Remember one of the very first wind foiling videos when Robby Naish took off on a 4.7 and a 120 liter board in 8-10 mph and we were like sweet no more big sails and barn doors..we can all do that with a foil!

Then reality set in and only a few % of people lived on Maui and even few of us were Robby, so the rest of us made a compromise on board and sail sizes.

I was gutted, pumping a 7.8 NP RS:Flight on a JP wide board, it was killing my back and I was losing some of the desire to chase light winds again, so there had to be a way of milking the light stuff while having maximum of fun on free-foiling equipment and thus my light wind and small sail size journey began.

I went from 7.8 then 7.2 then 6.4 then 5.8 and that's where I stayed for a while...now my biggest sail size is 5.0 and I'm no featherweight either at a spritely 200lbs/90kg (add a few more pounds for wetsuit and harness etc.)

I don't think I can get to 8-10 mph with a 4.7...but with some sail and board pumping the 9-13mph on a 5.0 is just enough for some summertime cruising, nothing beats flying along with barely a white cap insight, it's almost like you are bending windsurfing physics

Nice video and music, thanks. What foil/wing combo are you using? For 10+ knots I use a 5.8 Areotech Freespeed sail and AFS F1080 wing, but get on the F770 wing as soon as there are decent whitecaps. Below 10 knots I use an Aerotech Freespeed 7.2 sail and F1080 wing, I weigh 185 lbs/84 kg.

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Sandman1221 said..
Nice video and music, thanks. What foil/wing combo are you using?

Thanks

Slingshot phantasm PTM 926, 872 fuse and 400 rear wing on 92cm mast.

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CoreAS said..I don't think I can get to 8-10 mph with a 4.7...but with some sail and board pumping the 9-13mph on a 5.0 is just enough for some summertime cruising, nothing beats flying along with barely a white cap insight, it's almost like you are bending windsurfing physics

Nice video light-wind wizard
All those sub 12 knot sessions in Texas have served you well

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azymuth said..

CoreAS said..I don't think I can get to 8-10 mph with a 4.7...but with some sail and board pumping the 9-13mph on a 5.0 is just enough for some summertime cruising, nothing beats flying along with barely a white cap insight, it's almost like you are bending windsurfing physics

Nice video light-wind wizard
All those sub 12 knot sessions in Texas have served you well

Cheers JJ

You're exactly right about Dallas, it was a pretty good training ground for light and gusty winds.


Florida is a whole different playground. The wind is typically very consistent but it rarely gets in the high 20's until the winter north winds.

Nice CoreAS,
That steady wind looks great . If I'm on my 5.2 sail in Austin, it usually means I'm "chasing puffs".
Light wind flying jibes are a different skill set, as I attempt to not out run the puff. How does the 926 compare to the 730 in light air ?.

Great video there is some nice foot work in there I will try to copy. THANKS

Front wing area and AR, and rider skill make a big difference. CoreAS shows us how to do it with the small stuff.

At 200 lb a wind of 9-13 requires me to use a 7.0. No way I can make a 5.0 work, but not for lack of trying.

At my age I can't muscle it as much as the younger dudes and dudettes. So, for me the biggest equipment factor is the front wing.

On Puget Sound two days ago, I was out in 12-14 mph winds with a very high AR race foil of 1025 cm2 area. I could not make a 5.7 work, but my 7.0 worked in the puffs, followed by longer rides on apparent wind alone. My friend of 170 lb weight was on a 7.5 sail with a Blue Large wing (~1500 cm2). He had a higher ride percentage than I did. Area matters.

The evolution of this sport is amazing. The 926 and others of its ilk are in a whole new regime of performance. Simply amazing.

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WsurfAustin said..
Nice CoreAS,
That steady wind looks great . If I'm on my 5.2 sail in Austin, it usually means I'm "chasing puffs".
Light wind flying jibes are a different skill set, as I attempt to not out run the puff. How does the 926 compare to the 730 in light air ?.

Wind here is soooo much more steady than Texas its night and day difference, and one of the factors that has allowed me to change down to 5.0.

Gybing in the light stuff is a challenge, and that's where the ptm926 shines well, if you can find a decent puff the speed and glide will keep you going just enough for a foot change and flip the sail BUT you have to go in with as much speed as possible.

I think one of the biggest differences between ptm926 and pfi730 is the positive pressure feedback when board pumping in light winds, there is more "push back" underfoot with the ptm926 than the 730. They are both equally fast in medium winds and the 730 handles winds much better over 16-18+ mph.

Having a ptm926 and pfi730 is like having 2 sails that cover 10-32mph

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CoreAS said..

WsurfAustin said..
Nice CoreAS,
That steady wind looks great . If I'm on my 5.2 sail in Austin, it usually means I'm "chasing puffs".
Light wind flying jibes are a different skill set, as I attempt to not out run the puff. How does the 926 compare to the 730 in light air ?.

Wind here is soooo much more steady than Texas its night and day difference, and one of the factors that has allowed me to change down to 5.0.

