The closest thing I can compare the feeling of foiling
to is powder skiing or snowboarding down a moun-
tain. The ride is buttery smooth – like surfing through
the clouds – with long drawn out turns and the ad-
ded sensation of floating from the top to the bottom
of the foil mast. And as if it can’t get any better, the
feeling is achievable almost every day of the year!
I like riding waves; the conditions, especially
around Gibraltar, vary enough to keep it interesting
but can be frustrating and requires dedication. It’s at
this point I would like to introduce you to the great
vanquisher of familiarity – the foil! You’ve seen
the videos, you’ve heard the hype, but nothing can
prepare you for the sensory awakening that occurs
when you foil for the first time, rising like a tasered
meerkat on top of the water, trying to balance on a
highly engineered axe that you know has the capaci-
ty to render you infertile. But it’s not the precarious
danger that inspires, it’s the shift in perspective with
which you view your saline world. I’m not a wave
snob by any means, I’ve surfed a lot more small wa-
ves than big ones, but even so, a foil is like a correc-
tive lens to what you deem ‘fun on the water’.
… the future of watersports
In2Adventures:Text / Photographs
OTWO 10 / MAY 2020
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