2 days on the wing thing.

[kevinkan]

i'm having very good success putting windsurfers on the wing thing. there are a few tricks and prior foiling experience helps, but even those without foiling experience are doing well. would be interesting to see a large collection of different foils/wings/windfoils on the water at the same time in marginal conditions and see which combos work well... of course early foiling is a skill just like early planing.

[kevinkan]

also for those starting out w/ bad knees, you can start on a big board around 125-140l, stand up on the board first and uphaul the wing sort of like a windsurf sail.

I highly recommend starting on a large board. It just takes a lot of the balance issues for getting to your feet out of the equation for the first week or so. I have a board like this for rent that many wingers got started on including myself.

[kevinkan]

example of a knee start on a 100l board

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDL2bKB997M

one thing that helps me on smaller boards is to make sure that the wing is right side up before getting to my knees. if upside down, i sit on the board like a surfboard and flip the wing. then grab the rails of my board while holding the front handle of the wing with one hand to get to my knees. While getting my front foot in position, make sure you back knee stays in contact with the deck of the board along the centerline of the board. As you get better, you can offset your legs more. Many people when they try to get the front foot on the board rock back on their back leg which causes all sorts of problems.

some very flexible people can hold the wing over their head while sitting and get to their feet.... i'm not one of those people.

[dllee]

I think, wing size to sail size, wings foil up the earliest.
Can be younger more energetic pilot, bigger foil, or more efficient pumping.
Tough to tell, as pilot is still the biggest part of the equation.
Would be good to see Kev, MMcK, and MikeP out together.

[NOVAAN]

Thanks for the input Kevin

[Goodwind]

Somehow YouTube has been feeding me with tons of wing foiling videos lately. I just came across a video of a lady in Japan who easily pumped her 7.2m wing at reportedly 7-10 mph wind to plane and going faster than everyone else in sight. How impressive? This is good news for wing foilers who live in light wind parts of the world. While wind speed is not an issue for me in SF Bay Area, I am warming up to it a little bit as it's something interesting to try and it's inherently much safer than kiting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ubabXrQQp8

disclaimer: I have no relationship with Naish

[coachg]

A couple of notes on the safety side of the wing thing. Many don't have windows so I make it a point to stay up wind of them. One of them crashed ahead & downwind of me today at Sherman which normally wouldn't be an issue, but with no sail attached to the board to hold it down as he went over the front of the board it launched tail first into the air like a flying ginsu; the effect was like shoving a beach ball under water & then releasing it, only having a double sided sword attached to the ball.

Coachg

[kevinkan]

it's a real shock to ride a wing with windows and then get on one that doesn't have them. sure, you can lift the wing up to have a look around, but it's also very nice to be able to have some vision. I was winging with two other friends and we were trying out different wings. Even with just three of us on the water, suddenly not having vision and knowing you have two buddies out there who are silent is kind of a scary feeling.

YMMV

As far as steering clear of wingers, there are a lot of beginners out there right now. The board leashes are in the 8ft + range and the wing leashes are in the 4-6ft range.

[rigatoni]

Tried the wing for the first time last week at the Event Site courtesy of Slingshot rep Wyatt Miller. It was blowing maybe 12-15 (not enough to windsurf with my small sail quiver) but it was so nice to get out on the water with that thing on such a warm day. A few observations.

1. He set me up on a non-foil SUP. As someone who had never foiled before, I got to focus on learning how to handle the wing rather than worrying about the foil.
2. I was able to stand up and move directionally on it really quick. I think your old long board skills start to kick a little. A kiter who was also on that thing for the first time and had zero experience windsurfing struggled big time.
3. I couldn't tack that thing to save my life. The simultaneous footwork and handwork was a challenge.
4. I kept having trouble getting the wing flipped right side up. It seems like its natural position is upside down on the water.

I can see why people like this thing, especially as a light wind thing to do.

[bert]

In the beginning of my experience with the wing, I had such a tough time just going from my bum knees to an upright position that I considered mounting one of these to my board