FOIL Slalom VS FIN Slalom - windfoiling is changing the PWA!

[@yvindbirkeland7706]

Great video! Looking so much forward to watch PWA this year.

[@RYTISJAS]

Cheers

[@id6699]

We started racing both slalom fin and foils in the Gorge Cup Slalom Series 3 years ago. Initially, we had mixed heats until it was decided to split up fin and foil into separate heats due to insurance liability requirements.

[@RYTISJAS]

Well insurance is something that we definitely don't think about :) But it is definitely fun to race fin vs foil for me personaly :)

[@martinbailly573]

Great action shots, interesting comments. Thanks !

[@RYTISJAS]

Thanks Martin

[@robinmarle3590]

Slalom foiling is awesome, now we can go on the water almost everyday.... No more waiting hours and hours on the beach for some wind ! Awesome drone videos of the races !! Keep up the good work! An idea for a future video : how do you take care of your gear after a session? do you rinse your sail in fresh water ? let it dry? etc... would be nice to know because slalom gear is very expensive so we have to take good care of it Cheers :)

[@RYTISJAS]

Exactly - it is kind of becoming a problem tho... I am windsurfing so much, I don't have time to go to the gym to hit those biceps hahaha Thanks for the kind words Robin :)

[@simonjandrell5897]

Fin and Foil Slalom is gonna be both fascinating and exciting and i am so looking forward to watching this, i myself rather my Foil than my Formula Fin any day

[@RYTISJAS]

i agree :)

[@simonjandrell5897]

@@RYTISJAS i also like flying past Windsurfers on a Fin it is so funny as you can see you are winding them up

[@JorgeHernandez-ue9qx]

Already foiling steady in 12 -20 kts. Almost jibing 60% of times, Can go upwind well and deep downwind. Only using front footstrap when tight into the wind. As soon as I bear off, got to move rear foot fwd. out of strap to keep from lifting too high.. Seen you slalom videos and seems like riders keep rear foot on strap. Am I doing something wrong ? Using AFS 800S FOIL , JP Hydro 120 and Ezzy Hydra 5.5 I'm 52kg. Please advise.

[@RYTISJAS]

Putting the back foot into the middle of the board when going deep downwind is completely normal. I do that all the time when I am course racing in stronger winds. If it is up to 10 knots you can usually stay in both footstraps but as you start going faster in higher winds foot in the middle gives you more control. This is all about going deep downwind.

[@bob2787]

I have a question for you guys. Will it be more congested at the start line when you mix fin and foils? I'm wondering if the foils will park themselves on the line while fins will need a bit more of a run at start.

[@RYTISJAS]

Hi Bob, So the maximum number of people in the heat stays at 8. And to get a good start on foil you need just as much of a run up as with slalom. So from what we have seen both foils and slalom will start planning 40-60 seconds before the start and approach the start line with full speed. Rytis

[@tonybrandao3702]

are all slalom course downwind. Wouldn't racing be more fun if it had more upwind legs?

[@RYTISJAS]

I personally do course racing in Lithuanian national competitions and I really enjoy it - it is just different. But slalom is supposed to be downwind slalom in my opinion - this way we have the highest possible speed and the closest 'man on man' racing as Maciek says.

[@Delfinarbea]

¡¡Interesante¡¡

[@cvanscho]

Everyone is not the same, we all have different opinions. I, for myself, just don't "get" the foil thing. I think I have been windsurfing for too long, so this flying above the water instead of in the water, just doesn't appeal at all. It looks really weird too - almost comical to me. So I'm disappointed that "proper" windsurfing has been dropped now from the Olympics. But don't shoot me, as I said, we can't all have the same opinions!

[@RYTISJAS]

Hi Chris, Yeah, everyone can have different opinions for sure! Personally I wasn't sure about foiling before trying it and I know a lot of people who thought they wouldn't like it until they tried it (properly). So I would say don't write it off completely :) From an athlete's perspective we are not forced to use foil in PWA, we can choose whatever is faster. And foil is faster in lightwind conditions. As for Olympics - sorry Chris, but RSX is the furthest thing from proper windsurfing I can imagine.

[@jonthesailorman]

Ok but hear me out guys.... What about motorcycle leathers???!! Huh huh?!

[@RYTISJAS]

Great protection for sure, but too limiting on freedom of movement. We even try to wear the thinnest wetsuits we can so that we feel as free as possible.