May 30: 25 Days Later, I’m Back! — Pushing Past the Rib Pain and Crushing a 500m Flight
viva-wingfoilIt’s been 25 days since I messed up my ribs on May 5th, and I’m finally back on the water.
Honestly, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day.
My chest still stings a bit when I roll over in bed, and morning wake-ups still feel kinda weird.
But for basic daily stuff like standing up, sitting down, and moving my arms?
I’m pretty much good to go.
"Yeah, I can definitely do this."
With that mindset, I packed up and headed back to Enoshima.
Of course, I had some doubts.
Wingfoiling requires you to use your chest a lot when dragging yourself onto the board from the water, so I knew I had to be super careful with that part.
Still, my urge to get back out there totally overrode the fear.
Back on the Water, and Summer is Calling
The forecast for today was a south wind at 4–5m/s.
For a beginner like me, that’s the absolute sweet spot.
Perfect for my 6m² wing.
If I put some work into pumping, I could definitely lock in some flight time.
With those high expectations—and since it had been a hot minute—I booked a lesson with my coach for the day.
But when I pulled up to Enoshima, I was shocked.
It was blowing way harder than I thought.
Windsurfers were absolutely tearing it up, planing back and forth at crazy speeds.
"Wait... is 6m² gonna be totally overpowered? Am I gonna be okay?"
I started getting a little sketched out.
I hit up my coach at the shop, and he didn’t even blink:
"6m² is perfect. You’re good."
Just in case, though, I grabbed both the 6m² and the 5m² and headed down to the beach.
Summer is Creeping In
Walking onto the Enoshima beach for the first time in weeks, the whole vibe had shifted.
They’ve already started building the beach huts.
Once July and August hit, this whole shore gets packed with swimmers, and our freedom for marine sports takes a huge hit.
Construction trucks were already lined up, making the path to carry my board super narrow.
Last year, my coach helped me out, but now I’m basically on my own.
Depending on the day, I might have to detour all the way around by the road.
It’s a bit of a hassle, but hey, it’s proof that summer is just around the corner.
The crowds are growing, and the beach is alive again.
As a rider, it’s a bit bittersweet, but you can definitely feel summer in the air.
The Electric Pump is Literally a Revolution
Once I got to the beach, I officially locked in the 6m² wing.
And once again, the electric pump I bought last time came through big time.
It cost around 16,000 yen, so I hesitated a bit when buying it.
But now?
It has completely paid for itself.
Before, just inflating the wing manually would leave me dripping in sweat and gassed before I even started my session.
Now, it’s just one press of a button.
While it does the work, I can get the rest of my gear ready.
No fatigue.
No sweating bullets.
One of the guys with me was like,
"Yo, that thing is sick. I’m coping one too!"
Honestly, I don’t blame him at all.
Muscle Memory is Real
I launched into the water.
The south wind was delivering.
First, I made a few tacks to secure my upwind position.
Even after 24 days off, my body remembered the feeling way better than I expected.
Then, I linked up with my coach.
Time to lock into foiling practice.
Back on May 5th, I was at the point where I could ride for about 300 meters, touching the water here and there but keeping my balance.
I was terrified that this long break would’ve reset all my progress.
But after just 2 or 3 attempts—
Boom.
I was right back to where I left off.
Muscle memory is crazy.
I was so incredibly hyped.
YouTube vs. The Coach: Who’s Right?
The biggest breakthrough today was my positioning.
Lately, I’d been hyper-focused on “staying dead-center on the board.”
That was my main takeaway from studying YouTube tutorials.
But my coach told me:
"You’re overthinking the center line. Move your feet back just a tiny bit towards your side."
Honestly, I was like,
"Wait... that’s not what YouTube said."
But the second I actually tried it...
Following the coach’s advice worked so much better.
It’s funny how that works.
I realized that while YouTube explained it as “center + heel down to windward,” my coach just translated the exact same result into words that actually made sense to my body.
Seriously, just making that one adjustment completely leveled up my stability.
Crushing a 500-Meter Flight!
My coach also called me out on my pumping, saying it was way too small.
In my head, I thought I was making massive movements.
But looking at the video later, he was right.
I was just doing these tiny, choppy movements.
You really can’t notice these things unless someone spots you from the outside.
And then, towards the end of the lesson, the grind paid off.
Lift off.
Total stability.
No dropping.
Just pure cruising.
Before I knew it, I stayed on the foil for almost the entire leg of the run.
We’re talking around 500 meters.
And the cherry on top?
I didn’t even wipe out at the end.
I smoothly jibed, turned around, and rode it back.
This was a massive step up from where I was on May 5th.
What 25 Days Away Taught Me
When I first messed up my ribs, I genuinely thought,
"Man, I’m gonna be sidelined forever. Everything I learned is gonna be wiped clean."
But getting back out there today showed me my body remembered the grind.
Of course, I still have a million things to fix.
Looking at the video, my stance is still a bit goofy—though honestly, better than I thought it’d be!
And I don’t have that relaxed, effortless look that the pros have yet.
Still, the feeling of making definitive progress was 100% there.
And more than anything, being back on the water after 24 days was pure bliss.
Today was also my first day rocking a wetsuit this year.
The temp hit 30°C.
Summer is officially here.
And my wingfoiling journey?
I think I just stepped into the next chapter.
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