I’ve been curious about this as well, especially if there is a way to create a soft shackle rather than hard shackle (don’t want to know my own teeth out pumping the thing!).
Here are some upwind angles isolated in a session from a day ago - overall it seemed like I was going a pretty similar speed to a casual winger, with a similar angle. Those that were charging hard were pulling away at a slightly higher angle, but this is certainly a time efficient way to get upwind and foil back.
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Which parawing did you use?
Flow d wing
Most individuals that have become reasonably proficient are reporting similar upwind angles to each other on all the single skins we’ve all heard of by now. I ca see that my Ensis has 'good enough" upwind performance for my needs but is pretty well outclassed by my V4 Strike of a similar size.
The steadier the wind in your location the closer your PW upwind angles are going to be to what you can achieve with an inflatable. A single skin PW is probably never going to be as efficient in gusty wind but the increased visibility alone is reason enough to use one.
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Another data point from today. Took about 35 min to cover 7.4 miles (~3.5 miles direct upwind) - which is the fastest I’ve been able to get upwind for this corridor. This is much better than the science project I used to have to do (big downwind board, on a slow foil … due to the requirement of not being able to go bigger than a 3M wing that would fit in a backpack for the paddle back.
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What size PW?
I hade a bit of a shocker today. Pushed my comfort zone in an exposed launch with a flood tide leaving the launch around and up the fortified Old Point Comfort (birthplace of a lot of modern US history). The main hazard was getting upwind and the wind dying, leaving you caught in the flood, with no way to surf the bumps back to the launch, which is exactly what happened to me.
I aired on the side of caution and rigged my 85L DW board (I’m 69kgs) and a bigger 1080 foil, despite the 880 sized groomed bumps. After a few attempts I got up with the 3M maliko and made my way upwind, licking my chops at all the great swell.
As soon as I got to the top of my line, i felt the wind slack. I turned DW on a bump and botched the stow, forgetting to unhook from the harness first. After I came off foil, I tried a few times with the 3M, then swapped for the 4M reserve. Multiple attempts later, flirting with the commercial shipping lane, I resigned myself to spinnerking my way back to the launch. The 85L was perfect for kneeling and sailing along at a deep reach.
In hindsight, I could have winged with my buddy, who had stories of great swell downwind, or I could have stowed my SUP paddle, or hand paddles. I had multiple launch attempts where I would get on foil on the backside of a swell, with no help from a just depowered PW. Very frustrating!!
Luckily the 2knt flood was waining and I was able to make it back to the launch, hollering ‘Ahoy!’ To my friend waiting around the point.
Also, a note about the 85L. Very much a ‘surface vessel’ at my 69kgs. My 55L is actually easier to manage in a lot of regards.
Very comparable angles to almost all recreational wingers. Nice
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Been thinking about a pack/harness that can stow the hand paddles for this very scenario. Not guaranteed that you’ll be able to catch a bump but better than a pwing in dying breeze. Wondering if anyone has used the ride engine or nsi chest harnesses.
While I like the NSI for its minimalism, the RE and the hydration is appealing. For me, fit while under load from the harness will be key.
A pro rider friend was recently saying they prefer the high hook for better angles and clearance- but the x-pattern just looks a bit too “leather daddy” for me (i know this is a stupid reason!). Front vest pockets are so handy too for phones/snacks, but vaikobi has undeserved market share with such poor construction and materials.
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My brm and flow get better at going upwind every session I put on them. I agree that mistakes cause downwindage real quick. I would say that last time I went out and wasn’t really making mistakes, I was going upwind as good as my buddy who was winging on a medium AR surf foil. I was also on a similar foil. BTW- the surf foil was soooo much more fun than HA on the PW. It also went upwind fine. I use a harness always.
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