Windsurfing and Wing Foiling at Crissy Field

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

I felt healthier on Wednesday and returned to Crissy Field to try windsurfing. 

The wind forecast on iwindsurf.com  looked favorable. When I arrived at Crissy Field, I found plenty of parking space, quickly rigged my Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail, and attached a long fin to my Fanatic 105 STB FSW windsurfing board.

I managed to windsurf for about an hour in the varying conditions on the bay. I saw a lot of wing foilers on the bay (and windsurfing was dying as a sport). I was itching to try wind foiling, too. What am I missing?

When de-rigging, I noticed a small tear at the foot of the Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail. I will need to have it repaired. Ezzy has been a very durable brand, and I wondered how I cut it.

A few days later, I applied sail tape to the sail, which is holding well.

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Since my afternoon meeting was canceled (and there was adequate wind at Crissy Field), I decided to try Wing Foiling for the first time. 

I loaded my Toyota Sienna with all my wing-foiling gear, including:

• 2022 (S26) 5'10 x 29" Naish Wing Foil GS board 110-liter
  
• Armstrong HS Foil Kit - 1850cm front wing with 85cm carbon mast
  
• 2022 Duotone Slick SLS Wing with Aluminum Boom

I drove over to Crissy Field and started to assemble my Armstrong Foil. It took a few tries to align the fuselage on the mast, and with the help of another foiler, I was able to insert screws and tighten them.

After fully assembling the foil, I inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing. At first, I had to figure out how to insert the aluminum mini boom (which was relatively easy). I also had to ensure all the air vents were closed.

After carrying the gear to the water, I walked further offshore to provide enough depth for the foil. Getting up on the board was hard, and I kept sliding off. I could sail a bit on my knees, but I could never get up. It was much more complicated than I expected.

In the next session, I need to work on standing up on the board, as balancing on the knees is quite tricky.

At 16:00, I was done and disassembled the gear. I was home by 16:15.

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Since Crissy had some wind forecast, I decided to stop by for a quick wing foiling or windsurfing session if the wind and fog permitted it. There was little wind when I arrived, but the mist cleared. I decided to try wing foiling again.

I inflated my Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m sail and attached the Armstrong 1850 foil to my Naish 110 GS board. I wore my Promotion 4/3mm wetsuit and carried my gear to the beach.

Since the tide was coming in, it was pretty deep, and I tried wing foiling on my knees. I did much better than yesterday and could sail quickly before turning around. However, I was not able to stand up. I sailed for about an hour, and when I grew tired, I returned to shore.

As I de-rigged my gear, I noticed that the wind picked up and many new people were arriving - wing foilers and windsurfers. I wish I had the energy to windsurf, too!

Thursday, August 3, 2022

Since Crissy had a heavy wind forecast, I decided to stop by for a quick wing foiling or windsurfing session. I initially planned to drive around 15:00., but Inna had some errands to run, so I picked her up downtown and brought her back.

At around 16:00, I managed to arrive at Crissy Field. I quickly attached the Armstrong foil to my Naish 110GS board and inflated my Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing.

I would like to make wing-foiling progress today after watching multiple wing-foiling videos. As luck would have it, I made some excellent progress. Using the techniques outlined in the 3 Waterstart Techniques video by Damien LeRoy, I could use the wing as another leg and stand up. I even managed to get up on foil for a short time! 

During my wing foiling session, I could stand up multiple times and ride the foil a few times. It was excellent progress! I was thrilled after 2 previous days.

Friday, August 5, 2022

While the forecast looked promising, I was unsure what to expect. I arrived just around 15:00 and saw white caps on the water. Great - I thought to myself and checked with iwindsurf.com (which reported 20 knots at the Anita Rock sensor).

I decided to try windsurfing and rigged my Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail for my Fanatic Freewave STB 105 FSW board.

 

I was on the water at about 15:45, but only a few other people were sailing or winging. It was slow slogging for the first 15 minutes, and the wind was not very strong, even in the middle of the bay. On the way back to shore, I managed to plane for a bit (especially near shore, where the wind was most robust).