Gybing in the light stuff is a challenge, and that's where the ptm926 shines well, if you can find a decent puff the speed and glide will keep you going just enough for a foot change and flip the sail BUT you have to go in with as much speed as possible.

I think one of the biggest differences between ptm926 and pfi730 is the positive pressure feedback when board pumping in light winds, there is more "push back" underfoot with the ptm926 than the 730. They are both equally fast in medium winds and the 730 handles winds much better over 16-18+ mph.

Having a ptm926 and pfi730 is like having 2 sails that cover 10-32mph

Awesome, thanks for the feedback.

Great video! Do you feel like the Phantasm 926 is more efficient than the Hoverglide i99 for light air? I too live in an area with predominantly light air and have been trying to increase my TOW. I have an i76 and an i99; I'm thinking about the 926. Are you using the all carbon mast? If so, do you think it makes a difference as compared to aluminum?

Great video! Do you feel like the Phantasm 926 is more efficient than the Hoverglide i99 for light air? I too live in an area with predominantly light air and have been trying to increase my TOW. I have an i76 and an i99; I'm thinking about the 926. Are you using the all carbon mast? If so, do you think it makes a difference as compared to aluminum?

Great video mate,remember your videos of the wizard 125 and the Infinity 99 foiling in less than 10 knots
Thats why I bought my wizard and now I am foiling 100% of my windsurf sessions.

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CoreAS said..
Remember one of the very first wind foiling videos when Robby Naish took off on a 4.7 and a 120 liter board in 8-10 mph and we were like sweet no more big sails and barn doors..we can all do that with a foil!

Then reality set in and only a few % of people lived on Maui and even few of us were Robby, so the rest of us made a compromise on board and sail sizes.

I was gutted, pumping a 7.8 NP RS:Flight on a JP wide board, it was killing my back and I was losing some of the desire to chase light winds again, so there had to be a way of milking the light stuff while having maximum of fun on free-foiling equipment and thus my light wind and small sail size journey began.

I went from 7.8 then 7.2 then 6.4 then 5.8 and that's where I stayed for a while...now my biggest sail size is 5.0 and I'm no featherweight either at a spritely 200lbs/90kg (add a few more pounds for wetsuit and harness etc.)

I don't think I can get to 8-10 mph with a 4.7...but with some sail and board pumping the 9-13mph on a 5.0 is just enough for some summertime cruising, nothing beats flying along with barely a white cap insight, it's almost like you are bending windsurfing physics

PS: I too remember that video of Robby Naish foiling in next to no wind with a small sail. Prior to starting my journey in foiling about a year ago, I was using Formula gear with huge race sails in order to get planing in the light air where I live (on a salt water river near the coast in Savannah, Georgia). I was tired of the huge gear and delighted by the possibility of being able to still have fun with smaller sails.

As always, Robby is an inspiration. Did you guys watch the documentary about his life? I think it's called The Longest Wave, available on Amazon Prime Video. Paradoxically, as inspirational as he seems to be to so many people worldwide, I came away from the documentary thinking that at his core he is a very lonely guy, with a recent divorce, having sold his house in Hawaii (for $18M, as featured in the Wall St. Journal), and few true friends.

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Foulweatherjack said..
Great video! Do you feel like the Phantasm 926 is more efficient than the Hoverglide i99 for light air? I too live in an area with predominantly light air and have been trying to increase my TOW. I have an i76 and an i99; I'm thinking about the 926. Are you using the all carbon mast? If so, do you think it makes a difference as compared to aluminum?

He'll have additional feedback but the 926 glides really well compared to either the 76 or 99. I only went on my third session with it today, decently powered with a 6.3, and did a bunch of jibe attempts. It's way easier to maintain speed than on the 76, everything else being the same, but it does take more carving rail pressure.

I have the 103W aluminum and I did notice it flexing some today. Especially when the wind picked up and I got where the small swells were. It is noticeable and I don't know how it compares to the carbon mast but I don't regret getting the aluminum at the moment. I'm just not riding swells with it yet.

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Foulweatherjack said..
Great video! Do you feel like the Phantasm 926 is more efficient than the Hoverglide i99 for light air? I too live in an area with predominantly light air and have been trying to increase my TOW. I have an i76 and an i99; I'm thinking about the 926. Are you using the all carbon mast? If so, do you think it makes a difference as compared to aluminum?

Completely different beast than the i99.
The i99 keeps ticking over like a Diesel engine at low revs through the holes, the ptm926 is much quicker but you do have to spend more time "manipulating" the foil with foot and rig pressure.
if you want to get up and cruise the i99 is a gem! If you want speed and better gybes in light wind (but put in more work) the ptm926 is unbelievable.
yes I use the carbon phantasm mast. It is very stiff and worth the investment if your allowance allows it.

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Foulweatherjack said..

CoreAS said..
Remember one of the very first wind foiling videos when Robby Naish took off on a 4.7 and a 120 liter board in 8-10 mph and we were like sweet no more big sails and barn doors..we can all do that with a foil!

