Very Strong Winds

[OzBungy]

I went out yesterday to try winging in 40 knot winds. I was hoping winging would be a safer option than kite foiling when there were squalls and storms about.

The wing riding was easy enough but managing the gear when not moving was a drama. Everything flops around and gets in the way.

After a failed transition the board was sitting foil up and the wing flipped onto the tip with the obvious result.

I am thinking a longer board leash would at least allow the board to be further away. I am using a 7' coiled waist leash. It would be easy enough to put on a longer coiled leash on the waist belt. I have a 10' SUP coiled leash, and 12' SUP leashes are easy enough to buy. It would still hang out of the water when foiling.

Is anybody using very long leashes when winging? Has anybody else tried winging in 40+ knots?

The other issue is that the increased windage of the foil and large board meant the board does not stay where you put it on the beach. Twice my board went for a bit of a tumble down the beach. It was quite windy. I ended up tying the board to a fence post.

Plans B and C are to use an ankle leash to further distance the foil from the wing, or use a small kite foil board or kite surfboard and try that for a bit of splashy fun.

[longwhitecloud]

Wear a skydiving wing suit.

I am serious! i bet it works.

[ronnie]

A wing suit does work - for a downwinder.


A wing that flies in a stable way on a leash might suit higher wind (and many other occasions). You sort out the board and then pull the wing to you. The stable wing on a leash hasn't been a focus for development yet.
A 2.8m F-One Swing might be a possibility with a slight readjustment of the leash attachment position?

[juandesooka]

What size wing? My max so far has been around 30kt, maybe 35kt gusts, with a 4m. It does get a little intense on the gusts, holding it down, plus the chop gets difficult to keep foil in the water so have to slow down a lot.

The wing would whip around violently on leash too, not sure if enough to cause a shoulder injury, but having leash attached to belt may be safer. And some funny behaviour with the foil, would get pushed on its side just by wind force, took a fair bit of force to get the board to stay flat.

All in all, it kind of crossed out of "fun" into survival mode, doable, but on alert-mode vs relaxed wave riding. But TBH when it's 40kt and on a 5m kite or less, I am not exactly relaxed either!

[irwe]

Strong winds + 'big' waves can be difficult. I went Winging 2 weeks ago with the forecast saying 20 kts g 30kts. I thought it would be perfect for 4 m Wing + 127 L Board (72 kg Rider) + Naish XXL Foil.
Went out Forecast was wrong it was actually 30 kts 40 kts gust. I could barely hold on to the Wing. Went out half a kilometer and thought enough. Rode on my knees on the foil with the Wing in neutral to shore. I went back out with a 3 m Wing. It was much more managaeable but fell on a gybe and a wave (1 m) picked up my board through it in the air upside down onto my Wing (nice punture wound to Wing) and limped back to shore.
Last week I was out in 18 kts and put a Naish L wing on and it was easy riding with a 5 m Wing and small chop.
I will defianelty go out with a smaller size front foil the next strong windy day.

[Trent hink]

I have zero experience, but. I know several people who are winging frequently and I am watching with a great deal of interest.

Would a smaller front wing on the hydrofoil maybe be better suited to higher winds?

[juandesooka]

I have zero experience, but. I know several people who are winging frequently and I am watching with a great deal of interest.

Would a smaller front wing on the hydrofoil maybe be better suited to higher winds?

I am on gofoil, 80% of the time on the Maliko200 (big), and when the wind is strong, on the iwa (medium). Only on really windy days have I got onto the kai (small) -- so fun to ride as it is speedy and quick turning. Same for the smaller higher aspect foil wings.

The riders doing the speed tests or on huge waves are on kite foil size wings.

[bigtone667]

I have had a few 40 knot sessions and I have just learned to assume the board is now a more lethal weapon because the wind will now lift it completely out of the water (or land) when there is no weight on it. I try and fall upwind of the board or, if downwind of the baord, stay down in the water to give the board time to settle down.

I have come up a few times with the board lying on top of the wing (foil side up fortunately).

Some of the best sessions I have had have been in these conditions.

[SimonP]

Very doable but you have to be careful.

I have two foils; a light J-shapes full carbon that floats and a heavier Starboard aluminum / carbon setup that doesn't. If the J-shapes foil ends up on the surface the wind often blows everything downwind very violently. The Starboard doesn't do that but there is so much more momentum if I ever did get hit by it. I haven't decided yet which is the safer option in big winds.

[bragnouff]

I've had 2 sessions last week on flat water and very shifty gusty wind, 10-40kts. Quite a rocky ride on a 4m. Sure the wing can be depowered as much as necessary, but then it flaps more, and yanks left and right. Keeping a bit more pressure and power maintains a bit more stability, but in the stupidly strong gusts, there's still a limit! And it really felt like uncomfortable survival mode. Incidentally, I was then trying to ride very slow, pointing more upwind, higher AOA, which is probably not the best option, as I could feel the wind trying to lift that big wide board. Going deep downwind was at times a better option, as long as the gust wasn't lasting for too long, or wasn't obscenely strong. Couple of times I seated it out... Luckily the entry and exit was a bit sheltered, carrying a SUP and a Wing in strong wind is quite a strain.
Overall, interesting experience, more troubles with the wing control than with the board/foil control, IWA is quite placid and reliable for pitch control and ride height. Session was kind of fun overall despite this stupid wind, some good bits, nice to be out on a warmish day, and it would have been a serious spanking on a kite due to the lulls, and I wouldn't have considered going out. So it's still bonus. Not sure if I want to purchase a 3m yet...