
The board is a 165x56 freerace board which I had tubes put in by Rowsell & Morisson in Exmouth enabling the mast to be bolted to the board. To start with I am just using the front straps so that when I crash my feet come out easily. Any directional style board will do but it seems wider means easier and it really helps when you touch down.
Now I was way upwind and had to somehow go back down! To start with I went back to keeping the board on the water which was hard as the kite kept trying to fall out the sky in such light wind. With more confidence I started to bring the foil up and the acceleration was amazing until I was hit by a massive 8knt gust and exploded hard. Back on again and up and away for a couple hundred metres before another explosion, but I was back downwind after such quick runs and able to ride upwind again. Now with confidence and my skill building, upwind was becoming easier with full foiling runs and dropping down to tack before heading back downwind. This time going down I really concentrated on the kite and keeping more constant power delivery and made it around 500m only dropping down slightly a couple of times before a big gust again and I exploded near the beach grinning from ear to ear.

On the way back upwind I started to try foiling tacks and to my surprise almost got round on a few but also totally crashing as well on some. Back downwind and now it was time to try foiling gybes, downlooping the kite I almost managed to stay up but just touched down, totally buzzing with being so close and getting straight back up and flying away before rounding up in the same fassion as you do on a race board. Upwind again and I almost made another tack but then on the next attempt I crashed flipping over the board and the kite fell out the sky twisting in the bridle. In such light wind it was impossible to relaunch even with the 5th line in such light winds. Luckily I was only about 200m out from shore so decided to swim in and call it a day, buzzing from another amazing session.
Find all the info at www.fastafoil.com
Stay tuned for more Foiling Diaries and video coming soon.
Lee ‘Pasty’ Harvey
www.pastyadventures.co.uk