We all love windsurfing. Over the years many things have improved our sport. But I don't believe anything has had the impact that foiling has.
I was not an early adopter. I was put off by cost, risk of injury and the struggle associated with learning something new. My initial attempts at foiling where a combination of terror and euphoria. It can't be denied the feeling of flying is really something special. But for 6 months or so I just considered it something to do when it is not really windy enough to sail properly.
I had heard of people that had started foiling and had almost completely given up traditional windsurfing. This made no sense to me, why would you stop doing something that you have loved for 20 years? Throughout winter I continued with the slow process of improvement, I am not a quick learner. Always looking forward to those strong summer seabreezes and getting back on the proper windsurfing gear.

Finally summer arrived and I was out on my slalom gear, but it felt sluggish and heavy, hang on a minute I suddenly realized that I was missing the feeling of foiling!
Should I have not started, have I ruined the thrill of traditional windsurfing?
(I have put this in the General section as those in the Foil section already know the answer)

Foiling is great for light winds,but nothing beats windsurfing.l got the foiling bug when it first started,but l still windsurf with a passion.Its also expensive if you keep upgrading your foils.

I windsurfed as a kid through college; I wasn't good, but also didn't have instruction, videos and resources like we do now. 20 years later, I found myself back into the sport after burning out on DH mtb. 2 years I got back into windsurfing. I decided to buy a new board that could plane fast in lighter winds... And to my amazement, I was introduced to foiling. I sucked at windsurfing, but I stuck to learning the foiling thing and got really good at it. I loved the challenge, feeling of flying over water, and the cool factor. I also was not slogging while all my other windsurf friends were. we have light winds here (Colorado, US), and foiling has been my passion for the last 2 years. I got back on a windsurfer a few times this season and enjoyed it. But know, I've probably spent 95% of my lifetime windsurfing on a foil.

It's just another part of Windsurfing, just like

Free riding
Freestyle
Wave sailing
Wally racing
Formula racing
Slalom Racing
Speed sailing
sorry if I missed your favorite discipline

Now there Foiling as well which is rapidly splitting of into a lot of the above categories already.

I got into foiling as an alternative to using big gear as the wind tended to drop of when I turned up late after work. 3 years on I have gotten big gear again but it's nowhere near as hard to use with the foil and I can get out in lighter winds.

I still have all my other windsurfing gear which I am more than happy to use when my time and the winds allign, the only thing I am missing form my trailer is an 11m sail (largest is now 9.8m).

Foiling's great fun, hugely challenging and rewarding, it is never a dull session.

Not everyone will be interested, let alone get into it, those that do froth just the same as everyone else does in their favorite disciplines.

The trick is don't worry about what everyone else is thinking and just go out and enjoy what you are doing. I know I do.

Great topic, Andy. I wouldn't say it's ruined it but I think it has changed my perception of "it" for good. I think if we lived in WA or NQ and got 20kts+ all the time it would be different. Powered up on slalom gear is still a buzz for me but I can now get the same buzz in 10-12 kts, which is, unfortunately, our most common breeze in Newie. As well as that, I have gradually become very aware of the inefficiency of a slapper compared to a foil. There are moments when the slalom gear feels "alive" (probably cause I'm not very good) but the foil feels alive all of the time. I'm lucky enough to have a trailer full of all sorts of gear and, time after time, I pull the foil out as I know no matter how much the conditions may vary I will still have that adrenalin flowing.

I haven't use my foil enough (less than 10 times). I prefer powered up windsurfing... With small sails. But foiling sure beats slogging or huge rigs (4.8 is my biggest). For me the real fly in the foiling ointment has been launch and recovery in a shore break.

Yes for a long time I foiled when there was not enough wind for a good fin session. Now I use the fin when there is too much wind to foil

Perth has tiny gutless waves most of the time but awesome powerful wind-swells offshore.
Surf skiers and SUPs have been frothing over downwind runners for years.

The efficiency and maneuverability of the foil enables us to carve downwinders with the surfskis (but with more power and speed) and easily fly back upwind at crazy angles - both not possible on slalom or waveboards as they're too draggy.

The windier it is the bigger the swells
Light wind foiling is super-fun but 20-30 knot winds and 1.5 to 2m chunky lumps is when foiling's magic

Did I notice something?
It appears foiling is good for windsurfers who otherwise would be slalom sailing.
Flatter waters, lighter winds.
Any foilers from the high wind and wave camp?
Not talking cruising the flats back and forth.

Great thread Andy. I know we've talked about this a lot recently after an awesome foil sessions.
A few weeks a go we had a run of good wind for nearly 2 weeks and I got to sail for 11 consecutive days, both foiling and B&J. Foiling when it was lighter than 15kts and B&J when it was stronger.Most sessions were good to excellent fun.

The metaphor that may best suit how I felt after the foiling sessions was like after watching a movie like Forest Gump, " well that was I nice way to spend a couple of hours" and then spend the next couple of hours with a smile on your face trying to fathom what you just did. B&J is more like how you feel after a good Quinten Tarantino movie, "that was f..cking awesome", and then spend the next couple of hours coming down off the high.

There is a real cognitive element to foiling that also adds to the experience.

It's a bit like how we both love to MTB but differ a lot in which end of the spectrum of the sport we have a preference. I like hard flowy berms, jumps and technical stuff, others prefer open trail riding.

I think the thing I love the most about foiling is the ability to cover much bigger areas of water.

The best thing about foiling for me is more time on the water when its 10-15knts, without the frustrating pumping up on the plane only to come off 50m into the run. Over 15knts of consistent breeze I'm back on slalom, foiling is so much fun but fully powered slalom is way more intense/exhilarating for me. If the slalom board feels draggy then I'm not powered up enough so its back on the foil until the wind picks up. No way is it killing windsurfing where I sail.

Whitey76 said..
The best thing about foiling for me is more time on the water when its 10-15knts, without the frustrating pumping up on the plane only to come off 50m into the run. Over 15knts of consistent breeze I'm back on slalom, foiling is so much fun but fully powered slalom is way more intense/exhilarating for me. If the slalom board feels draggy then I'm not powered up enough so its back on the foil until the wind picks up. No way is it killing windsurfing where I sail.

from what ive seen this is the group that dig foiling the most.

some though never got stuck in that "i need 15 knots to enjoy windsurfing" rut

so foiling offers less incentives.

LeeD said..
Nothing is either back or white.
Everything is shades of gray.
Foiling is ok.
Windsurfing is very fun.

that's about the only thing you have said that I agree with....
most of it is blowing your own trumpet drivel..

Gestalt said..

from what ive seen this is the group that dig foiling the most.

some though never got stuck in that "i need 15 knots to enjoy windsurfing" rut

so foiling offers less incentives.

There are those who "enjoy" windsurfing. Most foilers have the cravings of a an addict.

Just come down k bay rob
pretty sure I have taught the Dolphins some new swear words and also scared all the Sharks away.

My windsurf mates that are in my circle We have 33% who also kite. None have yet to try foiling, one talks about it. Some at the local spot do foil, maybe older has something to do with this, old dog new tricks, or age and knowledge .

i think foiling May be a windsurf variation, but it's more a offshoot than variation. Snowboard vs skis