The past few weeks I have been obsessed with the foil! So unique, so different, and the potential of opening up a whole new era of surf possibilities is blowing my mind.
Monterrey bay has a lot of kelp beds and I was concerned there was nowhere I could foil without getting it all tangled up in kelp. So this was a test to see if this surf spot was free of kelp and deep enough so the Gofoil wouldn’t hit the bottom…
Practice – 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…
Once 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…
One dark cold early morning my cousin took me to surf Fort Point. First time I had been and it was bigger than I was comfortable with, I was feeling scared and anxious. My cousin jumped off the rocks and breezed out like it was effortless. I watched for a bit and then scrambled down the rocks slipping and banging my knee on a sharp rock, I sort of crawled into the water and then flailingly paddled as hard as I could to get outside before I got smashed by a set.
I made it out and then watched in a panic at how close the take off spot was from the huge sharp rocks…
First 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…
Wow! I so enjoyed paddlefest!
So much fun with amazing people.
Thanks to all the organizers and founders for bringing us this wonderful event.
I hope to see more good vibe events like this at all surf breaks…
