Started riding ocean waves since more than 2 months, totally hooked and in love :) started surfing longboard too. Unfortunately only video of the trip was on a small day.
Wing foil seems to be the weapon of choice in light wind and small waves.
Any tips for improvement would be appreciated.
Select to expand quoteGrantmac said..
That's a hell of a good place to start wavesailing, looks gorgeous.
It's very cool .. resorts are tucked away from the wind with a perfect beach and calm water .. then walk 200m around the corner for 25 knt winds for a smooth launch and sail 2km out to sea for smooth wave-sailing
Select to expand quoteSurferKris said..
Looks great :)
What board size did you decide on?
I had never used a quad before, in fact my current Goya custom 3 75lt is the only wave board i had ever used, so i asked the Goya/Quatro/Mfc distributor who lives here (very nice guy) to let me try a 2016 Goya quad 74lt to get the feeling of a quad. I liked it more than my thruster 75lt, some small compromises but generally better feeling for me, especially the comfort over chop and keeping speed on bottom turns.
I may be wrong but i think i like quads more than thrusters for now, so i had already decided my small board to be Goya quad 68lt.
For big board, i decided 82lt would be good, 68-75-82 have 7lts gaps, i can chose one board travel as 75lt or better 2 boards with 14lt gap. Quatro cube 82 is still at the top of my list, which would add some versatility to my board quiver, but i read pyramid may be a very good option for light winds too, i just worry its too technical for my skill level.Select to expand quoteJakeNN said..
Maybe ride the wave closer to the breaking section ..
Thanks for the tip, slowly building confidence to get closer to there but i guess i need to practice control in white water on days like these to build more confidence.
Got some tips from Graham Ezzy's live coaching yesterday; -keep the sail away from my body, -try to ride the wave with board rather than sailing it, -a little later bottom turns.Select to expand quoteGrantmac said..
That's a hell of a good place to start wavesailing, looks gorgeous.
Definitely, apart from the affordable paradise island, Manawa is a great wave to learn on, its easy and predictable once you know the 3 sections of the wave, not fast closing nor barreling waves, deep enough water to get washed safely (till a point, then its 20cm) even on bigish(4mt) days. Usually crowded with respectful lineup olso teaches the rules.
Sometimes it can get choppy if different direction sweels collide but mostly its smooth till the 2nd section, 3rd is always choppy due to strong current at channel.
Only danger is strong current, if wind dies or equipment fails, you may need to call rescue.
Couple of my rides at the same spot:
Apologies for resurrecting an old tread, but just stumbled across this.
Was lucky to enough to spend 10 days in Le Mourne recently - absolutely awesome place although there do seem to be a lot of slog and ride days (which it looks like from your video) and the odd tree in the lineup!
What board size were you on?
I was mostly on a 99L Grip, set up as a thruster from Club ion which was great for slogging around and I found quite loose on the wave but I seemed to over boarded compared with others - I saw a lot of people on 82L/89L boards.
I am 82kg on an average day.
Is a quad better for Manawa like waves and if you are on a quad can you get away with less volume?
Thanks
I was on 75lt trifin, 4.7 sail, i am 62kg. I guess you were on a good size for your weight for light winds. Some info about board size here; www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Wave-sailing/How-big-is-too-big-board-size-for-waves-?page=1
On Manawa there are a lot of kiters and wingers in the lineup, they are faster and get upwind better on light wind days, and windsurfers don't have priority like on One Eye, so i think big board is good for early planing to fight for more waves there, or else all waves are taken behind you while you slog towards breaking point and you need to turn back to end of lineup empty handed. Usually its an easy round wave (not so steep walls) so you dont need to do critcal turns which i am guessing would require a smaller board.
I am beginner wave sailor so i can't comment on trifin vs quad and what type of waves they shine at, but i guess every board is different and characteristics depend on many factors like rocker, outline, tail shape, fin positions etc... recently watched Thomas Traversa rip in style with his old single fin board.
As i wrote above, i liked the quad more from Goya.
Being quad doesn't make a board more buoyant or plane earlier so i don't think you can get away with less volume.
Just an update in case anyone is interested/ having their own trifin/quad deliberation.
I ended up buying a 98l Quatro cube over a pyramid after many conversations with my local distributor.
I agree being a quad does not make the board more bouyant but in combo with the rocker line etc it can definately make it plane earlier.
I have found my cube flies of the mark, much quicker than my previous trifin (92L Quatro Sphere).
At 98l I have used it in over powered 4.7m conditions and just felt like I needed a smaller sail rather than a smaller board and it also feels great on decent waves so far (I have not tried it in waves > logo high yet).
The advice I was given was that unless you sail 90% of the time in decent DTL conditions get the cube rather than the pyramid.
Seems to hold true so far and if I was going back to Le Mourne for a few months and had to take 1 board I think it would be a 98l cube (I am currently a portly 85KG).
