Saturday, July 29, 2023

Wing Foiling at Crissy

In the morning, the iwindsurf Pro Forecast called for 20-25 knot winds at Crissy Field at around 2:00 pm, and I decided to risk driving up to San Francisco in the hope of wing foiling.

After loading my 2008 Toyota Sienna minivan with my Naish Hover LE Carbon 95 board and 2 Duotone SLS Wings (4.0m, 5.0m), I stopped by Shell to refuel. I noticed that gas prices have increased to $5.20 / gallon!


I checked Google Maps, and the expected driving time was about 80 minutes (due to traffic in San Francisco). While driving to Crissy, I listened to Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, a memoir about his 2-year sea voyage from Boston to California (in 1834).

After arriving at 10:40 a.m., I parked at Crissy Field (I managed to find a convenient spot for rigging my gear) and headed to Chestnut Street to warm up on coffee.

Last year, we rented a home on Scott Street, and I wanted to revisit our favorite haunts. On the way there, I noticed a few changes (though there was more Police presence) and more street construction. Taking Scott Street, I turned on Chestnut, hoping for a coffee at the newly opened cafe.

 The cafe was overly busy, so I proceeded to Cracked & Battered. I sat down inside and ordered the following off the menu:

  • Entree: Chicken & Waffles + extra chicken
  • Drinks: Coffee with Oat milk 

The Chicken was delicious, and the Waffle was fantastic! I was so hungry, and this really helped to alleviate my hunger. I now had energy for wing foiling.

I stopped by Books, Inc. (a neighborhood bookstore) and discovered two books of immediate interest. I decided to do some further research later to determine whether to purchase these or not (some of these titles are available on Audible)

  • The Wager
  • Tales of Charlie

At around 12:30 p.m., I returned to the van and noticed wingers sailing out on the water. The wind still seemed light, but I decided to try. I rigged the Duotone SLS 4.0m with the new Platinum boom, anticipating 20-25 knot winds later.

Initially, I sailed out, but the wind was light, and I had difficulty flying on my wing. However, around 2:00 pm, the wind freshened, and I could fly on the foileffortlesslyy. I had a great time!

At around 3:10 pm, I was sufficiently tired to return to the van and de-rig. I was home at about 5:00 pm for dinner with Inna.

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