VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Okay, I've been 'Winging' a few times now, not enough wind sometimes which was a bit frustrating but which has allowed me to confirm that can stay upwind, get back to where I started and learn to schlog-jibe. I have been using a 6.2m Wing which feels powerful enough to get up on foil in 13-14kts with my 115cm fuse and 1100cm2 front foil using my big board 210x85cm. I have purchased a 5.0m Wing to use when wind is 15kts as I'm guessing using a smaller Wing is easier to use same-same as Windfoiling. The 5.0m has hard handles which I like better more like a Windfoil boom and the 6.2m has soft handles which I find tough to find and grab without looking at them directly. I haven't managed to get a full foiling jibe yet but staying dry 90% of them time is nice and I've been very close, hoping the 5.0m with a bit more wind will make it easier.

Now, I'm going to start using my smaller Windfoil board, 125 FoilX board - 190x67cm which I'm hoping the narrower width will make the jibes easier to roll into with toe pressure instead of having to step across the board on the 85cm wide barn-door.

Two things I'm going to focus on:
1. Toe-side riding more as it feels like staying on toe-side for a few seconds after a heal-side jibe before flipping the feet is my best chance at hitting my jibes to begin with. I think my time at Nitinaht in May will allow me to progress more quickly getting 4+ hours on the water multiple days in a row.
2. Pumping! I think the "Pump" is the key skill to get up in less than 15kts when the water is still flatter which will help nailing my jibes.

I think I'll keep Windfoiling in 10-14kts but when it gets to 13-14kts, The Wing will come out.

Anyways, I do appreciate all you Doods giving me positive energy as you fly-by me. WooHoo!!

If your not falling your not learning At least thats what I tell myself.

That sounds great Bobson!!! However, didn't you used to call it 'wanging'? I see it is 'winging' now that you've taken to it.

I don't know all the ins and outs of gear but isn't that 115 cm fuse uber long for wing dinging? I think I have a middle of the road 60 cm fuse, it is one aspect I've not fiddled at all with (shims, stabs, foils, masts - yes, fuse - no). I'm sure others will have a lot more gear input on your boards and fuse. My first board was 172x72 cm (110 L). I still use it, at times, in ~5-10 kts with the HS1850 (1850 cm2 foil). Apparent wind is an amazing thing, if one can just get up on foil and moving.

Bobson wrote: Thu Apr 11, 2024 8:45 am 1. Toe-side riding more as it feels like staying on toe-side for a few seconds after a heal-side jibe before flipping the feet is my best chance at hitting my jibes to begin with.

Yes, ride switch even for more than a few seconds. You can even ride switch until your next foiling jibe. However, when you do go to flip feet early on: touch the board down to the water keeping speed, flip feet, pop on foil (almost like skimming a rock along the water). The board very near, or momentarily touching down, balances against the water reducing falls from inevitable foot change errors. Cadiz is big into that. I think he talks about it in some of his free videos. Something like...'no need to waste a good jibe on a foot change', or similar.

Bobson wrote: Thu Apr 11, 2024 8:45 amAnyways, I do appreciate all you Doods giving me positive energy as you fly-by me. WooHoo!!

Hello @Bobson:
I wonder if this might work well for you. Just load up some podcasts on the (optional) cassette deck and put on some real miles.

lol
At ~200lbs the 105L board has been minimum volume for me. If the wind drops to 0-2 then I need to paddle but if a few knots I can slog on my knees back to shore. I would akin smaller volume wingfoil boards to smaller volume windsurfing boards in that its for those days where the wind is guaranteed to let you get back to shore, unless you enjoy swimming with gear.
But its a major perk for me to always have a floaty board and be able to slog back in. Might get a low volume board eventually but the 105L has been great almost always.
For wings in general, I definitely recommend rigging bigger than you think, at least at first. If OP you may not be able to point as high but having the extra power for gybes is great and the wings depower well.
My 6.5m is good to or slightly OP at about 20knots, and awesome at 15 knots.
5m for me is about 17 knots to 27 knots.
4m 22-32
3m 30-40
1.5m - 2m Don’t have one but wish I did for the nuke days.
Overall being under powered with wings really sucks, and not being able to slog in sucks too.

bwd wrote: Mon Apr 15, 2024 11:12 am Hello @Bobson:
I wonder if this might work well for you. Just load up some podcasts on the (optional) cassette deck and put on some real miles.

That was hilarious!!! Bobson should definitely get one! For some reason I thought someone told me you were into biking. Maybe you could get one of these https://manta5.com/ and join him on some waves!

Thanks for the suggestions. They both look fun although I'm not sure how to ride a bike so the bike-foil might not be the greatest.

I'm going to continue to Wang but just on my big board as I felt like I was close to jibing on the big board. I'll hold off Wanging on the small board for awhile as it wasn't a positive session.

I'm hopeful that my smaller board will work for Wanging this summer and at the end of the year I can find a deal on a used 'Real Wangboard' and get a real 'Wangfoil'.

I'm thinking that Wing practice at Nitinaht in May will be exactly what is needed.

Thanks for all your positive suggestions.

BOBSON!!

Oops...sorry if I wasn't being clear. Was suggesting Dave gets a bike (for some reason I thought he rode bikes but we've only bumped into each other a couple times at RB, so not sure). If yes, then I was suggesting, in a very sarcastic way, that the two of you could join each other on some waves.

When our paths cross at China Creek and/or Nat borrow my bigger board (110L 5'8" old Sky Wing) and HS1850. I swear that is a great foil to learn on, and it is fun to go back to even now. I rode some mega large foils visiting peeps and travelling (like 1900-2400) and, yes they are slightly bigger, but they all seem awful, relatively speaking.