BayAreaKiteboarding.com

ok so ..
I got a half partner share on a mhl lift..
been sitting on it for a week waiting for tide to get high
I started my lesson about 4 days ago with tide and no wind
I entered the water with just the foil to see how things worked without a kite
I learned to go around the front of the board not the back (the foil lives there)
trying to enter the water one handed swimming around with it trying to get a feel for this big thing
yesterday I brought a kite with me

I tried 6 times to water start never got on the board....to much muscle memory for surfboard and or twin tip riding... I just feel off right away downwind board went upwind
I did body drag with the foil witch was a big wresting match. I could drag with it but not upwind very well.
I did take a 10m normally I would have rigged bigger
now I want a 8m

round 1 go's to the foil
todays another day

That's a great idea to take it out with no kite first! I'd just take it out and get extra worked.

Sounds like maybe you are not squared up to the wind if you know what i mean. Don't dive the kite until you are squared up or you will spin out. If using the Lift, make sure your back foot is fwd of the back footstrap or you will have trouble keeping the foil down. You want just enough powerstoroke to stand up, not lots of power to ride away like on a twintip. Once up, stop edging immediately, weight forward and just go with it. :-)

To body drag upwind, it is easier foil up or foil to the side. Foil down is the hardest.

jjm wrote:That's a great idea to take it out with no kite first! I'd just take it out and get extra worked.

I get lucky once in a while...

lieutenantglorp wrote:Sounds like maybe you are not squared up to the wind if you know what i mean. Don't dive the kite until you are squared up or you will spin out. If using the Lift, make sure your back foot is fwd of the back footstrap or you will have trouble keeping the foil down. You want just enough powerstoroke to stand up, not lots of power to ride away like on a twintip. Once up, stop edging immediately, weight forward and just go with it. :-)

To body drag upwind, it is easier foil up or foil to the side. Foil down is the hardest.

Ya too much muscle memory. ..
I dont have a back strap on and I cant get it going down wind just yet
As for dragging I keep the foil on its side upwind of me
Bar down wind
Some drag with the board downwind....and the bar too downwind
Thanks to all for the help

The foil has a ton of hydrodynamic inertia, which is incredibly difficult to get used to. Especially compared to a light surfboard. The beauty however is that once you're up and riding stable (on foil or just board), it can be quite easy to maintain course. The downside is that once you do start to crash, it's much harder to correct.

When I was learning, I focused on riding the board before the foil. I tried to keep kite and feet movement as slow as possible, again to avoid the situation of being unable to correct and taking advantage of the inertia that I was building. It took me a day of thrashing around trying to overpower and over-correct myself whenever I started to crash to realize that you can't overcome the forces and inertia of the foil. You just have to go slow and develop your internal control system making very subtle movements.

Everyone recommended a smaller kite for learning to foil, but I actually preferred a bigger kite. It allowed me to keep the kite parked and focus on my feet and body, and not worry about being underpowered. I figure that when I actually get good at riding a foil I can then go down a kite size or two or take advantage of the light wind:) Good luck!

CdoG wrote:

jjm wrote:That's a great idea to take it out with no kite first! I'd just take it out and get extra worked.

I get lucky once in a while...

lieutenantglorp wrote:Sounds like maybe you are not squared up to the wind if you know what i mean. Don't dive the kite until you are squared up or you will spin out. If using the Lift, make sure your back foot is fwd of the back footstrap or you will have trouble keeping the foil down. You want just enough powerstoroke to stand up, not lots of power to ride away like on a twintip. Once up, stop edging immediately, weight forward and just go with it. :-)

To body drag upwind, it is easier foil up or foil to the side. Foil down is the hardest.

Ya too much muscle memory. ..
I dont have a back strap on and I cant get it going down wind just yet
As for dragging I keep the foil on its side upwind of me
Bar down wind
Some drag with the board downwind....and the bar too downwind
Thanks to all for the help

Charlie, come to 3rd and I will give you some pointers.

Charlie.. Lets kite Tomrrow or Friday... or both. get you up and foiling fast!!

Ya!!
Thanks guys
very nice how the foil family shows So much loVe.
But for now with the soft sand bottom and soft winds
A little more alameda time is needed
But as soon as I can kinda ride i'll take it on the road
You guys can help me turn the big old foil ThiNg

Good luck! It's a serious challenge but very rewarding once you can ride!

rode today!!..................
for about a second....
then I popped a wheelie and crashed didn't get out of the front strap fast enough went tumbling...
somehow I pulled the eject and kite came down, buy the time I reloaded the foil was waiting for me at the beach

10m, light wind.. med tide I had to drag out again and couldn't go upwind dragging
tried it with the board downwind of me and the bar too

looking for the next ride