October 4: Flying Again at Last! — Spotting My "Left vs. Right" Asymmetry with the 2450cm²

Today’s forecast called for 3 to 4 m/s of wind, eventually dying down to around 3 m/s.

One app did tease a potential 5 m/s, so I was just hoping,

“Man, if we could just get a little breeze in the morning, that’d be clutch.”

Honestly, though, I wasn’t holding my breath.

Worst-case scenario?

If there was zero wind, I’d just grab a SUP and go surf some waves.

With low expectations, I headed down to Enoshima.

Looking out at the water upon arrival, there was definitely a breeze.

Light, but present.

A few windsurfers were out cruising, though nobody was up on plane.

“Hmm... real borderline.”

Still, I was desperate to get some wingfoil time in today.

The finger I injured back at the end of July still isn’t 100% healed, and with everything going on lately, getting consistent practice has been tough.

I just really wanted to get back up and fly.

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Back on the 2450 cm², SUP in Tow

For today’s setup, I stayed with the giant 2450 cm² front foil my instructor sorted out for me.

Testing it in light wind over the last few sessions proved that its low-end lift potential is crazy promising.

Since I was fully prepared to switch to SUPing if the wind died, I dragged my paddle down to the beach too.

First step:

Paddle out on the SUP and read the wind.

Out past the break, there was actually a decent breeze going.

It was definitely unstable, though.

Being a north wind, it was expectedly puffy.

Blow...

Drop...

Puff again.

“If I time it right and catch a solid gust, I might actually get up on foil.”

I made it all the way out here.

Might as well send it.

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Launching with the 6m² + 2450 cm² Combo

I only brought my 6m² wing today.

I pumped it up, rigged it with the 2450 cm² foil, and hit the water.

Holding up a 6m² wing on dead-calm days is pure torture on your arms.

But today wasn’t nearly that bad.

There was just enough wind to keep the wing floating in the air.

First priority:

Work upwind.

Tacking upwind and gaining ground went pretty smoothly.

Way easier than how I used to struggle with it.

Once I got enough room upwind, I sat and waited for a puff.

Here it comes.

“Now!”

I pumped the wing hard, timing it with leg kicks on the board.

Whoosh.

Lift off!

“Whoa, I’m flying!”

It had been so long.

Honestly, it felt like a month or two since my last proper flight.

Breaking away from the water and gliding on nothing but the foil...

Man, that feeling is unmatched.

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100 Meters of Pure Nostalgia

I managed to hold that flight for about 100 meters.

Unfortunately, since the overall wind strength was pretty weak, the moment the gust faded out, I ran out of juice.

Lost altitude.

Touched down.

And came to a stop.

But—

I pulled that off three times today.

Sure, I wasn’t logging long-distance runs or pulling off 300-to-500-meter glides like before.

Even so, in a 3 to 4 m/s breeze, being able to pump my way into a takeoff with the 2450 cm² + 6m² setup and fly for 100 meters?

That made me ridiculously happy.

Back in September, when I first took the 2450 out, I had a hunch:

“This foil could totally fly in 4 m/s.”

Today felt like a solid proof-of-concept for that theory.

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Wait... Why Was It ALL Port Side?

There was one super weird detail about today, though.

All three successful takeoffs were on Port tack.

Over on Starboard tack, I was doing what felt like the exact same pumping routine.

Yet for some reason—

Zero lift off.

Was it the way the wind was hitting?

My pumping rhythm?

Foot placement?

Body balance?

Thinking back, when I was practicing on the E-foil, I trained heavily in the stance I currently use on Port tack.

It’s totally possible my muscle memory for front-to-back weight distribution is just way more dialed in on that side.

On the opposite side, even if I think I’m doing the exact same motion, my weight distribution between my front and back foot might be slightly off.

Or maybe my pumping timing is just a fraction of a second off.

In near-limit light wind like today, those microscopic differences can mean the difference between getting lift and staying stuck in the water.

Definitely gonna ask my instructor about this.

When there’s plenty of wind, you can build enough speed to get up without noticing every little imperfection.

But ultra-light wind?

It exposes everything.

Especially those left-versus-right imbalances.

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Calling It Before Overdoing It

Before long, the wind started shutting down again.

My finger was also throbbing a bit.

No point pushing my luck and setting back my recovery.

Plus, I had a 1:00 PM commitment.

I had to go pick up my car!

So I called it a day right there.

It wasn’t a super long session.

And I only got up three times.

On paper, it wasn’t the most glamorous session.

But there was one thing that mattered:

I flew again.

Even if it was just 100 meters at a time, gliding above the water on pure foil was more than enough to make my day.

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Taking a Break from Foiling — For a Bit!

Unfortunately, I’m putting wingfoiling on pause for a short stretch after this.

The next two weekends are dedicated to my Class 1 Small Vessel Operator’s License course!

I’ll still be heading to Enoshima.

And I’ll still be hanging out at my usual yacht club.

The ocean will be right there in front of my face...

Except I’ll be stuck inside a classroom studying boat handling, navigation, and everything else I need for the license.

Talk about mixed feelings!

Looking at the bright side, though, the timing couldn’t be better.

1. Let my finger finally heal 100%.

Use the next few weeks without wingfoiling to give it a proper break.

2. Get my boat license.

A whole new way to enjoy the ocean.

3. Come back to wingfoiling fully healed and ready to rip.

And once I’m back, I’ll have my instructor take a look at my Starboard-side takeoff struggles and get that sorted out.

Only three flights today.

But getting back into the air felt amazing.

For the next couple of weeks, it’s time to trade flying over the water for learning how to drive across it. 🚤💨