It was not my best session, but I still did well.

I thought about switching to the foil, but I was already too tired and had to be back by 18:00 (so that Inna could borrow the van for her girl's night out.)

Saturday, August 6, 2022

At around 14:05, Alex and I departed for Crissy Field, where I found parking on the grass. I attached the Armstrong 1850cm foil to the Naish 110 GS board and inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing. Alex wore my Promotion wetsuit and carried the Duotone wing to the beach.

I explained to Alex how to practice and carried the board to the water. He attached all of the leashes and entered the water. The first day would be difficult, as there was so much to learn!

Here is a short video clip I recorded of Alex's first day:

Alex needed to figure out how to flip the wing, climb on the foil board, and fly the wing. He managed to do so, but he fell many times and did not seem to understand points of sail (close reach, beam reach, broad reach, run) or how to move the wing forward or backward to turn the board. However, he persisted for two hours and learned quite a bit.

After getting tired, he got off the water, and I helped carry the board to the grassy area, where I de-rigged. Alex was quite tired but surprised to hear that he had spent 2 hours practicing. Many other wing foilers and one windsurfer sailed out during this time. 

 

Crissy Field was crowded on Sunday, and I was worried about carrying gear around to avoid hitting anyone.

Sunday, August 7, 2022

At around 13:30, after eating lunch at Souvla, we decided to visit Crissy Field and see if I could wing foil. When I arrived at 13:30, the wind was strong, and white caps were on the water.

I was trying to decide whether to windsurf or wing foil, but after observing a few windsurfers struggle, I decided to wing foil.

I quickly attached the Armstrong foil to my Naish 110GS board and inflated my Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing. I put on my Promotion 4/3mm wetsuit and walked with the gear to the beach.

The wind was much stronger than I expected, and I struggled initially to stand up on the board. However, I adjusted and could stand up and get going, though I was getting blown downwind and had to do the walk of shame a few times.

As the day progressed, I got better at standing up and could do so quickly from kneeling. I could sail back and forth many times and got on the foil for short rides. I eventually figured out why my board was spinning out. My back foot was too far back, and I needed more pressure on the front.

Overall, I made some excellent progress, and despite some powerful gusts, I rode the board back and forth.

Monday, August 8, 2022

At around 16:40, I drove to Crissy Field to assess the situation after my work meetings. There were a lot of white caps on the water, so I decided to windsurf. I rigged my Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail and attached it to my Fanatic 105 STB freestyle wave board.

I started sailing at around 17:00. The wind was gusty, and I managed to plan a few times. However, it was on and off with a powerful tidal current (it was flooding). On my way back, returning to where I started was hard. I had to endure the walk of shame a few more times.

I sailed for about an hour, but it was a battle with the gusty wind and tide. Although I had a few fun runs, it was not all that exciting. I wished that I was wing-foiling instead! The many wing foilers around me were sailing quite well.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

At around 15:15, after finishing my work meeting, I drove to Crissy Field to assess the wind. The iPhone app iwindsurf.com was showing 17-18 knots. I saw white caps on the water, rigged my Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing, and attached the Armstrong foil to my Naish 110 GS board.

I was on the water by 15:30, battling the gusty SW winds. I was able to get flying on the foil and crashed many times. I can now fly upwind but have difficulty controlling the foil when flying.

Moving the foil 1/2 inch back really helped my balance. I had a fantastic day wing foiling. I contacted Alex to see whether he also wanted to foil, but he has not responded.

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

At around 13:30, I drove Alex to Crissy Field to get him started wing foiling for his second day. I parked on the grass near the Crissy Beach Changing Rooms when we arrived. I attached the Armstrong 1850cm foil to the Naish 110GS board and inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing. Alex was on the water by 14:00. I returned home to attend my meeting.

He was able to taxi out but had difficulty standing up (which is expected for the second-day wing foiling).

When I returned around 15:30, Alex was still on the water, and I could see he had made significant progress. He could fly the wing more often and taxi out and back in, though standing up was still a problem.

