in small chop there is unpredictable lift different across the span of the wing that causes surprise pitch and rolls. I have had one amazing light wind wave session with it in knee high swells and 10-11 knots. It’s the very last wing I would chose for the conditions you describe. The Ketos Kool 1200 is just about ideal and I think a little thinner than most other shovels I have seen. A thicker wing may be more likely to develop front foot pressure on the wave.
5). The heavier your gear the more it will hurt when it hits you. The gong stuff I have held is nice but not light. Wear a helmet and eye protection.
Peter
) or X-Over. Or, cheaply, I may try the Rise L that came with my gentle half's wingfoil setup. The Rise is 1600sq cm, but it is I thing 3cm thick and ultra low A-R.
