Rachael's Foiling Fun

Some days stand out. Especially the ones that include equal amounts of pure joy and accomplishment. I just had one of those days with Morgan from Ozone NZ. The occasion was having just pulled the trigger to buy a full wing foiling set-up Armstrong 6'6" SUP foil board and Ozone Wasp wings.

I went down to Raglan to pick it up and have a chance to dial-in the board while being towed behind the jet-ski. My background is as an enthusiastic waterperson: dinghy sailor, big boat captain, I taught sailing, windsurfing, kitesurfing and snow kiting. My foiling experience was all of 20 minutes being towed behind a boat with 19 minutes and 30 seconds of them flailing and maybe 30 seconds foiling. And not well. On the wing side, I had done 4 hours or so on Lake Pupuke in Auckland: 2 with a wing on an old windsurfer with a centerboard to get the feel and 2 hours on a foil board - with just enough glimmers of success to know I will really, really enjoy this sport and having my own kit will mean I can progress whatever my schedule or the city’s lockdown situation. Lastly, I’m turning a decade this year and not one whose number I want to share, but I think if you stay married for the same number of years you are supposed to give each other gold. That’s the set-up.

Here is what happened with Morgan…

I got up and foiling!! For real. Not up for a millisecond to be followed by a tumbling crash (repeatedly), but as the master of my own destiny (mostly). Thanks to Morgan’s specific and positive coaching, perfect jet-ski driving and starting me on a big learner board,

I got up and going faster than I imagined. I learned to control my height, turn (a little), go in and out of the wake and even surf the tiniest bit. The icing on the cake was when we ended the lesson with me on my new board. Took a few spills at first getting used to a little less stability, but I got up and foiling on that board, too! Foiling (for more than a fleeting moment) was everything I hoped and expected it to be. I would say that it can neither be described as easy nor hard, but something that requires technique, proper foot placement, understanding how far and how fast to shift one’s weight and the ability to relax while flying just over the water. All of that, perhaps minus the ability to relax, came from Morgan’s excellent observations and tips. 

By the end of this spectacular day, I drove home with a car full of gear, a head full of knowledge and a heart bursting from that unique happiness that comes from a mix of motion, adrenalin and salt water.