Then reality set in and only a few % of people lived on Maui and even few of us were Robby, so the rest of us made a compromise on board and sail sizes.

I was gutted, pumping a 7.8 NP RS:Flight on a JP wide board, it was killing my back and I was losing some of the desire to chase light winds again, so there had to be a way of milking the light stuff while having maximum of fun on free-foiling equipment and thus my light wind and small sail size journey began.

I went from 7.8 then 7.2 then 6.4 then 5.8 and that's where I stayed for a while...now my biggest sail size is 5.0 and I'm no featherweight either at a spritely 200lbs/90kg (add a few more pounds for wetsuit and harness etc.)

I don't think I can get to 8-10 mph with a 4.7...but with some sail and board pumping the 9-13mph on a 5.0 is just enough for some summertime cruising, nothing beats flying along with barely a white cap insight, it's almost like you are bending windsurfing physics

PS: I too remember that video of Robby Naish foiling in next to no wind with a small sail. Prior to starting my journey in foiling about a year ago, I was using Formula gear with huge race sails in order to get planing in the light air where I live (on a salt water river near the coast in Savannah, Georgia). I was tired of the huge gear and delighted by the possibility of being able to still have fun with smaller sails.

As always, Robby is an inspiration. Did you guys watch the documentary about his life? I think it's called The Longest Wave, available on Amazon Prime Video. Paradoxically, as inspirational as he seems to be to so many people worldwide, I came away from the documentary thinking that at his core he is a very lonely guy, with a recent divorce, having sold his house in Hawaii (for $18M, as featured in the Wall St. Journal), and few true friends.

Yep that vid of robby sailing in 8-10 knots was back in 2017. He was doing it with the 4.7 wave sail and the Naish 1220 front foil, which doesn't even come close to the modern foils. I too was gutted when I bought the same foil setup with a 6m sail figuring I would be 10 kg lighter, with a bigger sail, so how couldn't it work for me? Ha, yeah right! Not that I'm talented, but it showed me just how mindbogglingly talented he is. I needed at least 13 knots to get started. Upgraded front foils dropped that threshold to around 11 knots.

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albertem said..
Great video mate,remember your videos of the wizard 125 and the Infinity 99 foiling in less than 10 knots
Thats why I bought my wizard and now I am foiling 100% of my windsurf sessions.

That's great to hear and thank you for the feedback on the video. I will start making more videos as new foil wings are released, keep on ripping mate.

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martyj4 said..

Foulweatherjack said..

CoreAS said..
Remember one of the very first wind foiling videos when Robby Naish took off on a 4.7 and a 120 liter board in 8-10 mph and we were like sweet no more big sails and barn doors..we can all do that with a foil!

Then reality set in and only a few % of people lived on Maui and even few of us were Robby, so the rest of us made a compromise on board and sail sizes.

I was gutted, pumping a 7.8 NP RS:Flight on a JP wide board, it was killing my back and I was losing some of the desire to chase light winds again, so there had to be a way of milking the light stuff while having maximum of fun on free-foiling equipment and thus my light wind and small sail size journey began.

I went from 7.8 then 7.2 then 6.4 then 5.8 and that's where I stayed for a while...now my biggest sail size is 5.0 and I'm no featherweight either at a spritely 200lbs/90kg (add a few more pounds for wetsuit and harness etc.)

I don't think I can get to 8-10 mph with a 4.7...but with some sail and board pumping the 9-13mph on a 5.0 is just enough for some summertime cruising, nothing beats flying along with barely a white cap insight, it's almost like you are bending windsurfing physics

PS: I too remember that video of Robby Naish foiling in next to no wind with a small sail. Prior to starting my journey in foiling about a year ago, I was using Formula gear with huge race sails in order to get planing in the light air where I live (on a salt water river near the coast in Savannah, Georgia). I was tired of the huge gear and delighted by the possibility of being able to still have fun with smaller sails.

As always, Robby is an inspiration. Did you guys watch the documentary about his life? I think it's called The Longest Wave, available on Amazon Prime Video. Paradoxically, as inspirational as he seems to be to so many people worldwide, I came away from the documentary thinking that at his core he is a very lonely guy, with a recent divorce, having sold his house in Hawaii (for $18M, as featured in the Wall St. Journal), and few true friends.

Yep that vid of robby sailing in 8-10 knots was back in 2017. He was doing it with the 4.7 wave sail and the Naish 1220 front foil, which doesn't even come close to the modern foils. I too was gutted when I bought the same foil setup with a 6m sail figuring I would be 10 kg lighter, with a bigger sail, so how couldn't it work for me? Ha, yeah right! Not that I'm talented, but it showed me just how mindbogglingly talented he is. I needed at least 13 knots to get started. Upgraded front foils dropped that threshold to around 11 knots.

Ha exactly! A friend of mine bought the 2017 120l board and I couldn't believe how small it felt compared to other boards, I had a couple of naish foils and they were good at the time but tricky to gybe.
Things have evolved so much in 5 years.