Third day of re-foiling

[PonoBill]

I am a golden god of foiling. Well, not in absolute terms, but compared to the last two days, yeah. Ka'a was a holy mess at 6:10 AM, so I headed for the west side. It looked pretty flat at Maalaea, so I thought I was screwed, but when I got to thousand peaks--lo and behold: clean waves. I like the weird bowling break to surfer's right of the parking lot break. Bart de Zwart was already out foiling, and Tomiko was setting up,  I got rigged and headed out when a guy yelled at me from the side of the road--Clinton Yap aka Steamroller. Clinton is a blast to surf with, constantly laughing and yelling encouragement. His foiling has progressed amazingly quickly since he got his knee replacement--he pumps back out from long runs with a vigor that I can't approach. The first wave I caught I rode almost all the way to the wall. I overfoiled at the end, turning hard in the face. I have a nasty surfing habit of weighting the tail in turns. I remember to stifle the urge for the first four or five turns, but as soon as I get comfortable I turn my board into a Polaris missile. Anyway, had a great morning, lots of good rides, lots of face plants. I got pretty wobbly towards the end but I was having too much fun to rest.



I should have taken a break, maybe got some breakfast and hit it again, but I wanted to do a downwinder with my buddy Bill Boyum, and a second session would have put me on the wrong side of any potential for that. As it turned out we bailed on the downwinder anyway. The wind got shut off by the rain in the valley and the heavy clouds on the mountain. Good to see Billy and catch up a bit anyway. I've got six months of hard play ahead. It's going to be great.

[Badger]

Is that a new zippered vest Bill? How do you like it compared to the others you've had?

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[stoneaxe]

 

[Dwight (DW)]

Is that a new zippered vest Bill? How do you like it compared to the others you've had?

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FYI, beware kiteboarding vests. They usually have no padding in lower rib area to allow harness to fit. You’re better off with a wake boarding vest, like Liquid Force Ghost model. Wake vests fit the tightest too. You want tight so it stays put when rag dolled

[Badger]

Is that a new zippered vest Bill? How do you like it compared to the others you've had?

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FYI, beware kiteboarding vests. They usually have no padding in lower rib area to allow harness to fit. You’re better off with a wake boarding vest, like Liquid Force Ghost model. Wake vests fit the tightest too. You want tight so it stays put when rag dolled

Thanks for the tip.

I'm still using my old O'Neil TechnoComp pullover vest. It works good but will probably need to be replaced at some point so I'm looking to see if there's anything new out there that might be better.

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[PonoBill]

Until my gut somehow magically disappears my choice of vests are going to be the ones that fit. I'm also more concerned about protecting my compromised breastbone than my rigs, but yeah, this doesn't have much more than thick neoprene over the ribs. But I like it, It's comfortable, so I'll actually wear it.

[Beasho]

Bill - Keep the reports coming.

It has been SILENT on the Foil-Zone lately. 

I will emphasize - USE FOOTSTRAPS.

1) Behind the boat with kids - They learn almost instantly WITH NO SURFING EXPERIENCE.  This is largely due to straps.

2) My 130 lbs kid can tear it up e.g. turn the Maliko 200 - Because of straps.  I hear plenty of grown men whining about not being able to turn this foil.  With straps no problem.

3) Late takeoffs - When your front foot is in White Water takeoffs are suddenly manageable.  Your front foot is in the perfect position. Weight is forward.  Let the wave send you planning into the flats get your balance and fly later.  This trick works especially well in bigger waves. 

PS: With your windsurfing background it should be second, or first, nature.

More on this to come.

[stoneaxe]

Bill....I have the Liquid Force Ghost DW mentioned. After a long search I found something that fits. I like it...I don't think you're gut is any bigger than mine....