is high wind winging any good?!

[neilhapgood]

hi all,

so I am three sessions in on the wing, I am a very average windsurfer and kite foiler so I am up and foiling fine with the wing.

I currently have a 5.2m wing but as we head into a UK winter I'm wondering if it is worth investing in a 3m.

How is high wind winging?! Coming from kite foiling the winging board currently feels very large and cumbersome so I am wondering if it is a bit of a handful in 25knots of wind?

I can still windsurf or twintip in more breeze so not keen to invest in another wing unless its worth it!

Any thoughts on high wind winging?

thanks

[nikalaitzian]

I have done more than 5 sessios with my 3m and 30-38 knots...Its was not easy but i cannot say that i didnt enjoy it> i ride an 75 litter board with the SAB 1340 front wing.I got to mention that i have more of 50 hours on my belt..

[bigtone667]

I have probably 30 or so 30+ knot sessions in the past two years on 3m and 2m wings and they are simply awesome. You just need to try to fall anywhere but downwind of your board. They tend to get lifted and flip around.
If you are on a lake or enclosed bay, winds like that will generate rideable swell.

[dave1986]

I agree it probably depends on the water state where you plan to foil. Many locations will be extremely choppy or waves when it's windy enough for a 3m wing.

I see from your profile that you're in Swansea. Presumably you go out in Swansea bay or Horton or Llanelli where the water state is a little flatter and less beach break?

Personally at 87kg I have a 6m and 4m wing which I guess is equal to a 5 3m and 3m for a lighter person... but I wonder if a 3.5m or 4m might be a better overlap with your 5.3m?

I'm based in Gower so keen to meet up for winging when have a spare weekend day.

[Peter_Frank]

It is ALSO fun.

But if you have a 5.2 I would not go as far as down to a 3 m2

Possible indeed, but a 3.5 or something would be more suitable, or the luxury a 3.8-4 m2 and then later a small wing 2.5-3 m2.

Peter

[OzBungy]

I ride in strong winds every chance I get. The more wind the more waves and that's what wing foiling is all about.

To an extent wing foiling reduces the level of risk when there's storms and nastiness about. Sitting out a blast on the surface is a useful safety attribute. I recently had a very relaxed session riding around when all the kiters were running for cover from storms.

There's a few things to think about.

- Being in a shore break with a big board and foil can be horrendous. We've got around that by launching and landing from a boat harbour and riding out and staying well away from the shore. Other people use reefs or rock groynes.

- The wind can pick up your board and foil and send it tumbling off down the beach. I usually tether my board to something if there's very strong winds about.

- You can end up with you and the wing and the board upside down all together. I had a brand new wing impale itself on the foil. I have had the best luck with climbing on top of the wing and fending off the board/foil with arms/legs/anything. Using a long leash doesn't help.

- I tend to ride very slowly in super strong conditions. That's partially self preservation and partially the lumpy water state can be hard to deal with.

- Riding pitching wind blown waves is an acquired skill (that I am still working on). Things go from "this is fun" to flying through the air and face planting into the wing then being run over by the board. Wear a helmet. It's often better to ride smaller bumps. They tend to link up and go just as far.

Sometimes it's possible to find a lull in a shore break and quickly jump on and knee sail out into deeper water. I recently had a problem where my usual sneaky kite foiling tricks weren't working but I saw a guy get out on a wing foil from a more sheltered spot.

In the past I would have said that kite foiling with a tiny kite solves most of the strong wind/storm/onshore problems. A wing foil can do that but you need to think things through and not just jump in and see what happens.

PS I had a 2.9m PPC wing and that was horrible in very strong winds. My Switch 4m is pretty smooth in 25-45 knots.

PPS In terms of wind and chop there's no real problem using a very big foil, I often use my 1850cm. When you're riding slow in chop size and stability can help a bit. That all changes when you're blasting down the face of a pitching wave and your big foil decides to pop out of the water. I'm still looking at various smaller wings for fast steep waves. That and more skill ... and a longer mast.

[stevez]

Pretty much what OzBungy says.
Wingfoiling only gets more fun as the wind gets stronger.
I've gone from kitefoiling to almost only winging and now back to doing a little more kitefoiling, especially in lighter wind, preferring winging in stronger wind and kiting in lighter wind.
Winging in strong wind (25 knots or more) with waves is the best. But you need the right gear. For me that's a fast efficient foil, a small wing, and a smallish board. My big wind setup is an axis 999 and a BRM 2.2. The foil is fast enough to sustain steep drops and the wing is small enough to not be overpowered.
I wish there were more big wind days (above 30 knots) but the ones we get are special and memorable. Maybe above 35 knots I need to size down to a smaller front wing as the 999 would have too much lift. I'm not sure what the absolute limit is, the one day I was our when it was 38 gusting to 48 knots and it was unmanageable, but that was before I got the 2.2.
You ideally also need a protected entry point in and out, as over 30 knots with decent fetch you could get smashed in shorebreak.

[IWB2]

Wingfoiling in "high wind" can be a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy foiling off the wind and you have the right gear setup . I would definitely add a smaller wing to your quiver to ensure you have the control needed when winging in stronger winds. I had to add the 2.3m Ozone Wasp V2 to my collection as i was experiencing many overpowered conditions on my 3m...

[airsail]

Wingfoiling in "high wind" can be a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy foiling off the wind and you have the right gear setup . I would definitely add a smaller wing to your quiver to ensure you have the control needed when winging in stronger winds. I had to add the 2.3m Ozone Wasp V2 to my collection as i was experiencing many overpowered conditions on my 3m...

IWB2, how are you finding the 2.3 Wasp, I’m looking for something smaller than my 3.3 Unit. Small wing reviews are almost non existent, they seem to stick with the bigger sizes.

[fluidity]

Smaller wings are less cumbersome and less draggy. Same above and under water. I have a Naish S25 5.3 m wing, second gen. Poor power for its size but I can ride it from a regular 4.5 other wing size down to 2.8 size and have less issues than my PPC2.8 in high wind. But the PPCs are upwind demons and depower very well, they just don't semi-power well.