Parawing - Upwind/ Downwind with GPS analysis - Session 04

My first attempt of an upwind/ downwind session on the Maliko 4.0m. Some of the most popular questions I've been getting are:
"Can this thing go upwind?" / "Can it replace wing deflates?" / "If so, how efficient does it go upwind?"
In this video you will see how far upwind I was able to get in 30mins whist trying to overcome a few obstacles.
At the end of the video I show my Strava GPS data to start to understand the Parawing's full upwind potential.
Gear:
Board: Amos Sultan Wing 5'10/18/85L
Maliko 4.0m
Foil setup: Code Foil 1130S front wing/ 135L tail/ Medium fuse/ 80 (+) mast
Wind:
10-18kts (inconsistent)
Rider:
85kgs (kite, wing, DW, prone experience)
Keep the comments coming as it helped me heaps from the first video!
Independent review
@foilrat on Instagram

[@solentfoiler5969]

A km upwind in 10 mins is about what I do walking with my gear so Parawing is approximately on a par with that. Useful to know, thanks!

[@foilratvids]

Hoping to improve on this ratio. I think I’ll still improve my technique and also go out on better conditions. Good starting point tho!

[@maca5645]

My OCD calculations :) Your best angle between tacks was 38* or so. Assuming you are riding at 10kt that gives a VMG (velocity made good in the upwind direction) of about 3kt. So in an hour of upwind you would earn a 3NM downwind ride. A wingfoil easily does 5NM of upwind in an hour. Considering that this parawing thing is so new (the gear and the technique) i think it is very good !! 👍👍

[@foilratvids]

Interesting! What’s the unit for the 3NM? Nautical miles?

[@maca5645]

@@foilratvids Yup, 3NM=5.55km

[@ohcuriouspat]

Nice analysis!

[@foilratvids]

Cheers mate. That’s as much info as I could get out of that session. Hoping to do a better up/downwinder with better conditions soon 🤙

[@AbBu-do6fq]

Do you think that with 5.1 it would work much better in these conditions?

[@foilratvids]

Probably would have helped when the wind dropped but tbh, if the wind is in and out, you would struggle with either. The parawing, contrary to a kite or a wing, has a very small optimal wind range. The BRM is a very low aspect kite making this point even more pronounced. I’m sure we’ll see parawings in the future with higher aspect ratios which will be better to go upwind, but maybe not as good to go downwind and stow.

[@AbBu-do6fq]

which harness do you use btw?

[@foilratvids]

BRM belt with a Dakine hook. Check out at the end of this vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aafGpWh9edx3iLcsi=SBvQGslyzcrFcfQM