May 3, 2025: Taking on the wild waves, my first 'Towing Foil' experience!

That day, the sky was clear blue, and the sea surface glittered, bathed in the spring sun.
However, my chest was not calm.
---Today, I'm going to grasp the sensation of cutting through the sea surface with a 'Foil', a board that flies through the air!

Wing-foil is not just regular surfing.
By catching the wind with a wing, and with the lift generated by a 'hydrofoil,' an 'underwater wing,'
the board lifts off the water surface and glides like an airplane.
Once airborne, resistance dramatically decreases, and the sounds of waves and wind fade away.
---However, the path to reaching that point is not easy.

In regular practice, one learns to operate the Wing and control the board simultaneously,
resulting in an endless cycle of falling, sinking, standing up, and falling again.
There is a 'forbidden shortcut' that can short-circuit this process.
That is 'Towing'.
A motorboat pulls the Foil board, allowing you to first master the balance while floating.
---Some may criticize this as cheating. But it is a logical strategy.

Without hesitation, I chose that path.

A small boat starts with a rumble.
A thick rope stretches taut, pulling the board forward.
Initially at low speed. The sound of water cutting through the waves. The impact of hitting the sea surface.
Holding the rope tightly, I sway left and right, trying to find a position to run alongside the boat.
The moment I felt, 'Yes, I can do this...!', the boat suddenly accelerated.

At that moment---
With a swoosh, as if something was being pulled out, the board lifted off the water surface.
Released from gravity, I glided through the air.
It was only a few seconds, but the world changed.
The waves disappeared, and only the sound of the wind pierced my ears.
'This is... the feeling of floating!'

However, the joy was fleeting.
The moment I lost balance, the world spun.
Blue sky in my vision, then white spray---Splash!
The cold sea enveloped my entire body, making me gasp for breath.
The height of the fall was about 3 meters.
Floating 1 meter above the water surface, and on top of that, my height.
My head went completely blank from the impact of the fall.
When I realized, my wristwatch was... gone.
It had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

'Damn it...!'
I caught my breath and tried again.
I tried again and again.
Floating and falling, falling and floating.
My fingers were numb, and my arms ached as if burned by the rope.
But I couldn't give up.
I wanted to experience that exhilarating feeling of the board floating for just 5, 10 seconds.

Finally, as dusk approached, the trainer waved his hand.
'That's enough for today!'
The moment I released the rope, the strength drained from my body.
I sat down on the sea and let out a sigh.
---Honestly, I was relieved.

The difficulty was far beyond what I imagined.
My confident sense of balance was powerless against the force of the sea.
Every time I floated, I fell.
However, in those 'brief moments of floating,' I truly saw a dream.
A dream of flying over the sea.

This challenge has only just begun.
I'll cool my head for a while and prepare for the next step.
But deep down in my heart, I already know.
---I'll be back again to taste that 'moment of floating'.

After the towing experience, the penguin shura hamburger I ate at a nearby shop was delicious.

Since I traveled by train, I also had a beer.