Guy Cribb: I predict, the next twenty years will be the real birth of windsurfing, the decades of development when we literally take off. If you've not been on a race foil yet, get on one a.s.a.p., then you'll catch my drift. In my experienced view, we had a long era of dragging along the surface; we are currently having a short blip where foils are a medley of surf, wing, wind and kite blurred into one, mostly very different to windsurfing as we knew it, but out of this explosion there are windsurf race foils zooming ahead with our future. Extremely high speed, zero drag, sophisticated suspension flying machines, with all the action and thrills of windsurfing multiplied. We ride race foils just like we windsurfed, just in 3D instead of 1D - upwind, across the wind, downwind, up, down, point anywhere and get there amazingly fast.



www.windsurf.co.uk/2020-engadinwind-silvaplana-showdown/

with contributions from John Carter, Tom Squires, Islay Watson, Andy Brown, Sam Sills, Guy Cribb, Matteo Iachino, Sebastian Koerdel, Kiran Badloe, Svein Rasmussen, H?l?ne Noesmoen & Nico Goyard.

Guy Cribbs videos are great but I wonder how much of an expert he is about foils if he describes them as 'zero drag' ! I don't think 'extremely high speed' applies either.

I have thought about an AFS race wing, but my understanding is you need to pump race foils to get up, and not sure I want to do that every time. Wish I could demo one first.

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simonp123 said..
Guy Cribbs videos are great but I wonder how much of an expert he is about foils if he describes them as 'zero drag' ! I don't think 'extremely high speed' applies either.

Good enough to finish mid-pack at Silvaplana. Admittedly, it's a bit of hyperbole but he also watched a final that would have been a wash out in any other form of non-displacement windsurfing.

Extremely high speed is in the racing context. When you are closing on opposite tacks at a combined speed of 40-50 kts., it's a big change from anything prior to it. Yes, a slalom board is faster but you don't have to weave between 50-75 boards coming at you going 25kts or more.

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Sandman1221 said..
I have thought about an AFS race wing, but my understanding is you need to pump race foils to get up, and not sure I want to do that every time. Wish I could demo one first.

This isn't the case. They produce lift just like any other foil: through speed. Pumping is only required in super light winds just like others.

Great article and interviews. Thanks for posting it. The future of foil racing and the Olympics is going to be incredible.
I own both a starboard race set up and Neil Pryde glide wind and alternate sailing both improving my jibes on the Gilde, then applying improved technique to the race foil which is more difficult to foil through the jibes on. They compliment each other well and are so much fun!

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Paducah said..
Guy Cribb: I predict, the next twenty years will be the real birth of windsurfing, the decades of development when we literally take off. If you've not been on a race foil yet, get on one a.s.a.p., then you'll catch my drift. In my experienced view, we had a long era of dragging along the surface; we are currently having a short blip where foils are a medley of surf, wing, wind and kite blurred into one, mostly very different to windsurfing as we knew it, but out of this explosion there are windsurf race foils zooming ahead with our future. Extremely high speed, zero drag, sophisticated suspension flying machines, with all the action and thrills of windsurfing multiplied. We ride race foils just like we windsurfed, just in 3D instead of 1D - upwind, across the wind, downwind, up, down, point anywhere and get there amazingly fast.



www.windsurf.co.uk/2020-engadinwind-silvaplana-showdown/

with contributions from John Carter, Tom Squires, Islay Watson, Andy Brown, Sam Sills, Guy Cribb, Matteo Iachino, Sebastian Koerdel, Kiran Badloe, Svein Rasmussen, H?l?ne Noesmoen & Nico Goyard.

No bigger zealot than a convert. 4 years ago Guy was very sceptical about foiling ("windsurfing is hard enough as it is"). Now he only foils. But I think I'm falling down the same rabbit hole, secretly hoping "it doesn't get too strong to foil", haha.

The speed argument is in the eye of the beholder.
You can be foiling along at 20Kn and feel like you're on the limit in a formula one race car, while someone blasts past you on 20- year old bump & jump gear.
Windfoiling just FEELS fast. Throw in a few swells, or other sailors and it's next level.

Speed is also relative
a race foil will be hard to catch in 8-15kn if sailed
by a skilled rider,

winds under 8kn not much will keep up with a LT.
recently at Cervantes I foiled past slalom boards with 9.6s that where wallowing using a 5.3 wave sail and a
slow foil sup foil on a free ride board.if you want speed then a cheap AC75 would be the go
45kn in 15kn of wind

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dantren said..
The speed argument is in the eye of the beholder.
You can be foiling along at 20Kn and feel like you're on the limit in a formula one race car, while someone blasts past you on 20- year old bump & jump gear.
Windfoiling just FEELS fast. Throw in a few swells, or other sailors and it's next level.

This is what worries me about winging - that it could be much more fun than it looks.

