VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

I SUP'd for years and I was the most stoked surfer on the beach, despite it being a snore fest to anyone witnessing it. With every ride milked to the beach I am laughing with stoke. It felt awesome even though I was pretty much just standing there going down the line. It FELT awesome and I guarantee you those wingers in SF Bay were brimming over with stoke after their adventure. Your snoring and the youtube haters they will no double attract probably don't lessen their stoke much.

I think you're missing my point and I am definitely not hating. Sure they (I would too) will have fun a few times (plenty of YouTube videos of people sup and longboarding freighter waves) but I doubt it's a sustainably enduring pursuit over time. Just in the same way that most mountain bikers quickly bore of gravel roads.

Foiling of all types sucks and winging does too. No one should do it because it's super boring and awful to look at (ow, my eyes!!!!). But why can't I stop thinking about it and planning more foil-related gear purchases? Maybe I'm asleep. It's all been a dream. Snorrrrrrrrrrrrrre.

I find all kite jumps (foil or not) very lame looking. Even a moderate windsurfing jump seems to have so much more power and interest for me.
Watching the wing jumps is definitely closer to kiting but I'm sure it feels great.

Cranking on just about any wave using any kit feels pretty amazing.

Eyes burning

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFkeOrKjtjK ... i5s4p421uf

More lame wing foil jumping 😜
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFkgdAODuo0 ... nu7t75p5zk

... and some Radiculosly boring winging 🤪
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFmyCskjv5 ... 8juilp0o4d

All those videos remind me of another sport we a used to do where the pros would do spinny things like that...

Apparently there's a debate happening in Maui whether its better to add a boom and mast too the wing or some string. Lots of experimentation, have to see which way this sport evolves.

UnusuallyLargeRobin wrote:More lame wing foil jumping 😜
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFkgdAODuo0 ... nu7t75p5zk

No leash. Couple of the guys here have broken leashes and watched their foils happily go free-range out of sight in the strait, left with nothing but an inflatable pool toy in their hands. Not that I'd want to be tethered jumping high like that, but how do they manage being separated from their board?

Came across this the other day on the Gong site, I had seen it before but forgot about it. It's from Gong's founder Patrice who is quite an interesting character the more you read or see his interviews of him. Below he expounds about the reasons for liking winging...

"Why do we like the Wing?
The decade 2010 will have revealed to as many people as possible the immense qualities of the foil. The gain in speed by reducing friction has propelled us into a world where all mediocre sessions have become true sliding paradises.

Everyone now knows that he can fly on water. The time for frustration is over. Now we can have fun with nothing.

In this movement that we could call low energy, we have rediscovered a forgotten means of traction: the Wing.

Imagined and developed in France in the 80s, its power was not sufficient and docile for the sports of the time .

The immense democratization of inflatable devices, first in boat then in kite and SUP, has given credibility to this process which goes well beyond initiation devices.

Foil + inflatable + 80's Wing = new generation Wing !!!

The combination of these elements has recently become obvious for the sliding world. Some believed in it earlier, as was the case for GONG, which put the package both in R&D and in communicating Winger's desire.

We like the Wing first because it's simple. Easy to assemble, easy to practice, easy to transport.

A Wing inflates in seconds. Four screws to connect your foil to your board and let's go! It's hard to make it simpler. The Wing fits in a backpack, the board is more and more compact, and the foil can be dismantled. Everything fits in a golf bag format. It's just awesome.

Getting started is almost immediate. In a few minutes we understand how it works and in a few sessions we tame the foil.

Then we love the Wing because it reminds us of the best windsurfing sensations. We find this grip that we love, this handling of the board, the almost identical figures. But no more back pain and untransportable gear, the Wing is extremely cool 😉

We like the Wing for its traction close to the kite. No need to wear the wing, it relieves your arms. The traction is at the same angles as the kite, providing comparable sensations. At the bottom it pulls hard and at the top it lightens you.

We like the Wing because it's safe. We can start from anywhere. We generally have volume, so at worst we paddle like surfing to get home. We stand on the board in cramped and badly windy places, easy to start.

You can shock all the power just by letting go of the Wing. No question of being ripped off like in a kite, everything is cool.

We like the total harmony between the Wing and the foil. One seems born for the other in order to give a smooth glide, without breaking, fluid in the extreme. We are not talking about race foils, even if it will necessarily come. We mainly use surf foils, which are very load-bearing with maximum performance from very low speeds. Which reinforces the simplicity and softness.

We like the tolerance of this means of propulsion which accepts more than any other the irregularities of the wind, the tilts, the windings. In Wing everything seems cleaner because its inflatable structure with large sections gives it the chest necessary for this tolerance. A lake, off-shore, squalls, an arm of the river, all bodies of water are tops in Wing on a large surface foil. He will take over when the Wing is out of breath. With technique you can even go up into the wind by the simple force of pumping on the foil. Mind-blowing. And no need for large spaces, you can have fun on a spot 200m wide.

We also like to land on the water and take the time to chat with our friends. The inflatable wings against each other, zero danger, everything is going well.

We love to surf in Wing. Perched on a long foil, you glide with optimal fluidity on slopes and bumps. The lake offers endless combinations of pure gliding. The Wing is only there to provide the traction net useful for the ascent. Just awesome.

Finally, we like the Wing because it's economical. Budgets are not anecdotal, obviously, it is a technological water sport. But the Wing costs only a few hundred euros, ditto for the foil, and a little more for the board. It's still very reasonable and light years away from windsurfing budgets for example."

Patrice Guenole "The Bear"

To all of you who've made the plunge, Happy Winging!!! ULR [smilie=beer.gif]

But the Wing costs only a few hundred euros, ditto for the foil, and a little more for the board. It's still very reasonable and light years away from windsurfing budgets for example."

Really? Wingboard costs same as entry level slalom board, wing same or more than sail, doesn’t the foil add up to an alu boom and extension?? ..lots of used /inexpensive WS stuff around, not so with wing gear

KUS wrote:

But the Wing costs only a few hundred euros, ditto for the foil, and a little more for the board. It's still very reasonable and light years away from windsurfing budgets for example."

Really? Wingboard costs same as entry level slalom board, wing same or more than sail, doesn’t the foil add up to an alu boom and extension?? ..lots of used /inexpensive WS stuff around, not so with wing gear

A whole setup from Gong is under $2000 USD, shipped.

Yeah, he's over-selling the cost part. A good carbon foil will run $3000. Wings, $1000. Board, $1500 and up. BUT the used market will there in a couple of seasons...

Well, like GrantMac said Patrice is just talking/relating to what Gong sells product for, not all the others. e.g. a full package (board, wing, foil), excellent for beginner - intermediate (and probably advanced!) 1225 Eu + shipping, approx $1900 Cdn
PACK - WING PLUS HIPE
€ 1,225.79

GONG WING PLUS - 5 m2, Green € 374.15
GONG SUP INFLATABLE HIPE - 5'3 € 449.15
GONG WINGFOIL ALLVATOR RISE ALU - XL, € 336.66
GONG FOIL ALLVATOR MAST - 90 cm, Green € 65.83

...anyway the point was it's happening and there are a myriad of reasons for trying it out and possibly ending up hooked and loving it !!!