SUP Foil Practice – San Francisco Bay

SUP Foil Practice - San Francisco BayPractice – another step forward in learning to fly a SUP Go Foil by being towed behind a boat, the Barbary Ghost.

It’s been a while since I have been pulled behind a boat, I forgot how much fun the group camaraderie is.

One of the reasons I am documenting my learn to foil experience is to give a realistic account of progressing.  The pros make it look so easy, as do the experienced kite foilers.  Seeing some of the video of myself I feel a bit embarrassed, it is humbling to be a beginner again and struggle to grasp the basics.  At the same time I remember how hard it was to learn to downwind SUP surf, SUP surfing before that, and prone surfing way before that…

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What’s so great about Foil surfing? – Video

Learning to foil surfOnce upon a time surfing was a group activity where everyone knew each other, everyone was welcome, and every wave was a party wave.  After surfing there was a beach fire party and a seafood feast with live music and dancing.  Today it is likely that complete strangers sit next to each other and the only words spoken are to tell each other to get off their wave.  Also beach fires are often illegal or limited, the fish are often polluted, and few people know how to play music and forgot how to dance.

Foil surfing can change this by allowing us to ride the swells in oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, and more…

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First Gofoil Maliko Downwind SUP Foil Attempt

Downwind SUP FoilFirst attempt to fly the Gofoil Maliko downwind SUP foil in the San Francisco Bay here in Alameda.

With the foil sticking out of the bottom of the board and the camera pole sticking off the top it was a bit of a challenge to get it in and out of the water.  Pretty comical actually, and then at the end of the run the water is only a couple feet deep over thick mud.  To get back to land I took the camera pole off, turned the board upside down, and prone paddled to the beach.  The fisherman didn’t quite no what to make of me or what I was doing.

Trying for a wave I felt the board accelerate and release, or maybe even fly?  Good thing I have the video to watch and see what was going on, as when in the water I couldn’t tell if the board was flying or not…

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My First Time SUP Foil Surfing – Video

Go Foil SurfingThis foil surfing project has been 10 months in the making for me, and it really got going yesterday.  First time ever riding a foil or having any experience with a tuttle box.  Big learning curve for me.

I felt anxious as soon as I decided this day was the day to try it.  I had no baseline to even guess what I was in for.  Paddling out and going for a wave was a rush, and I never thought I would be terrified in knee high gutless mushy waves.

Looking forward to trying DW foiling here in the San Francisco Bay.  I suspect this will open up a whole new area of wave riding.  Thousands of wind waves go unridden and the bay is often empty of any wave riders.   Foiling could change this,literally creating surf spots overnight where they have never been before…

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