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DarrylG said..

petermac33 said..
Yet to see anyone plane on a foil in 5 to 6 knots.

The lowest I have seen is around the 8 knot mark and that was Blair on his 9.4 Gaastra and 100 cm wide Kinetic board last weekend.

I will add he struggled to get upwind and had no top end even in the 11 knot gusts. Not saying planing lower than 8 knots is not possible for a few lightweight highly skilled sailors but its far from the norm.

Yesterday I watched a large hydrofoil kite plane in 5 knots and this is almost normal for these things.

Your sailing in the wrong spot Pete. Melville is too shallow. ( mainly only learner / free ride foilers) Around the corner at Foilville we had over a dozen foilers yesterday. I was able to sail for 55km with an 8m on a mainly red arrow day peaking speeds just over 27knt.

I hit the water at 3:00
Just before the real action started

Re: earliest foil.

The young guys at Rose Bay foil in about 2 knots less wind that the Moths, So definitely 6 knots...
VMG's are pretty average, but still up and going.
That is on full race equipment...

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Anyway me and my eldest son both own 12.0 formula sails and they are both still in good condition, I am planning to get them cut down into high aspect foil sails, hope it works ok

Cut down Formula and RS:X sails seem to be working for the polish windfoilers:
www.facebook.com/PolskieStowarzyszenieWindsurfingu/photos/a.3556700207692283/3556701704358800

Look at the Techno sail out in front, its got to be the most versatile rig in the world as well as the cheapest, works on everything.

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cammd said..
Look at the Techno sail out in front, its got to be the most versatile rig in the world as well as the cheapest, works on everything.

I think after a full lap the techno rig is no longer leading! Nevertheless, great sail indeed!

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WhiteofHeart said..

cammd said..
Look at the Techno sail out in front, its got to be the most versatile rig in the world as well as the cheapest, works on everything.

I think after a full lap the techno rig is no longer leading! Nevertheless, great sail indeed!

If I'm reading the pic correctly, unless AUS-0 is over early, I think the Techno rig is toast halfway up the first lap if that far.

Most likely toast but how cool is it that a kid (I assume) on a techno rig can line up on a start line with a World Champion sailor like Steve Allen. He was at our club last season and joined in on the club races and the local kids got to share a start line with a him. I thought that was pretty cool for them.

The pic below is from 2013 Down Under Pro Australian FW Nationals at Hawks Nest, my then 15 yo in his first formula regatta hitting the start line using a techno sail as well its the 4th from the right. He was toast as well, pretty sure Steve Allen was at that one as well.

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cammd said..
Most likely toast but how cool is it that a kid (I assume) on a techno rig can line up on a start line with a World Champion sailor like Steve Allen.

Absolutely cool and what makes our sport unlike many, how accessible the best talent is and how, most often, they are generous with their advice and time (as evidenced repeatedly here). What a great way for them to learn.

Have seen the same things in my neck of the woods - Techno kids trying out racing with a Techno rig and old Formula board (and kicking my butt).

Edit. Miami USA

It was after watching this clip of a guy using an 11m planing in 5-10 knots that DG decided the rules need to be changed.

Duck gybe!

That's a big sail to duck gybe.

12.0 formula

Now approx 10.0 foil


596 Luff
234 boom
Mortenson Sails did a quality job, super happy

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cammd said..
12.0 formula

Now approx 10.0 foil


596 Luff
234 boom
Mortenson Sails did a quality job, super happy

Nice!!!

Looks more like a 10.5 for me.
Some people are already talking about protesting if you racing with it.

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jusavina said..
Looks more like a 10.5 for me.
Some people are already talking about protesting if you racing with it.

New rules being proposed, your allowed up to 1 square metre of sail for ever 10kgs you weigh, your gonna be limited to 6.5 this season.

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cammd said..

jusavina said..
Looks more like a 10.5 for me.
Some people are already talking about protesting if you racing with it.

New rules being proposed, your allowed up to 1 square metre of sail for ever 10kgs you weigh, your gonna be limited to 6.5 this season.

OK, but 1 sail only, no change downs.

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azuli said..

cammd said..

jusavina said..
Looks more like a 10.5 for me.
Some people are already talking about protesting if you racing with it.

New rules being proposed, your allowed up to 1 square metre of sail for ever 10kgs you weigh, your gonna be limited to 6.5 this season.

OK, but 1 sail only, no change downs.

Thats the IQ foil class, I am going to try formula foil....... as a starter, it allows 3 sails and up to 12.5 for us plus size sailors, any merde protest's about my 10.something will fall on deaf ears.

Never heard of last place being protested anyway

I've seen a few 11's starting to appear. Happy Days

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cammd said..

jusavina said..
Looks more like a 10.5 for me.
Some people are already talking about protesting if you racing with it.

New rules being proposed, your allowed up to 1 square metre of sail for ever 10kgs you weigh, your gonna be limited to 6.5 this season.

It's winter, I could go up to 7m at the moment with that rule

To also go back on topic, I've been training with some very good riders over the summer and have seen prototype foilsails of upto 12.5m2.

My most recent training session was in gusty 8-20 knots, where we were on a mix of 9-10-11's. The difference was marginal in the upwind, doing a 6km upwind leg, and ending up with max 20m spread within the group, with mostly the best riders being ahead and not necessarily the rider with the biggest sail. On the downwind the difference was massive, especially under the shore where wind was around 5 knots. The guys with the bigger sails could get an insane angle pretty much instantly, whereas the guys with the smaller sails needed a lot more speed. I think in more consistent conditions the difference overall will not be so big, especially since we noticed in the upwind that in the gusts the smaller sails were faster and pointing higher. Therefore, my fear of pros rigging a 12.5 in 17 knots of wind are not really justified, the big sails also have a lot of drag, meaning that in those condition the gain in angle downwind will be lost in the tradeoff with speed, and angle and speed upwind.

Steve rocking an 11m