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dantren said..
The speed argument is in the eye of the beholder.
You can be foiling along at 20Kn and feel like you're on the limit in a formula one race car, while someone blasts past you on 20- year old bump & jump gear.
Windfoiling just FEELS fast. Throw in a few swells, or other sailors and it's next level.

Remember reading a long time ago a comment by someone who used to fly fighter jets - he found windsurfing more exhilarating. The slight lack of control at the edge is the difference. I think that windfoiling demands your attention and saturates your senses in a way 2D windsurfing doesn't. Not a knock on being on a fin but I think that's why so many of us find light air windfoiling much more satisfying than we thought it would.

Faff, with you on the winging. From my experience at the lower end of things, the acceleration of a high aspect windfoil is pretty compelling. Higher winds is where I see a lot of crossover and may depend a lot on sea state.

Jordy Vonk and Andy Laufer foiling around at 34 kts.

www.facebook.com/andylaufer/videos/10224731492492514

Progress marches on. Just like we have seen for windsurfing over the years, especially in formula, we are now seeing the evolution of foil gear to the point where you can get speed, angle, ease of use, etc., etc. with whatever design you want. As usual, it's the racing ecosystem that leads the way.

I have to agree about race foils. My Moses Race is by far the fastest and easiest to use foil I own. The really long fuselage, coupled with correct shimming, makes it very pitch stable and nice to ride. Like cutting soft butter. No drama.

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dantren said..
The speed argument is in the eye of the beholder.
You can be foiling along at 20Kn and feel like you're on the limit in a formula one race car, while someone blasts past you on 20- year old bump & jump gear.
Windfoiling just FEELS fast. Throw in a few swells, or other sailors and it's next level.

Speed is speed, it is something you can measure and see when people pass you. My RRD FSW 90 can actually hit respectable speeds when used with an upright fin and powered ACX 5.4/6.0. But it is way less stable, fast, and because of that more "scary" but ultimately less fun than my slalom boards in the same conditions. The foils I see around might be scary AND fun but are certainly slow ... by any standard. At my weight, hit 12/13 knots of wind and I am well ahead for a trouble free ride on my slalom.

Bu the way: Guy Cribb was referring to the future of foiling in the Windsurfing UK article: "I predict, the next twenty years will be the real birth of windsurfing, the decades of development when we literally take off. "

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duzzi said..

dantren said..
The speed argument is in the eye of the beholder.
You can be foiling along at 20Kn and feel like you're on the limit in a formula one race car, while someone blasts past you on 20- year old bump & jump gear.
Windfoiling just FEELS fast. Throw in a few swells, or other sailors and it's next level.

Speed is speed, it is something you can measure and see when people pass you. My RRD FSW 90 can actually hit respectable speeds when used with an upright fin and powered ACX 5.4/6.0. But it is way less stable, fast, and because of that more "scary" but ultimately less fun than my slalom boards in the same conditions. The foils I see around might be scary AND fun but are certainly slow ... by any standard. At my weight, hit 12/13 knots of wind and I am well ahead for a trouble free ride on my slalom.

Bu the way: Guy Cribb was referring to the future of foiling in the Windsurfing UK article: "I predict, the next twenty years will be the real birth of windsurfing, the decades of development when we literally take off. "

I like slalom boards. I don't like slalom rigs.

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Mitch Pearson said..

Sandman1221 said..
I have thought about an AFS race wing, but my understanding is you need to pump race foils to get up, and not sure I want to do that every time. Wish I could demo one first.

This isn't the case. They produce lift just like any other foil: through speed. Pumping is only required in super light winds just like others.

Well with my AFS Wind 95 foil and F1080 wing I usually do not have to pump in light winds (8-11 knots). But if I do pump, it is usually just 1-3 short/quick pumps of the sail and then I am up.

To further the point about foiling saturating the senses. And, not taking a swipe at any of our finned or winged siblings and relations as each, as the article points out have their merits - and I would concur.

"But the aim of this exercise was to compare everything in the same wind strength, pound for pound, and in that respect, wind foiling gives a fresh set of sensations for the flat water arena, which much as I love fanging around with a fin, it's not an infinite amount of pleasure. Wind foiling adds that extra something on top to benign conditions; just enough to test you without being insurmountable, and giving a strong sense of accomplishment when it all goes right. There's plenty to get hooked on, which is ironic given a harness feels superfluous a lot of the time for me. That's because of how light the sail becomes wind foiling when using a smaller sail as you are generating so much apparent wind with the efficiency of the foil., but there's still a lot, if not more physical challenges on offer as you balance all the forces; bit of a mind game in there too, so we'll add mental workout to the list also. Wind foiling is like lots of little micro-puzzles to solve to keep your windsurfing mind, body and soul fresh and not descend into a world-weary, seen-it-all, human. For that alone, it's worth the rip. "
- John Carter


www.windsurf.co.uk/fin-v-foil-v-wing-3-way-relationship/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fin-v-foil-v-wing-3-way-relationship