Hey all,

Just wondering how many people are sailing on foils at the moment? And of those people, how many are interested in racing?

I'm interested in getting one of the local clubs to run some foil racing in the second half of this year, probably alongside the dinghies and others classes.

How much interest in that would there be?

Cheers,
JC

Hey Jock.
Sounds like fun- just fill you in on the southern foil scene.
Foiling has not really taken off big time here YET....
Two seasons ago when the buzz all started a lot of guys purchased the Naish kit for freeride foiling and then a few sailors purchased full on race kits.
Well the race kits were sold off and some of the freeride kits dont see much water time at all.
I think in tassie we have such a big range of wind conditions that a lot of the hard core windsurfers who purchased foils just decided they will get 3-4 days sailing a week anyway on normal gear - why foil!!

But i think now it has all settled a bit, this season has seen a lot more recreational sailors get into foiling- with perhaps another 5 guys down south on the water. along with the already 7 sailors thats quite a few .

Most if not all are freeriding on soft rigs with early lift- low speed foils. Not the very fast foils with 8m sails we are seeing at pwa level.
Personally i find this side of foiling, very much fun as it makes it very very easy that anyone who windsurfs can do- once you start putting big camber induced sails on a foil it makes it quite a bit harder- especially for learning gybing on foil etc.

There is some great new gear coming out this 2020 season that with get more guys and girls thinking of foiling, so i hope numbers grow in Tassie

Racing may be something that would get participation if it was a very open class- allowing all foil boards and all sails .

Personally my favorite all time foil is the SlingShot for ease of use and the Slingshot wizard board- so easy to use. Naish Hover kits are also up there as being very user frIiendly.

Hey JC,
I foil but am really only interested in sub 15 knots of wind. For me, foiling is there to fill in the void when you rock up and the wind is sub 12 knots and you can't get planing on conventional gear - foil instead. So if it gets to more than 15 knots, I definitely wouldn't be interested. As fun as it is, when the wind is over 15, I prefer windsurfing. Most of the foiling Ive been doing has been in seabreezes that don't quite deliver (summer).
As for racing, I've always had concerns about sailors having a 1m long blunt carbon axe under their board. Especially so if there's a whole bunch of foilers trying to get round a marker bouy and someone bins it right in the middle of the turn zone. So I'd want to know what sort of racing it was going to be. If there's a few there who are REALLY keen and going for it, then probably not. If everyone was really relaxed and gave lots of space when sailing, then maybe.
Hope you are able to muster enough interest to get something up and running.

Great to here that there is, at very least, a lot of interest. Maybe some organised racing would be the push that some people need to grab some kit!

I do appreciate that racing is not everyone's cup of tea, however I do think its a great way to structure some weekend sailing. Martyj4, to your point, I would definitely be requesting some sort of open foil class, so people can just bring along whatever they have and try to get around a little course. I think the foilers would need their own start line, because mixing foiling and small opti kids doesn't sound too clever at all. And for a weekend race I dont think you'd find too many guys getting their shoulders out and sailing really aggressively.

There will be some winter racing held that I will try and do as a test run, so I'll be able to try out the race courses and make sure the race committee know what the foilers will behave like on the water. I'll also be looking at the safety aspect of it around other boats. And then once we do that and the summer season rolls around, hopefully we can have a bit of a formula to follow so we can get some really nice events in.


Even something like the foilers only compete every second weekend or something like this, so that you still have some weekends for other disciplines of windsurfing. I'm really open to idea's and suggestions, thoughts and comments. But for example I'm gonna be riding a 10.0 Hyperglide with a formula board, because I really wanna push this racing side of things. We could have a 'pro' and a 'casual' race even, something like we all start at the same time, but the people with 'Race' kit do three laps to the other fleet doing two.

There are lots of options out there, and I can pretty much get anything organised - the RYCT and SBSC are always open to ideas and as someone who has been involved with those clubs for my whole life, I can definitely make stuff happen!

So I guess if there is some interest, just let me know!

Sounds good.. we need a change down here. Out with the old bring in the new.
Jock i think some of the competitive guys will show interest once they know there is a comp involved..

Select to expand quote

JockyC said..
Great to here that there is, at very least, a lot of interest. Maybe some organised racing would be the push that some people need to grab some kit!

