As 2022 comes to an end and we head into Windy Season here in Florida this will be my sixth windy season and I’m really looking forward to spending as much time on the water as possible. I’ve updated my equipment this year and I now think it is a much better setup for my skills, goals and conditions for the Tampa Bay area.

New Fin Boards – I added two new Starboard Carves (109 & 129) to replace my Gecko 133. I purchased these at the end of last windy season and I was still adjusting to them when the summer months limited the options for Fin sailing. Recently we’ve been having a few decent fin days and though not enough wind to take out the 109 I’m really enjoying the capabilities of the 129. Faster, more maneuverable in the chop and as the name implies they Carve through a jibe very nicely. I’ve already completed a few carve jibes and I can’t what for a truly windy day to take these boards onto the water and really see what they can do! (One of those days when you collapse long before the wind dies down.)

Wind foiling – As with the new Carves I’ve updated my Foiling setup with new sails Severne 8/7/6 Foil Glides and the new Starboard Evolution Super Flyer setup which work quite well with my Freeride Foil board. I now have an 1100, 1300, 1500cm front wing and 500/330 stabilizer fins. The 1500 with the 330 setup has really been a big help. Much greater stability and it doesn’t accelerate away from me like the 1100 which is a bit too fast for this beginner.

The summer provided limited days for foiling but I’ve been trying to get on the water as much as possible to become more comfortable foiling. (I’ve not tested this option with my Fanatic Falcon which supports a fin or foil but I hope to very soon.)

My key this summer has been to get comfortable and stable 50cm above the water. Different setup then fin sailing but I’ve been receiving great input from our community of experienced foilers and I’m almost there! You need to be stable and up in the air to learn to foil jibe otherwise the rail bites the water and you go swimming. I’m actually pretty confident that I will be foil jibing very soon. (More on this in my next post.)

Back to Bonaire in 2023 – This will be my third trip to Bonaire and since my last visit in 2020 foiling is now an option at Lac Bay and JibeCity has all my equipment in stock. Of course it is fun to try out new stuff as well which is one of the great options at all the shops. On our last trip I was just getting comfortable in the harness but unfortunately that year the wind didn’t cooperate which is pretty rare for Bonaire. Now with foiling, sailing should be a great option on light wind days.

So many options this year and I know it is going to be a great Windy Season! The challenge will be fin or foil. So many choices!