I'm on a windy island in a rental station.
They have the Tabou Magic Carpet 120, 185 length, 78 width, I think edition 2021.
It's a hybrid board : windfoiling and wingfoiling. It has some special form of the rails, like on the ceiling of a mansion.
Underneath a Gaastra Mach I foil. I think it's a bit like a Infinity 76 cm, but lighter with it's carbon mast.
When I first tried it 2 years ago as a real beginner I didn't liked it, but now after 2 years and a lot of foiling a Slingshot Wizard, I kind of like the Magic Carpet although I prefer my own Wizard.
I'm windsurfing 50 % of the day and windfoiling the other 50 %.
Now I'm searching the high wind limit.
I was using Duotone Super Hero 3m 4 and 3 m sails without a problem.
When the wind got even stronger and I was sheeting too much out the 3 m I looked for smaller sails and as I was not allowed to use the 2 m 5 Goya Scion they have for kids, I bought a second hand Duotone Now 2 m 4 for 50 euro.
The Duotone Now 2 m 4 is a sail for lighter windsurfers but it is not a kinds sail.
Maybe there is even smaller available in other brand but not in Now.
With the 2 m 4 I'm having 2 issues :
1. I cannot waterstart. Even if I have enough wind the top of the board turns in the wind, takes air, gets lifted and makes the board turn over backward. I can waterstart without a problem the 3 m sail. I think the problem is related to the length of the board, the distance between top of the board and sailmast. Pulling up the sail works, is quite challenging and acrobatic, but not a sight.
2. When the wind drops just a little bit, I start pumping the sail, but when this doesn't work there is no way for me to land normally out of foil without falling in the water as I cannot avoid pulling too much on the sail and sheeting in with result falling in the water. I only have this with this small 2 m 4 sail and there is a 100 % chance I fall in the water every time. I feel it has something to do with the position of my back foot (there is no back foot strap I don't need). I tried everything back foot in the middle of the board, before the middle or after the middle, foot straight 90? to the board, skewed forward, backward. Nothing works.
So I"m falling in the water and pulling up sails a lot.
Any ideas ?
Or is the board just too big for this tiny sail.
I don't know exactly what your problem is with the 2m sail, but here's a photo and a video of the 2m Goya Scion being used in extreme conditions. I think you can show it to the rental station as an argument that this sail can be used for windfoiling in strong winds.
Select to expand quoteGrantmac said..
What's wrong with just windsurfing instead of foiling?
Agree when it's that windy better go with the fin.
Select to expand quoteEugenius 2.0 said..
I don't know exactly what your problem is with the 2m sail, but here's a photo and a video of the 2m Goya Scion being used in extreme conditions. I think you can show it to the rental station as an argument that this sail can be used for windfoiling in strong winds.
?si=bQaW9xLSWOM0IOGy
Thanks.
We will have good fun at the rental station tomorrow ??.
Select to expand quoteGrantmac said..
What's wrong with just windsurfing instead of foiling?
Nothing wrong with windsurfing.
I try to balance 50 % / 50 %, if possible on the same day in 2 session, as I noticed that with windfoiling a lot I kind of forgot my wave windsurfing skill especially the right position and board angle to start, mainly since I use very small sinker waveboards with relative big sails. I like that makes me feel alive, more dynamic and better jumping.
For the foiling with real small sails like 2 m 4, after such a session foiling with a 5 m is suddenly real easy, so I guess for fast learning a small sail session equals a couple or more normal sessions.
Today I had a session with a 3 m 4 and then later on with a 3 m.
I noticed the 2 problems I talked about concerning the 2 m 4 (not waterstarting and in lulls sheeting in and falling in the water) I also have though largely in minor degree with the 3 m but not at all with the 3 m 4.
A 2 m will be impossible I think, although I might try it.
I presume the board 120 liter and 185 long is too big and long, but I'm not sure.
A Wizard 90 might solve the problem if it's not me who is the problem.