I do appreciate that racing is not everyone's cup of tea, however I do think its a great way to structure some weekend sailing. Martyj4, to your point, I would definitely be requesting some sort of open foil class, so people can just bring along whatever they have and try to get around a little course. I think the foilers would need their own start line, because mixing foiling and small opti kids doesn't sound too clever at all. And for a weekend race I dont think you'd find too many guys getting their shoulders out and sailing really aggressively.

There will be some winter racing held that I will try and do as a test run, so I'll be able to try out the race courses and make sure the race committee know what the foilers will behave like on the water. I'll also be looking at the safety aspect of it around other boats. And then once we do that and the summer season rolls around, hopefully we can have a bit of a formula to follow so we can get some really nice events in.


Even something like the foilers only compete every second weekend or something like this, so that you still have some weekends for other disciplines of windsurfing. I'm really open to idea's and suggestions, thoughts and comments. But for example I'm gonna be riding a 10.0 Hyperglide with a formula board, because I really wanna push this racing side of things. We could have a 'pro' and a 'casual' race even, something like we all start at the same time, but the people with 'Race' kit do three laps to the other fleet doing two.

There are lots of options out there, and I can pretty much get anything organised - the RYCT and SBSC are always open to ideas and as someone who has been involved with those clubs for my whole life, I can definitely make stuff happen!

So I guess if there is some interest, just let me know!

Hi Jock,
Jo Chau is on the WT committee, so she would be a good point of contact, but as observed with the Techno Nationals, the yacht clubs are well versed in running course racing events. I think an open class foil event would be great fun and some foilers may get the bug for competition (as Morgs pointed out, they can be a competitive bunch ). For me I'd love to have a go as it would push me to work on skills.
Cheers,
Mort

Hi Mort,


Jo and I are good mates, and she will definitely be one of my first contacts! I don't have any doubt in the race committee's, I just want to make sure of the safety aspects of a bunch of foilers around lots of little kids. But I think managed in the right way, it wont be an issue.


Look forward to seeing some really good board racing on the river! really pushing the technology envelope, would be great to beat some of the modern skiffs and maybe even a foiler moth or two!!

JC

Sounds great. Not sure I'll get another foil for racing, but there were a lot of keen Windsurfer LT sailors at the last state titles held at the SBSC who I reckon will be keen to compete in some weekend racing, so we could perhaps promote that fleet as well.

Massive in PWA now-
Its only time in Tas..

Maybe there is some scope to have two very clear divisions - something like a pro/unlimited class (foil, formula, etc) and then an open class (everything else, like windsurfer LT, techno, raceboard).

If we had 4 or 5 for each (no problem for the Open / LT class) then the clubs would run the racing NO problem. There would be an additional cost to enter, as it wouldn't be a windsurfing TAS thing that your subs would cover. However from memory its something like $25 to enter for the whole season which covers about 3 months of racing.

I am obviously a bit of an advocate for racing, and thats what I love to do but I wanna try and stress to people that just because its 'racing' doesn't mean that everyone is gonna turn into wankers. There would still be a really relaxed and fun atmosphere, lots of cool people around the clubs to talk to and share stories with. Also I see it as an awesome opportunity to get as many windsurfers out in front of the young kids as possible, try and inspire some of them to give it a go and maybe hook them on this amazing sport we all love!!

I definitely think it could be a LOT of fun. I'm loving this discussion too, hearing that there is some interest is really encouraging for me to really make this into something cool. All my years racing techno's and RSX I always wanted to set something like this up, so pretty stoked that the scene could be ready for it now.

The foiling scene is happening fast. Like Damo said there are 2 ways you can go. I would say most would go with the recreational approach which makes sense unless you are racing. I am going to give the racing side a crack and hopefully do the nationals later this year or early next year. Would be good to see some of the crew get into it down here as we do get a lot of light wind days which are perfect for foiling. Even a big light wind slalom kit wont get you going in under 12 knots. So there is a gap there where foiling can fill. Good thing too is all the guys/girls already have wave, freeride or race sails they can put straight onto a foil board. So the cost is just going to be foil and board.

