July 19 — An Epic Forecast Turns Sour: The Day I Got Totally Trolled by the Wind
viva-wingfoilToday’s forecast was calling for a 4–5 m/s south wind.
For where I’m at right now, that is literally the sweet spot.
It’s just right for my 6m² wing, and with a little pumping, you get that super smooth foiling flight.
Not too crazy, not too weak.
“Man, I’m gonna get so much practice in today.”
With that thought, I headed down to Enoshima full of hype.
“Bro, Today Is THE Day!”
When I pulled up to the beach around noon, my excitement went through the roof.
Out on the water, windsurfers were literally flying across the surface, fully planing.
“Oh yeah, the wind is ripping!”
Honestly, it felt even stronger than what was promised.
I thought,
“Wait, my 6m² might actually be a bit too big for this.”
Just in case, I decided to unpack both my 6m² and 5m² wings.
I put my foil together, squeezed into my wetsuit, and spent about 30 minutes getting everything rigged up like usual.
Since it’s mid-July, peak beach season is in full force.
The water sports launch zone was absolutely packed with windsurfers, wing foilers, and SUP lessons.
Even though foils are meant for underwater, walking around on land with one is basically like holding a massive pair of blades.
I took super careful steps toward the beach, watching out for everyone around me.
The Rookie Mistake of All Time...
Alright, time to launch!
I used my electric air pump to blow up the wing in seconds.
Seriously, those things are a lifesaver.
No more sweating like crazy before even getting in the water.
Board and foil built?
Check.
Wing inflated?
Check.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
The exact second that thought crossed my mind—
“…Wait, hold up.”
No leash.
I forgot my board leash—the ultimate lifeline connecting me to the board—back at the club.
Leashes Are Literally Lifesavers
Back when I used to windsurf, there wasn’t really a “leash culture.”
The board and sail are attached, so even if you wipe out, your board almost never gets swept away without you.
But wing foiling and SUP are completely different stories.
Without a leash, your board can drift away in a split second with the wind and waves.
And it’s not just an inconvenience for you.
If a stray board smacks into someone else, it could cause a horrific accident.
So yeah—
A leash is non-negotiable safety gear.
For a microsecond, the thought crossed my mind:
“Should I just risk it without one today?”
But no.
That is a massive red flag.
I sucked it up and headed back to the club to grab it.
How 15 Minutes Cost Me Everything
On my way back, I ran into one of the club regulars who was in the middle of rigging up his windsurf gear.
“Wind’s pretty sick today, huh?”
“Oh man, it’s amazing!”
We started shooting the breeze.
And before I knew it, 15 minutes had flown by.
It was a fun chat!
...Except those 15 minutes triggered a total disaster.
Leash in hand, I headed back to the beach.
“Alright, take two!”
I looked out at the ocean—
“…Wait, what?”
All those windsurfers who were flying across the water just a little while ago?
Nobody was moving anymore.
The wind had completely died.
The Ocean Doesn’t Care About Your Plans
Still, the forecast said it should be blowing.
So I decided to launch anyway.
It felt like maybe 2–3 m/s on my skin.
I could head upwind toward the open water, but no matter how far out I went, the wind just wasn’t picking up.
I tried pumping a few times.
Zero lift.
“Yep, definitely not enough wind to fly today.”
Accepting reality, I spent the next 30 minutes just cruising back and forth without foiling.
At one point, I laid my wing on the water and just chilled out on the open sea.
Honestly, that’s another great way to enjoy the ocean.
Floating on a quiet sea.
Waiting for the wind to come back.
Waiting... and Waiting...
Eventually, I headed back to land to grab some water.
I thought about grabbing a SUP instead, but all the rental boards were already booked out.
So I had no choice but to wait out the wind on shore.
I caught up with that same club member again.
Watched the waves.
Chilled.
Waited.
But no matter how long I waited, the wind just wouldn’t come back.
So I decided to give it one last shot and headed out again.
Every now and then, a quick gust would roll through.
Whenever it did, I pumped like crazy.
And then—
Lift!
For just a few seconds at first, the foil would come up.
Eventually, I managed to catch a few better gusts.
By the end of the day, I got three decent foil rides of around 200 meters each.
Not terrible, honestly.
But for where I’m at now?
It definitely felt a little underwhelming.
A Totally Spoiled Problem to Have
And then I realized something.
A while ago, flying for 200 meters would have made me jump for joy.
Seriously.
I would have gone home thinking,
“I flew 200 meters! This is amazing!”
Now, here I am thinking,
“Man... is that all I get today?”
Humans are so spoiled, aren’t they?
Not too long ago, the goal was simply to get up on the foil.
Then it became staying up for a little longer.
Then 100 meters.
Then 200 meters.
Then 300 meters.
Then 500 meters.
Now, the goal is flying consistently and riding long distances with control.
The better you get, the definition of “success” keeps moving further away.
Maybe that frustration is actually proof that I’ve made some progress.
Just Getting Out on the Water Is Enough
To be real, today’s practice log wasn’t filled with epic drama.
I got totally trolled by the wind and couldn’t practice the way I wanted to.
But hey—
That’s just how nature-based sports go.
You can check every forecast.
You can prepare all your gear.
You can show up at exactly the right time.
And nature can still say,
“Nope. Not today.”
Still, getting out on the ocean, feeling the salty air, talking with friends, and unwinding out on the open sea...
All of those moments are what make coming to Enoshima totally worth it.
Sure, today was a bit of a bummer.
Even so, just being able to say,
“I made it out to the ocean today.”
That was more than enough to make me happy.
Fingers crossed the wind actually follows the forecast next time!
(Oh, and by the way—the swimming zone was absolutely popping today!)
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