He continued wing foiling until 16:00 when he grew tired and decided to end his session. I helped carry the board to the lawn, and Alex changed out of his wetsuit so I could use it, too.

At around 16:15, I was wing foiling at Crissy. The wind was strong and gusty, and I had many fantastic wipeouts. I had one excellent foiling session, where I flew for a long time. The speed when foiling was phenomenal. It was a tremendous day wing dinging!

Thursday, August 11, 2022

At around 15:10, I drove to Crissy Field to wing foil for one hour between meetings. I parked on the grass near the Crissy Beach Changing Rooms when I arrived. I attached the Armstrong 1850cm foil to the Naish 110GS board and inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing.

My wing foiled for about 45 minutes in a very gusty, strong wind. I could have been windsurfing. I got flying for a long time, and it was a lot of fun.

Friday, August 12, 2022

At around 15:00, I drove to Crissy Field to Wing Foil before 17:30 (when I needed to return home to meet with our friends.)

When I arrived, I parked far from the changing area, and after some time, I remarked near the Crissy Beach Changing Rooms, near the grass. With so many parked cars, getting a lot of work gear out was hard.

I attached the Armstrong 1850cm foil to the Naish 110GS board and inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing.

The wind was supposed to be 20 knots, but iwindsurf.com sensors at Anita Rock reported much lower. However, the wind was much more robust when I got on the water, and I had difficulty managing the wing.

Placing the foil further back really helped my balance during actual foiling. With the strong ebb, I actually had difficulty going downwind. I need to figure out how to sail downwind. It was another fantastic day, but I wish I was on a smaller wing (a 4.0m) or windsurfing on a 4.5m sail instead.

Saturday, August 13, 2022

At around 13:30, I drove to Crissy Field with Ekansh, with the hope of either wing foiling or windsurfing. It was hectic in the parking lot, and it took me some time to find an appropriate parking space with grassy rigging.

The forecast called for 20 knots of wind at Anita Rock, but the current wind speed showed only 14 knots. I rigged my Duotone SLS Slick 5.0m wing and attached the Armstrong foil to my Naish 110 Hover GS board.

I started wing foiling at around 14:00 and immediately noticed heavy winds. On the way back, I somehow fell and ripped a hole in my precious Duotone Wing.

At about 15:00, I returned to windsurfing, rigging a 4.5m Ezzy Elite sail with my Fanatic 105 STB FSW board. When I sailed out, I was amazed by the power and gusts of the wind. I was barely hanging on and jumping larger rollers.

I battled the heavy winds for two hours and had a fantastic time windsurfing.

Monday, August 15, 2022

I found a local Wing Repair specialist named Josh Waldman (415)-350-5524 on Craigslist and emailed him about my Duotone SLS 5.0. He offered to repair the wing within 24 hours, and I dropped it off at his address (2930 Lyon Street, San Francisco), 15 minutes away on foot from our home rental on Scott Ave.

I dropped off the wing at 09:00, and Josh fixed it by 10:00 using a black Dacron cloth. The wing repair looks very professional and costs $75 (paid by Venmo).

After picking up the wing at noon, I went grocery shopping with Inna at Whole Foods.

At around 15:00, after all my work meetings were finished, I drove to Crissy Field, anticipating the daily wind. I offered Alex to try wing foiling first, but he felt tired and did not come along. Perhaps working out at the YMCA tired him out.

I was satisfied with the wind. Though the iwindsurf.com forecast called for 19-20 knots winds, actual winds were more moderate: 15- 20 knots. At first, I thought of rigging my Ezzy Elite 5.0m windsurfing sail, but I am happy that I chose to stick with wing foiling for this session at Crissy.

I rigged my repaired Duotone SLS Slick 5.0m wing and attached the Armstrong foil to my Naish 110 Hover GS board. I sailed out to Anita Rock and was pleasantly surprised by the wind. It was not overly weak or strong, and I had many long, foiling sessions.

As I foiled, I noticed many tourist boats and provided entertaining crashes for them to watch. I had a fantastic time and even managed not to put another hole in my wing!