And you don't need to spend heaps on a board that will be good to race, I spent $200 on an old wood/glass starboard formula board and its been fantastic. Absolutely perfect for it. ????

if you hunt hard enough there are still a couple of those old formula boards left in Tas

I found mine on facebook marketplace - bit of a random find, but well worth digging around for. Actually its got heaps of rocker in the nose, so its super forgiving if you vent the foil and come down. I've been able to save a couple of cavitation's that I thought for sure would turn into catapults. So for someone less confident or newer to it, even someone more experienced but who just wants some forgiveness, there are lots of positives in that option. Just could be worth re-enforcing the fin box, even if just for peace of mind.

Hey guys, Damo mentioned your discussion Jock. After a successful States on long boards I am really keen to continue with windsurfing/foiling/wind gliding? at SBSC. We have shown the Boards work well on "Bravo" course with the 9ers for course racing so this can continue each Saturday arvo. We have some great RO's on this course that are more than happy to facilitate our needs. We have now sorted the issue re insurance so as long as you are a member of a sailing club or have the WT insurance you are more than welcome to race at the club. Going forward I think the club will just charge an entry fee for non club members. Towards the end of last season there were a few newbies that were not up to racing so they just played around in front of the club. Anyway lets keep the dialogue open...

Lauderdale are also keen to get Boards up and running. Their Club days are on a Sunday so this may also work to give sailors another option if Saturday does not work. Hopefully Matt Stirling will be our contact person there.

Green Island Freerace & Slalom Nationals are on in July Jock if your interested in a bit of fun & warm racing.

Kaz, is there a foil section at green island ?

Select to expand quote

geared4knots said..
Kaz, is there a foil section at green island ?

No foil section. I don't think coral bommies and foil fins would work very well together.

Picking up here a bit late....

With the LT and Techno, racing is generally in a more positive place than it has been for years.

I agree the big challenge is incorporating mixed classes in a fair way.

After the Windsurfer State Titles, it seemed the LT and R300 (Techno, Phantom 295, RSX, prodigy etc max 8.5m sail) classes worked really well.

While R300 is a bit of a mixed bag, i think that it is very important to get the techno platform moving.

Personally, I"d like to get a WT statewide series happening- best 3 out of 4 events- 1 x north; 1 x east coast; 2 x south (for example).

My thought would be that anything that is not R300 or LT could be open class, BUT competitors would need to nominate 1x board and 2 sails for the whole season at their first event.

WT calendar is out there among committee at the moment.

Would be great to see you back on the windsurfers Jock- all that expertise to share and inspire others.

Clarence

Back to the topc of the post, foiling...
Here IS a OD on a foil to keep everyone happy.

Jock , there has been quite a bit of interest in foils over winter and i know of at least one southern sailor who is gearing up for some serious top end foil action!
There is some great gear coming out this season and the new stuff is actually a lot more user friendly than even two years ago.

In terms of racing this summer I hope we have Windsurfer LT and Open class (everything else).
Might be a bit problematic with courses but hopefully doable.
If you really want to race in a fleet Windsurfer LT looks to be the way to go. Seems like old technology to some extent but the rapid take up of the new board just goes to show many just want to race on simple cheap gear on an equal footing and have a good social scene.
I'd suggest we still have too many options even for racing - formula, course, rsx, techno, foil, LT, R300.
This has always diluted our limited numbers and prevented good fleet racing. Also the cutting edge of the sport while lots of fun excludes the less fit or wealthy.
To me ideally to qualify for the Open class you would have a centreboard so boards could get to top mark in very light conditions.
Mat

Select to expand quote

clarence said..
Picking up here a bit late....

With the LT and Techno, racing is generally in a more positive place than it has been for years.

I agree the big challenge is incorporating mixed classes in a fair way.

After the Windsurfer State Titles, it seemed the LT and R300 (Techno, Phantom 295, RSX, prodigy etc max 8.5m sail) classes worked really well.

While R300 is a bit of a mixed bag, i think that it is very important to get the techno platform moving.

Personally, I"d like to get a WT statewide series happening- best 3 out of 4 events- 1 x north; 1 x east coast; 2 x south (for example).

My thought would be that anything that is not R300 or LT could be open class, BUT competitors would need to nominate 1x board and 2 sails for the whole season at their first event.

WT calendar is out there among committee at the moment.

Would be great to see you back on the windsurfers Jock- all that expertise to share and inspire others.

