Author Topic: More wreckage  (Read 2275 times)

PonoBill

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More wreckage
« on: April 26, 2021, 02:51:33 PM »
I got my ass handed to me at Kanaha again yesterday. Sheesh. It was typical Gorge wind speed, but in the Gorge it's a hell of a lot more consistent. This was 10 to 40 with constant direction shifts, lulls, gusts, and silly chop from every direction but straight down. I went out with my 4.2M F-one Strike--so that was stupid and didn't work out well.  I switched to my smallest wing, a 3.5. A little better but still alternately overpowered and underpowered. Slowly sinking on the foil while I watched a wall of spindrift roaring towards me. The only thing I could make work was a close reach going upwind way out, and then way in, a couple of times until I got a reasonably long way from Kanaha, then straight downwind back, which was great fun except I dove into my wing a couple of times and thought about how miserable it would be if I exploded the thing like my poor old 6M.

I've got a 2.8 waiting for me in Hood River. Winddance called and told me it's there, Dave offered to ship it, but I said nah, I'll never use it in Maui, that's for the gorge. Another of life's little lessons.

I went to the Harbor, and it looked kind of crappy, super light inside. I couldn't stand not going out, and I need some jibe practice, so I went out on my 4.2 again. Hmmm, mega overpowered on the outside. Not much opportunity to practice anything but hanging on. I didn't want to swap gear (terminally stupid/lazy) so I just sucked it up. Then there was a sudden BANG and I smacked the water going flat out. WTF. I looked back and saw my wing floating. I hadn't checked the bolts after my Kanaha session--I just stuck it on the roof and drove to the harbor. The back bolt fell out of the fuselage to mast joint and then my wild ride ripped the front one out of the mast. A kind samaritan grabbed it for me while I figured out how to wing a board with just a mast back to the beach. Pro tip--it doesn't go upwind well. Oh, and occasionally check bolts for tightness. My mast is going to need some serious repair work.

I swapped to my 96cm mast and went back out until the Maliko downwind crew came ripping into the harbor. That was fun to see. Jeremy, Kathy Shipman, Eddie Ogata, Alex and Karla Aguera, all came ripping in like a squadron of fighter pilots. I gotta do that. Maybe ten or a hundred more southside downwinders and I'll be ready for the big leagues. Or a few Stable road to the harbor runs. I always have the feeling I'm going to break something way the hell out and have a miserable afternoon making my way back so I can slice myself up on a reef coming in where I shouldn't. Been there done that, but never with a foil.



I can really be a dumbass sometimes. completely avoidable. I rarely carry my gear assembled because my black carbon board gets hot on the rack--mo bettah inside my soccer mom van. But obviously, after a crazy session, you oughta check bolt tightness. And yeah those toes are mine. I've broken those poor buggahs so many times. I'm afraid my days as a foot model--except maybe as the "before" for toenail fungus cures--are over.

« Last Edit: April 26, 2021, 02:53:04 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

surfcowboy

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Re: More wreckage
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2021, 06:44:31 PM »
While always a fun read, people who like gear really shouldn’t read your stories.

That’s a tough break, literally.

gone_foiling

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Re: More wreckage
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2021, 06:59:03 AM »
Wow, Bill, companies should hire you as beta tester  ;D Glad you're OK.
Addicted to foiling at the moment.
My shenanigans on insta @gone_foiling

Califoilia

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Re: More wreckage
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2021, 06:46:16 PM »
Whoa, just whoa... :o :'(
Me: 6'1"/185...(2) 5'1" Kings Foil/Wing Boards...7'10 Kings DW Board...9'6" Bob Pearson "Laird Noserider"...14' Lahui Kai "Manta"...8'0" WaveStorm if/when the proning urges still hit.

 


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