When it comes to questions of faith, the fun stops! Then even the otherwise level-headed surf editor's jugular veins swell into thick cables at the morning team meeting: Has the colleague just seriously claimed that he would get flying sooner with his windsurfing foil than with a wing? What a joke!
I've been windsurfing since I was six years old, and when it's blowing over 20 knots here on the North Sea or Baltic Sea, I grab my windsurfing gear and head out onto the water, preferably into the waves. I don't waste a thought on wingfoiling then. It's a different story in light winds: I used to go windsurfing even when there was little wind - but for the last three years I've only been wingfoiling.
My fellow editor Julian Wiemar also uses every windy minute to get out on the water. He freestyles at World Cup level, but if there's not enough wind to do tricks with a fin, you don't need to come to him with a wing - he grabs his windsurfing foil out of conviction: "With the 7.0 foil sail and the 1400 foil, I get out at least as early as you do with your wing!"
I reply that I've already had half an hour's fun on the water when he's still busy rigging. Our editor-in-chief Andreas pulls the plug on our discussion: "Why don't you have a duel - wingfoiling versus windsurffoiling?"
The material for the duel
A few weeks later, we are standing heavily armed on the beach at Großenbrode, ready for the battle of the systems. The wind was still blowing at over 20 knots that morning, but was expected to drop steadily towards the evening. Each of us was allowed to bring two board-foil sails or wing combinations - that was the agreement. The first was a "fun set" for manoeuvres, jumps and wind over 12 knots. Julian opted for a Severne Predator foil board with an 800 Starboard GT-R foil. He uses either a 4.8 Freek or 5.2 Foil-Freek sail as a motor: "This has been my favourite combination for freestyle and manoeuvres in foil conditions for some time now," explains Julian. I pull my 88-litre JP wingboard and 1100 foil out of the boot, along with a 5.0 Vayu Eos Wing. I know that I'm well equipped from 12 to 20 knots, take off early and also get enough speed for jumps. And for speed duels against Julian. As a second set-up, each of us has a light wind set at the start, with which you can still make your way in homeopathic doses of wind. Julian has a Severne Alien 125 with a 1400 Redwing Foil and a 7.0 Severne Foil Glide sail. I counter this with a 7.0 Duotone Ventis Wing and a narrow Naish Hover Downwind Board, under which an 1840 Naish Jet HA Foil is mounted, and I'm sure: "In absolute light winds, I'm going to run circles around this guy!"
Discipline 1: Transport and material handling
Well, good arguments for or against a sport don't just exist on the water, but also on land. And that's why, as a wingfoil representative, I naturally insisted on this discipline. Even Julian manages to handle the small fun set-up, but when we bring the light wind equipment to the water, I can't help but grin. While I still have one hand free with my rucksack and small foil board on my shoulder, Julian loses a piece every ten metres. I watch the drama for a minute, then lend him a hand and score my first point.
- 1:0 for Wingen
Discipline 2: Build-up time
It's easier to duel with a lead behind you, especially when you know it's going to be 2-0 straight away. After all, what could possibly go wrong during set-up? I have to plug in and pump, that's it. Julian has to thread the mast and ropes, trim and attach the boom. When the start signal sounds, we're off. I pump quickly at first, my heart rate rises. When I see how quickly Julian is rigging, I switch to Duracell mode. The bag had already set the extension and boom correctly beforehand and really accelerates. After 1:55 minutes, Julian triumphantly holds up his sail. I pretend to be ready as well. "Does your wing only need six psi of pressure? It says eight psi as a recommendation," my colleague remarks, not without justification. My comment that anyone can inflate a wing in three minutes, but that no amateur windsurfer will ever be as fast as he is as a professional, is shot down.
At least I still have a chance to get my revenge, after all the big sets still have to be rigged and pumped up. I can't allow myself such a disgrace again. While I aerate the 7.0 wing at a medically questionable heart rate, Julian has minor problems for the first time: Threading the luff over the many rollers takes longer than with the freestyle sail, and folding the camber of the sail also robs him of precious seconds. This time I'm around a minute faster and can at least salvage a draw at the finish in this discipline.
