Wingman Foil Club

Hey there I’m still a beginner learning on a 6.4m sling wing , and have two boards now, but I was going to try my new 99L 5’10” Armstrong board. I saw the forecast for today is looking really good but it looks like it might be too windy. Forecast is calling for 22-30 mph gusts. Is my wing too big? Will I get worked if I go out and try? Let me know. Thanks

Oh I forgot to mention I will be going to cabrillo beach.

Great question! The great thing about winging, is you can dump a lot of wind energy by changing the angle of the wing (more over head and parallel to the water), and if you get overpowered you can always just grab the luff handle and there's no major dangers like being overpowered in kiteboarding for example. Another thing you can do is go straight up wind, and that enables you to hold a lot of power.

The forecast for Cabrillo does look like it might be quite windy today, but you never know for sure. Could be chill. If you stay on the inside, you'll also be able to handle a lot more power on the flat water. If it gets too windy, you might even be able to convince someone else there to borrow a small wing (better luck if it was a weekend). But I've used your wing before, and though big, it's not super powerful. That combined with trying a smaller board, you might be happy for some extra power. You definitely won't need to pump on foil.

When I was learning, I took my 6 out a couple of times in up to 40 mph winds because it was all I had! I quickly bought a 4m though. I know Josh at The Foil Shop had some really cheap small wings for sale.

A few of us are going to Leo today around 2. If you wanted to drive up there, I'd be happy to lend you one of my smaller wings.

PRO TIPS:

• Before you get on the water, be sure to warm up and stretch your forearms. I forgot to do this Friday and ended up with a flash pump in my right forearm which really hindered my performance.

• Don't just randomly let go of your wind when it's super windy, you could rip the leash off. Try and grab the luff handle.

• Some people inflate their wing a little less like minus 1 psi when they know they will be overpowered. This will bleed some power in gusts, but also comes at a performance cost.

Awesome thanks for the response. I think I’m going to try why not? I had trouble getting on foil last time I went when it was 16-19 mph so why not go for the gusto. I’ll keep those tips in mind. Thanks again.

You'll only have a hard time staying upwind. You'll be dragged up on foil whether you like it or not. Fun to be out in strong wind sometimes.

Use your hands more forward on the handles so you are getting less power in the wing. Hold the luff handle only if you have to and wait out a gust.

If you're using a wrist leash be very careful when the wing is yanked out of your hands. Do not let your arm be pulled to the side and hurt your elbow.

How did it go @GregoryGForce

The wind was ok, I did have trouble on the smaller board I was trying to use, I gained some winter weight and I am a bit out of shape at the moment so I found the 99L 5'11" board to be challenging. I did use the stink bug technique to get up and I did manage to get onto foil once or twice but I had balance issues. I may go back to my larger board for a couple sessions to get my balance back then switch back to the smaller board again. But the wing held up in the higher wind, so that was good. Also the report was a bit off and it wasn't as windy as the forecast predicted . I need to re-watch your forecasting video and get better at comparing different models and not just relying on ikite surf premium.

The wind has been weird so far this year cause of all the rain. We should be kicking into steady everyday thermals at Cabrillo. With the smaller board just remember wind in the wing and forward momentum equals balance. If it’s decent windy conditions, I would stick with the 99L. You’ll also have the stink bug start nailed down after a couple sessions and it will feel super standard. Just make sure to watch the video again and make sure you’re actually using the center strut for buoyancy. A lot of people tell me they are using the stink bug but they aren’t actually doing all the stuff that helps!

Awesome @GregoryGForce. Keep at it! I added a post for you in drone operators and also Wingmen Don’t Just Wing! If you want to make your own Drone Operator ad, go for it, and I’ll delete the one I made!