Jan 31 – No wind, unexpected sweat, and a perfect day around Enoshima
viva-wingfoilJanuary 31st (Saturday).
I had been checking the forecast for a few days, but honestly… I wasn’t expecting much.
Almost no wind.
Still, it was Saturday—one of the few chances I get to go to the ocean.
“Maybe… just maybe it’ll blow a little.”
With that small hope, I headed to Enoshima.
Mid-winter reality
The temperature that day:
- Morning: around 0°C
- High: about 10°C
On paper, it was full-on winter.
I honestly thought, “This might be the coldest session of the season.”
Mentally, I was preparing for something close to a survival challenge.
“Alright… today’s gonna be a battle against the cold.”
I geared up properly—new semi-dry suit, gloves, everything ready—and headed out.
No wind… new plan
The ocean was completely flat.
No windsurfers.
No wing foilers.
“Yeah… no way today.”
Then my instructor suggested:
“Why don’t we do a SUP tour around Enoshima?”
At first, I thought,
“Does just paddling really help wing foiling?”
But he was clear:
“Standing and paddling long distances is great balance training. It directly translates to wing foiling.”
That was enough.
I was in.
Wait… I’m sweating?
As soon as I started paddling, something felt off.
“Wait… I’m not cold.”
Actually, I was warming up fast.
- No wind
- Sunny
- Constant paddling
And most importantly—this new wetsuit is insanely good.
Back when I did windsurfing 25 years ago, winter meant pure suffering.
I still remember shaking from the cold.
But now?
I was literally sweating.
In the middle of winter.
On what should’ve been the coldest day.
“Wait… seriously?”
That was honestly the biggest surprise of the day.
A view you can’t get on land
Halfway through the loop around Enoshima, you pass along the backside of the island.
And this part is special.
It’s a view you simply can’t get from land.
Only from the water.
Massive rock walls right in front of you.
Cliffs rising straight out of the ocean.
“Most people will never see this.”
That thought hit me.
Then I turned around—
And there it was.
Mt. Fuji.
Perfectly framed behind Enoshima.
Blue ocean.
Dark island silhouette.
White snow-capped Fuji.
It was unreal.
I just stopped paddling and stared.
“I want my whole family to see this…”
I genuinely thought that.
But at that moment, it was just me and my instructor.
Two people.
Alone in the middle of the winter ocean.
With that view.
“Honestly… this alone was worth coming.”
SUP loop + surfing session
The full loop took about an hour.
No falls.
Stayed standing the whole time.
Balance, core, endurance—
I could really feel how this connects to wing foiling.
And yeah… still sweating.
In winter. Crazy.
After that, I switched to surf mode.
Found a spot with decent waves.
First two rides—clean.
Smooth takeoff, nice glide.
“Okay… I’m definitely improving.”
Then suddenly, everything stopped working.
Couldn’t catch waves.
Board direction felt off.
“Wait… what’s wrong?”
I kept trying, but nothing clicked.
The mystery… solved
On the way back, I paddled hard—and the board suddenly spun.
“That’s weird…”
I jumped off and checked.
No fin.
Completely gone. Snapped off.
I looked around in the shallow water but couldn’t find it.
“Ah… I messed up. I’ll have to apologize at the shop.”
The long way back
It was only about 300 meters back.
Normally, that’s 3–5 minutes.
Without a fin?
Completely different story.
The board wouldn’t go straight at all.
Every stroke made it turn.
So I adjusted:
- Paddle further back
- Constant small corrections
Move a bit, spin, correct. Repeat.
It took over 20 minutes to get back.
Last 30 meters, I just walked.
“That tiny fin… matters this much?”
Lesson learned.
Even without wind…
No wing foiling that day.
But honestly?
It didn’t matter.
- Sweating in mid-winter
- Realizing how good modern wetsuits are
- Exclusive views of Enoshima + Mt. Fuji
- Solid SUP training
- Feeling real progress in surfing
- Learning how critical a fin is
If anything, it was packed with value.
Final thought
“The ocean still delivers… even without wind.”
And maybe even more importantly:
“I’m not afraid of winter sessions anymore.”
A quiet day.
But one of the most memorable so far.
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