Foiling downwind

[Nielshm]

When I head downwind and the bar pressure gets light and pressure on the board is not supporting me, I feel all the waves under the foil. The changes in water pressure pushes the board up and down and my ride gets "bumpy" and often sends me in head first into a foil bomb.
Is there a problem with my foil profile, is it my stance or maybe something else I need to change?
Sailing Spotz foil

[Johhnn]

I think you may be riding too high. The only time I feel the waves pushing on the foil is when I've got the wing near the surface. Or I suppose it would happen on larger waves.

[ronnie]

The water inside a wave moves in a circle, moving in the direction of the wave at the top of the circle and against the direction of the wave at the bottom. The circle is bigger, the bigger the wave and the circles gradually get smaller the deeper they are in the water.

That is bound to affect the lift on the foil as it passes through the circles, and can partly explain why a foil can become more 'stable' at a higher speed.

Going across a wave, the circling of the water has less affect on the lift of the foil than it would in a steep downwind angle (assuming the wind and waves are going in the same direction).

[Nielshm]

When I ride its only small windcreated waves, probably less than 50 cm. It may be a too high riding position and I need to "lower" the board. I still need clearance to go over the wave but i guess its a matter of training (have only aprox 2 hrs of downwind experience)
Maybe also a more "rigid" position not allowing the change in water pressure to push me up.

[cglazier]

Keep your kite powered and lean back against it. Keep your kite low (45 degrees or lower).
Start by just heading slightly downwind and then just turn more downwind but always keep power in the kite and lean back against it. If you point too far downwind you will lose power so head up a bit.

If you find yourself going so fast that you get scared then you are doing it right.

CG

[Peter_Frank]

I think you are foiling too high - AND, just need some more time on the water (I know you from DK so have an idea of your time).

And some foils, are trimmed so they can only be ridden "fast" with load on the front foot - meaning, the faster you go (downwind that is), the more you have to load your front foot.

Other foils are "neutral" (mine is), meaning you can accelerate in speed without having to push further with your front nor your back foot.
This is only personal experience, what one prefer I think

So if you have one of these foils, that needs extra load on the front foot downwind at higher speeds, it takes a bit more "getting used to" of course.

Also, my experience, is that you feel that downwind at really high speeds is almost impossible after the first half year only - but during time you can ride at insane speeds and still feel "comfy".

Just a matter of time and muscle memory, nothing else - so just wait and it'll come

PF

[Hawaiis]

Keep your kite powered and lean back against it. Keep your kite low (45 degrees or lower).
Start by just heading slightly downwind and then just turn more downwind but always keep power in the kite and lean back against it. If you point too far downwind you will lose power so head up a bit.

If you find yourself going so fast that you get scared then you are doing it right.

CG

+1

[Peter_Frank]

Another thing to do:

If you loop the kite around, it is good to keep it a bit depowered so it flies fast thus powered and easy to control.

If you ride with the kite parked, trim it up for more power, as you dont need max L/D on the downwind leg, just pure max lift

PF

[Regis-de-giens]

Another way i like to do ...
Direct downwind keeping kite over-sheeted-in to backstall it.

Like here, last week in about 14 knots:

[watercamper]

I am the same as you. Just learning to go fast downwind (fast as in the same speed ) on waves and swell here in Baja. I've learned when I catch the swell/wave from behind I have to be really aware to lean forward a bit to keep the wing from pushing through the wave, being too high and ventilating. I've also been playing with stalling the kite as another poster mentioned. With more time, I'm getting better. I hope this makes sense.