Clarence

Agree with pushing Bic Techno.
It's our sports junior race class after all, very popular in Europe and would probably appeal to kids more than the LT.

Select to expand quote

MatStirl said..
In terms of racing this summer I hope we have Windsurfer LT and Open class (everything else).
Might be a bit problematic with courses but hopefully doable.
If you really want to race in a fleet Windsurfer LT looks to be the way to go. Seems like old technology to some extent but the rapid take up of the new board just goes to show many just want to race on simple cheap gear on an equal footing and have a good social scene.
I'd suggest we still have too many options even for racing - formula, course, rsx, techno, foil, LT, R300.
This has always diluted our limited numbers and prevented good fleet racing. Also the cutting edge of the sport while lots of fun excludes the less fit or wealthy.
To me ideally to qualify for the Open class you would have a centreboard so boards could get to top mark in very light conditions.
Mat

The LT and R300 class are designed to encompass 85% of those wishing to race on an "economical" platform.

With the open class I would envisage that sailors would need to nominate 1 board and 2 sails for the whole season/series (rather than chop and change). This allows anyone with formula, foil, D2 etc to join in.

In theory, formula, foil etc should be able to get upwind in 8 - 10 knots.

So are you getting an LT Matt, or sailing the Prodigy this season???

Clarence

Select to expand quote

clarence said..

MatStirl said..
In terms of racing this summer I hope we have Windsurfer LT and Open class (everything else).
Might be a bit problematic with courses but hopefully doable.
If you really want to race in a fleet Windsurfer LT looks to be the way to go. Seems like old technology to some extent but the rapid take up of the new board just goes to show many just want to race on simple cheap gear on an equal footing and have a good social scene.
I'd suggest we still have too many options even for racing - formula, course, rsx, techno, foil, LT, R300.
This has always diluted our limited numbers and prevented good fleet racing. Also the cutting edge of the sport while lots of fun excludes the less fit or wealthy.
To me ideally to qualify for the Open class you would have a centreboard so boards could get to top mark in very light conditions.
Mat

The LT and R300 class are designed to encompass 85% of those wishing to race on an "economical" platform.

With the open class I would envisage that sailors would need to nominate 1 board and 2 sails for the whole season/series (rather than chop and change). This allows anyone with formula, foil, D2 etc to join in.

In theory, formula, foil etc should be able to get upwind in 8 - 10 knots.

So are you getting an LT Matt, or sailing the Prodigy this season???

Clarence

With everyone down here getting LT's I'm not sure Clarence.
If I had the cash I'd get an LT for light races and Techno for windy.
When kids big enough they could have the Techno.

Hey All,

LOVE the idea of the LT, and it's something that I am seriously looking to get involved in. However the cutting edge foiling stuff is pretty sick, and I'm finding it super hard to ignore the pull....

I am home on FRIDAY. Yes people, I will be returning very soon. And my first job is to find out when the next winter race is, and to get something organised for EVERYONE. I absolutely am not trying to exclude the OD, OD-LT, R300 guys, but I will be foiling and I would just love some mates.

Will be able to post up in the next few days the next racing date, so keep your eyeballs on this space.

JC

Hi Jock
At RQ the foils have been starting with the other board classes and sharing the same course as laser, opti, Finns and sabres. So far no safety problems after a full season. The trapezoid course helps keep everyone separated. On a windward return it can get busy going through the gate as other classes are starting. Also need to train the junior dinghies like opti to keep the start clear for the windsurfers as they forget about planing starts and get in the way. That said it's very manageable with no issues at rq to date

RACING ON THE DERWENT - THIS SUNDAY

Hey all, racing is on at 10 am on 11/08, which is this Sunday coming up.

I'll be competing on the foil board, but all windsurfers welcome. I checked with the organisers, they are keen and willing to have us.

If anyone is sure they will be able to come, comment below and I get enough interest in advance I might be able to organise our own start line, otherwise we may share with the skiffs or something like this.

Cheers!
JC

Things are hotting up Jock...

Have seen this! Absolutely fantastic, regardless of whether it makes the olympics (which I believe it should). I will absolutely be getting on board over the next year or two, love this so much.

Four Windsurfer LT sailors who have sailed the Winter Series have ditched there boards and have entered as a team into the Winter Challenge at Orford on Sun.