Finally pulled off a clean foiling gybe, was in the air the whole way and in control from beginning to end, and wanted to point out issues I had with learning it.
Equipment: AFS W95 foil with F1080 cm2 wing, Goya Bolt 135 L slalom board (243 cm L x 81 cm W), Aerotech FreeSpeed sails with the 5.8 the best for learning on. Note: the AFS foil was balanced on the Bolt with the sail mast base all the way back, gotta start with a balanced kit!
Now I heard so much about the "swing weight" of slalom boards being a big negative, total BS IMO, never felt any issue, and the long nose helped me practice planing gybes, and recover from partial foiling gybes so many times, and saved me from so many crashes when just blasting.
1st, I think I handicapped myself by starting with an AFS W95 foil and F1080 wing, because that wing is fast and that means I was entering the foiling gybe fast, and to be honest that was stressful, and doing it on my own with no one around most of the time made me be extra cautious. But AFS does not make a bigger windfoil wing, so toughed it out. And I knew I would of been bored going slow on a bigger wing the rest of the time, so accepted the trade-off.
2nd, my lesson with Andy Brandt was crucial to leaning the gybe, his instruction and seeing him do foiling gybes on my kit made all the difference.
3rd, I practiced my gybe when there was a North wind at my local spot because the water was pretty flat, but the wind was also pretty gusty and that made it harder for sure, but it also made me pay attention to the water surface and gusts. Do not want to get caught by a stronger gust in the middle of a gybe!, that is when you can get injured and equipment can get damaged.
4th, need to have a properly aligned foil (stab. and wing at 90.0 degrees to mast), need good glide going through the gybe, and while shimming the stabilizer for more lift seemed like a good idea, it actually did not help me because it created more drag and that reduced glide.
5th, need a sail to be properly rigged, Andy increased my outhaul and that helped to pump up on the foil and fly through the gybe.
6th, I get on my Indo Board for a couple of minutes before a session, really helps to train my balance, foiling gybes require near perfect balancing of the kit. And the Indo Board trained me to stay balanced in the same spot. So many times I would catch myself leaning forward as I flipped the sail and that of course dropped the board nose to the water.
7th, pay attention to how you are balanced on the board going into the gybe, someone here repeatedly insisted you could not do foiling gybes back-footed, and I agree. If the wind speed drops and I become back footed to stay on the foil I do not attempt a foiling gybe, just continue until a stronger gust comes along. So that is the first thing on my check list, am I neutral footed or front footed entering the gybe, and second is there a solid gust wind-field behind to get me through the gybe?
8th, And of course it takes practice, was hard to stop having long flights to practice foiling gybes!
9th, I found that after I checked the surrounding water for hazards, it was best to stay visually focused on the sail mast directly in front of my eyes through the foiling gybe, that helped to keep me centered/balanced on the board. When I told Andy that during my lesson he said he taught a blind person to do a regular gybe, so vision can be a distraction.
And a big thanks to everyone who posted videos of foiling gybes, they really helped too!
And not sure how much this has helped, but I have been "pumping" a longboard skateboard recently to strengthen one knee, and I switch front/rear feet on it to mimic my windfoiling stance. Also practice foot braking for both stances and that does take a lot of balance to do. If you are going to ride a skateboard should always know how to stop!
There is one thing all of us Seabreeze's can agree on is that Sandman has a lot of energy for windsurf foiling!
I am genuinely stoked for you Sandman!!!!!
Your energy is producing results! 
It's a whole different experience when you can foil through your transitions!
I like the Indo board tip!
Skateboard windsurfing is the reason I have any skills at all, I can see how kicking and pumping one without a sail would be helpful.
I have just had a couple sessions with Andy and his Sail Chi has made huge gains for my foiling tack progression. He is a legend! I try and Sail Chi for my warmup.
Keep charging brother! But remember, now that you can gybe you are an intermediate not an expert.
Congrats bud!
Select to expand quoteutcminusfour said..
There is one thing all of us Seabreeze's can agree on is that Sandman has a lot of energy for windsurf foiling!
I am genuinely stoked for you Sandman!!!!!
Your energy is producing results!
It's a whole different experience when you can foil through your transitions!
I like the Indo board tip!
Skateboard windsurfing is the reason I have any skills at all, I can see how kicking and pumping one without a sail would be helpful.
I have just had a couple sessions with Andy and his Sail Chi has made huge gains for my foiling tack progression. He is a legend! I try and Sail Chi for my warmup.
Keep charging brother! But remember, now that you can gybe you are an intermediate not an expert.
Congrats bud!
Thanks utcminusfour for the support!, really appreciate it!, oh yeah, agree I am not an expert by any means, intermediate is fine for me And good to hear you are working with Andy, it almost feels magical learning from him, cause when I tried to do foiling gybes on my own afterwards, I was like, how did I do it during his session? So good luck with the foiling tack!
I got a Goya Bolt 127lt from 2021, so I'm a lite bit curios.
How long time took before you closed a clean foil jibe?
I know also is not really good combination but I will use Starboard Supercruiser.
For jibing Rhonda Smith used to say "speed is your friend." I think that is universal truth for good jibes, be they on fin or foil.
