Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

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dwaynej
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Re: Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

Post by dwaynej » Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:19 am

I always use Youtube's audio library... https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music and choose "ad supported" music.

- D

g00mbs
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Re: Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

Post by g00mbs » Mon Sep 28, 2015 10:22 pm

I just finished up my 5th and 6th sessions on the foil this weekend. I can now go in both directions for a long while. The feeling is amazing. I finally kited down the appropriate amount to a 7m. I finally didn't feel out of control.

Both sessions I had were at Coyote. On Friday, wind was 11kts to 19kts and I was on a 9m. I felt over powered at some points. On Saturday, wind was 15kts to 18kts and I was perfect on a 7m. I finally got the right kite size and it was amazing. I would say in the next 2 to 4 sessions I'll be ready to start jibes. My goal is still to work on going upwind and downwind, then start to carve a bit. Maybe even carve into a toe side turn to start riding toe side. By going downwind I mean a broad or beam reach.

On that note, any advice for trying to go on downwind reaches? I get more wobbly going downwind.

Foiling is tons of fun! Thanks for the comments everyone!

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ozchrisb
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Re: Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

Post by ozchrisb » Tue Sep 29, 2015 10:18 am

Send it. Beam reaching is harder than broad reaching. I find that beam reaching is the "death zone" if you're trying to go at any decent speed.
The wobbly downwind feeling is because you're not going fast enough and the apparent wind hasn't come forward. If you really commit to heading downwind you'll get a little burst of acceleration and then be set nicely. What foil are you riding?

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lieutenantglorp
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Re: Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

Post by lieutenantglorp » Tue Sep 29, 2015 10:57 am

g00mbs wrote:
On that note, any advice for trying to go on downwind reaches? I get more wobbly going downwind.
Going out more powered helps. If not, you need to continuously generate power by sining the kite to keep it powered and downwind of you. It seems scarier, but making the kite pull you will give you something to lean against for improved stability. Just focus on keeping the foil in the water and you will eventually become more comfortable.

g00mbs
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Re: Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

Post by g00mbs » Tue Sep 29, 2015 11:19 am

ozchrisb wrote:Send it. Beam reaching is harder than broad reaching. I find that beam reaching is the "death zone" if you're trying to go at any decent speed.
The wobbly downwind feeling is because you're not going fast enough and the apparent wind hasn't come forward. If you really commit to heading downwind you'll get a little burst of acceleration and then be set nicely. What foil are you riding?
What do you mean by the death zone?
I'm riding a Alpinefoil Access 5.0

lieutenantglorp wrote: Going out more powered helps. If not, you need to continuously generate power by sining the kite to keep it powered and downwind of you. It seems scarier, but making the kite pull you will give you something to lean against for improved stability. Just focus on keeping the foil in the water and you will eventually become more comfortable.
I have to work on signing while keeping stable downwind. I've been trying to not go super fast. The last session I had on 7m I finally had the foil stable and under control nicely at a lower speed. I'll have to work on going faster in a more controlled manner.

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Aloha
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Re: Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

Post by Aloha » Tue Sep 29, 2015 8:40 pm

I can at least speak to low aspect..

Low aspect foils are similar to low aspect wings in that they can operate at higher glide angles without stalling - so you can have moments of almost stalling and dropping to the water but still being able to maintain it with a little bit of kite pull while keeping the nose pitched.

On the low aspect foil the only way I can describe downwind turning and fast kite arc bottom turns as keeping the foil in a "controlled stall": speed scrubbing and nose slightly up.

Just riding downwind at deep angles is sort of a similar feeling, only with less drag due to "little to no" glide angle. I do notice that if I lose speed for whatever reason (going too deep, lull in wind) I innately get ready to increase the glide angle the same way I do when I'm doing a bottom turn etc. to maintain foiling at much slower speed until I can adjust the pull / board speed by either using the kite or adjusting the point of sail

There is so much going on in foiling it's hard to describe it sometimes, you just sort of learn the pitch reactions based on different board speeds through motor feedback and being out there riding.

Foiling must be more taxing on the nervous system than traditional 2-plane riding minute-for-minute as although it may look easy on the joints - there's actually a lot going on while you're out there as you know!

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ozchrisb
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Re: Foiling - Stopping the Rocket

Post by ozchrisb » Wed Sep 30, 2015 10:56 am

g00mbs wrote: What do you mean by the death zone?
I'm riding a Alpinefoil Access 5.0
A beam reach is, for me at least, probably the trickiest point of sail. You get going so fast that it's hard to control the lift from the foil so you end up point up or down a lot and it feels like you're going to explode at any moment. But maybe that's just me.

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