- 2:1 for Wingen
Discipline 3: Speeeeeed & Control
Off we go onto the water. As the wind is still blowing at around 20 knots, we head out with the small equipment. To lee of the Großenbrode jetty there is 1-A flat water, perfect for accelerating. Of course, we realise that the possible top speed will depend heavily on the foils we use. In our case, it turns out that my slightly lighter colleague with the 800 Starboard foil starts flying about as early as I do with the 1100 wing - so it's a good match. But who has the edge in the speed duel? I can keep up surprisingly well on a half-wind course with my small set as long as we are fully powered up, because Julian is obviously always struggling to keep the nose of the board down, while I can easily open the wing and even neutralise it in extreme gusts. The control score clearly goes to the wing, these things simply have a huge wind range. However, as soon as we are travelling in the right wind range and Julian can hold on tightly, it also becomes clear that the smaller foil size that can be used for windsurf foiling simply makes him a bit faster. On this day, I manage just under 39 km/h with my small set, but Julian slowly but steadily pulls away on the cross and takes the speed point.
- 3:2 for Wingen
Discipline 4: Manoeuvre potential
Let's go to the manoeuvre duel. Jibes, foil 360s, duck jibes - there are no limits in either discipline. I count it as a success that I can also foil tack, jump higher at a comparable speed and float longer thanks to the buoyancy of the wing. On the other hand, kiters jump even higher and longer - and that's not where we both want to be. Instead, Julian impresses me with his crouched tricks on the foil - he can actually transfer many of his freestyle tricks such as shakas, conos and burners to foiling. In the end, we don't really care about the result because we're both having fun and each of us has a few moves up his sleeve that the other can't counter. A classic draw, I keep my lead close and the score is now
- 4:3 for Wingen
Discipline 5: Take off early
There are few topics that generate more debate than the question: Who flies earlier? But the answer is clear: me! After all, I've organised a narrow, long downwind board, with the large 1840 Naish Jet HA Foil with a whopping 112 centimetre wingspan mounted underneath. I'll motorise it all with a 7.0 light wind wing, the Duotone Ventis - I'm unbeatable with that!
After a lunch break, during which the wind drops significantly as expected, Julian is still surprisingly relaxed about the duel. We deliberately head towards the main beach, behind the cover of the houses and trees. We position ourselves slightly staggered for the approach - close enough so that one of us doesn't get the gust earlier and can cheat, but still with enough distance to avoid getting stuck in the slipstream of the other.
We pump in at 7 to 8 knots. Julian has to overcome a small threshold as the wide bow of his board pushes some water. My narrow downwind board cuts through the water like an arrow, the board speed increases slightly with every pumping stroke, and if I'm in exactly the right position on my narrow board with no straps, I actually take off a little earlier. But if I'm only five centimetres away from the perfect position or have to make corrections, my advantage is gone again. But it's also noticeable that Julian makes up for the marginal advantage when starting off after just a few seconds. While I barely reach the 30 km/h limit with my foil, Julian pulls away from me completely in no time at all. According to the recordings, he is a whopping 7 km/h faster on the straight with his light wind set-up.
What does that mean for the scoring? "I was out a little earlier," I argue. "But if you have a little wobble on your narrow balance beam, I'll be out at least as early and then I'll be all over you," Julian replies. So in the end it was another draw - and I was sure I would score points in this discipline. Nevertheless, I bag the overall victory because the score is
- 5:4 for Wingen
Then the wind drops.
Discipline 6: Safety
Actually, the plan was to cruise back to the beach after the (albeit much closer than planned) victory and throw around some smart remarks. It wasn't planned that the wind would now completely disappear on the shore. While Julian chugs relaxedly towards the shore on his 125-litre board, I get cramps in my upper arms after three minutes. Because the Wing is no longer self-supporting, the end of our duel feels about as relaxed as drilling holes in the ceiling with a drill overhead. After a few minutes, I take the Wing in tow and paddle towards the shore. I overlook Julian's grinning face: "That's a point for me then," he demands. I reply that this discipline was not agreed.
In the following discussion, however, I run out of arguments, because dodging back is really much more relaxed with sails. And the fact that leashes can tear and come undone when tacking and that some of the equipment can go travelling without the driver cannot be easily dismissed. And so, in the last few metres, he snatches away what I thought was certain victory - even if it hurts.
- Final score: 5:5 - draw
That's it for our duel - some preconceptions were confirmed, others were surprisingly refuted. We could actually pack up peacefully now and head home. But because there's suddenly enough wind again, we do another round - Julian with my wing material and me with his windsurfing foil. What fun!
