Wingfoiling under the Golden Gate Bridge

[Flyboy]

Impressive action from under the Golden Gate Bridge. Johnny Heineken - looking so smooth.

I can really appreciate the added safety factor over kite foiling in a spot like this, with strong currents & shifty winds.

[adriatic]

added safety factor

I think most of those guys would still be there luffing their wings, surf foiling those wind-driven waves even with no added safety factor. Freedom/fun factor rules: no strings attached, residual power or limitation to surf directly downwind.

[Peter_Frank]

Not sure what you mean with added safety factor?

That the board has more volume, or?

Cant see any advantage apart from that, in strong currents.

Peter

[geron]

Not sure what you mean with added safety factor?

That the board has more volume, or?

Cant see any advantage apart from that, in strong currents.

Peter

I have never winged but: in cold water, curent and trafic of boats, I can see the advantage, it is easier that the kite lines get tangled and also the board is bigger and easier to padle back to shore. You float more and can be seen from a boat that might run over you? I have to do this one day... under the golden gate, eather on a kite or wing

Also in shifty winds, the kite is more sensitive... having said all that, I think I would still prefer to do it with a kite and small board

[Flyboy]

Shifty winds/wind shadows/strong current + lots of kite foilers in the area would be a lot more likely to lead to problems. Even if you're foiling on the wave, it's possible for a kite to luff & fall out of the sky if you hit a wind shadow. Watching the video makes me realize that close quarters racing in surf could be a thing with wings, but not practical with kites.

[juandesooka]

Good example of a spot that winging opens up possibilities. Kiting is doable there, but the odds stack up against it, towards being too risky. I recall someone posting the Golden Gate / Crissy is is most rescued spot in the world for kiting, to the point that kiters are encouraged to carry a vhf with them. But it's also a surf spot and you never hear of surfers needing rescue. So winging seems like it fits in the middle, you can surf the waves, use the wind, and probably able to self-rescue if something goes wrong. All these toys are tools and it's always nice to have that optimal tool on hand for a given need.

[Peter_Frank]

Good example of a spot that winging opens up possibilities. Kiting is doable there, but the odds stack up against it, towards being too risky. I recall someone posting the Golden Gate / Crissy is is most rescued spot in the world for kiting, to the point that kiters are encouraged to carry a vhf with them. But it's also a surf spot and you never hear of surfers needing rescue. So winging seems like it fits in the middle, you can surf the waves, use the wind, and probably able to self-rescue if something goes wrong. All these toys are tools and it's always nice to have that optimal tool on hand for a given need.

Makes sense

[joriws]

Also from wing freely flying in one hand you can see the apparent wind. Mostly wing follows horizontal position but then it might drop from horizontal to vertical due to apparent wind dropping under minimum wing flying speed. I also noticed that on switching hands wingers (Heineken) do lift wing hand higher to allow wing hand, to have some room over water. Sometimes tip touches and wing inverts.

So running with good drifting kite same downwind angles and speeds would be a hassle too.

[jumptheshark]

Good example of a spot that winging opens up possibilities. Kiting is doable there, but the odds stack up against it, towards being too risky. I recall someone posting the Golden Gate / Crissy is is most rescued spot in the world for kiting, to the point that kiters are encouraged to carry a vhf with them. But it's also a surf spot and you never hear of surfers needing rescue. So winging seems like it fits in the middle, you can surf the waves, use the wind, and probably able to self-rescue if something goes wrong. All these toys are tools and it's always nice to have that optimal tool on hand for a given need.

For sure there are places that wings open up. I'm amazed at the local interest levels in winging. In the winter there were quite a few at times. They don't really follow through on the promise of winter fun as there is usually just too much drag. Better with skates and skateboards than skis or snowboard. Will be really interested to see how they do on the water around these parts.... and how that compares to what the right kite and kitefoil can do.

[Flyboy]

The conditions under the bridge remind me of the Columbia river gorge: strong wind & a fast current that creates a steep rolling swell. Wings seem like a good tool for those conditions as there is no risk of a kite luffing with sudden shifts in the wind. It also allows for a bunch of foilers buzzing around in a restricted space. I'd be interested to know what the proportion of wing foilers to kiters in the Gorge will be this year?