We had a good weed test today, masses of floating clumps close in and the odd clump offshore - it was surprisingly clear out the back given it had been blowing strongly from the west for days and the weed was stacked high on the beach.

Getting out required chugging off-foil, once past the break stalling and sailing slowly backward to clear the weed. Gybing usually also sheds weed.
It's possible to foil while dragging a couple of small clumps although the drag causes a few more crashes than usual when carving downwind
Stringy weed which was about occasionally last summer is harder to deal with, that stuff sticks easily to the mast, 10 strands or so and the board drops.

Overall moderate weed is not as big an issue as I thought it would be - definitely no excuse to not give foiling a go

SW 10-18 knots. Simon below (crappy Iphone pix) on brand-new Simmer Tricera 3 batten 5m - perfect lightweight wavesail for wave/downwind foiling.
Both of us on Wizard 105 & Infinity 76 wings




He got over - flying



My tracks

I hate weed

I'm very new to wind foiling, but I can say from personal experience that when I hit seaweed it's like someone set my parking brake. Almost instant stoppage.

In late summer, weeds in the eastern Gorge get really bad. You pretty much have to slog out through them, get out to clear water, drop, flip, clear 50 pounds of weeds of the foil, flip, start, and foil in the clear. When weed fronds are 10 feet long, drifting backwards does not clear the foil. Gotta do it the hard way.

Oh yeah, when you are pulling weeds off the foil in deep clear water, you have to somehow throw them away from yourself. Otherwise, what you remove just stays around you. Swim your gear away from this gunk, then start. LOL. At least this time of year the water is warm.