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

At around 15:05, after all my work meetings were finished, I drove to Crissy Field, anticipating the daily wind. I offered Alex to try wing foiling first, but he felt tired and did not come along. 

I was satisfied with the wind. Though the iwindsurf.com forecast called for 19-20 knots winds, actual winds were more moderate: 17- 19 knots. Unlike Saturday, the parking lot was pretty empty, and I found a nice parking space for my van.

I rigged my repaired Duotone SLS Slick 5.0m wing and attached the Armstrong foil to my Naish 110 Hover GS board. I sailed out to Anita Rock and was pleasantly surprised by the wind. It was not overly weak or strong, and I had many long, foiling sessions. It was so much fun!

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

At noon, I took Alex to wing foil at Crissy Field, setting up the Duotone SLS Slick 5.0m wing and the Naish GS110 board with the Armstrong 1850 foil. The wind was lighter than expected, but Alex stood up several times.

Alex was still pointing straight downwind when returning and seemed to not understand how far back to move the wing to turn the board upwind.

At about 14:15, I returned for my session, and Alex was already back in his regular clothes. He told me that the session mainly had light winds, but he made forward progress and was able to stand up.

I waited around for the wind to strengthen. The website iwindsurf.com predicted 19-20 knots, but it has yet to materialize, and I returned home around 15:30.

Thursday, August 18, 2022

At around 13:30, I decided to try wing foiling at Crissy Field. The iwindsurf.com called for SW winds from 17-21 knots from 14:00 - 18:00, and I was eager to fly the foil again. When I arrived at Crissy, the parking lot was empty, and I was one of the first wing foilers on the water.

I rigged my Duotone SLS Slick 5.0m wing with my Naish 110GS foil board and Armstrong 1850 foil.

The wind was gusty on the water, with periods of calm and brute strength. I had many excellent flights and surprisingly few wipeouts. I must be progressing (or the wind was lighter than usual).

I had an excellent session and look forward to foiling again. 

During de-rigging, I ran into a Lehigh graduate (class of 1990 in Economics) but did not see him. He was also rigging to foil out.

 

Friday, August 19, 2022

At around 15:00, I decided to go wing foiling to Crissy Field. I loaded up my van and drove over. Fortunately, the parking lot was relatively empty, and I quickly parked my van and inflated my Duotone SLS Slick 5.0m wing.

The wind on the water looked light, with only a few other wing foilers out. I decided to sail out anyway. It turned out to be an excellent day overall. Initially, the wind was light, but it picked up later, and I was overpowered most of the time.

I could fly over the water for a long time and enjoyed the lively rides. It felt like being on a skateboard.

Here are a few short video clips that Inna recorded of my wing foiling:

Saturday, August 20, 2022

At around 15:00, I decided to go wing foiling to Crissy Field. Since it was Saturday, I was worried about finding parking, but luckily, parking was not an issue.

 

I loaded up my van and drove over. Fortunately, the parking lot was relatively empty, and I quickly parked my van and inflated my Duotone SLS Slick 5.0m wing.

The wind on the water looked light, with only a few other wing foilers out. I decided to sail out anyway. Overall, It was an excellent day, with periods of intense gusts and complete calm. I was able to fly for a very long time, and perhaps I am finally starting to understand how to control the foil while flying.

Sunday, August 21, 2022

At 13:45, I drove to Crissy Field, anticipating solid winds. I was worried about finding parking but managed to find a decent location to rig my foil and wing.

Since the winds were lighter than predicted (no white caps on the water), I decided to wing foil again (instead of windsurfing). When I sailed out at 14:15, the wind was gusting, but I managed to get on the foil immediately and have many long rides heading to the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

There was lots of boat traffic on the water, with ferries and sailboats (many with spinnakers out), and I had to watch out for all of them. In addition, many kiters and wing foilers came out, and sometimes it was crowded.

I had many excellent rides, but the wind was inconsistent, with periods of calm followed by intense gusts. At around 15:45, I sailed back to the shore.

I messaged Alex, and he decided to come over and try wing foiling. When he came over, he was not overly impressed by the wind, and we discussed what to do. He decided that the wind was too light to wing foil.