Today was session number 6 in the quest to learn how to windsurf foil. Again on 5.3m sail, but this time with a little more wind of maybe 12mph with gusts of 18mph. The wind was a little on/off, but I felt like I made great progress.
The biggest accomplishment today was learning how to steer. Yesterday, I was instructed that steering on the foil is done with the back foot. So, today I tried it. Works GREAT!!! Get the board level, and just a little pressure with the toes or heel of the back foot and you can go wherever you want. I was pretty excited about learning something so simple. A few more sessions and I feel like I'll be able to start banking the board a little bit with the turn. The water is still pretty cold, so I'm trying not to try too many new things and crash. The video below is Session #4 in you missed seeing it.
The next area of accomplishment today was in sustained riding up on foil. During this session I was able to comfortably stay on foil the whole time between tacks. On starboard tack I was able to drop the back hand, but not the front hand. On port tack I was able to drop the front hand but not the back hand. I couldn't figure out how to do it the same both ways, but I'm sure the solution will present itself soon.
Today's session was about an hour or a little less. That's a good amount of time to make progress without getting tired to the point where I pick up bad habits. I remembered an article I wrote a few months ago called Continuing To Improve. I went back and read it again. It reminded me how important it is to deliberately pay attention to your body parts and what they are doing. When I'm more aware of my body parts I improve faster. This is a very fun journey!
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