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Hey man - I have just got the 180 HAX and have that same Armstrong DW board (a bit longer). Where'd you like the foil in the box for small stuff like that day? Thx!

so awesome!

Sweet!

Did you need a permit for flying your drone? Did you have to declare it through customs and all that? I will be going there in a few weeks

That was really really excellent. Thanks for taking the time to add some info about the location. We hear about these places & see footage of runs or sessions however by showing a wider context you made me really want to visit there.

Nice video. What drone are you using?

I don't get to go to gorge anymore until i retire due to work commitments in the summer.. this brings back some memories.. such an amazing place

you'd be able to FD out in that (on foil), for sure. you would motor with swell to get up, then loop back. tbh, I really enjoy motoring upwind/upswell in messy waters. I'm presently on a 25cm, though. (i ordered a 20 from an unnamed domestic vendor, but they sent me the wrong one and i didn't notice for several dozen batteries worth.) if i were on a 15cm, I might have a very different opinion. My situation: if it's over 12knots, i bring a wing and might use the FD to quickly get to the good wind line if needed. Then, I put the remote away until i need to get home through a wind shadow. Because of the FD, I can ride the spot i want rather than the spot the wind direction decides. It's bonkers. i just leave it on my foil all the time. you're not wrong to wait. new integrated masts are coming out.

Fantastic video thanks so much

The Hatchery is an EXPERTS ONLY site, it is no place to learn ANY sport on a busy summer day. Great that you had a good time here, you're clearly an advanced SUP foiler and just briefly passing through the "heart" of the Hatchery. This is no place for beginners though, many better spots for learning🤙

Turn your music down.

Great video. Which drone do you have or recommend?

Great video- saw the one on the Resort as well. Really considering this for the fam. This a good place for beginner foiling?

Hey, I just tried sup foiling on flatwater with the 115l version of the Duotone Downwinder and the Fanatic high aero aspect 2000 wing for the first time, but after a couple strokes the board immediately turns and doesn’t go straight. I have a 75cm mast, so it’s quite confusing. Any tips?

Grab a dry bag and get camping :-) There is a lot of water in the state and having to walk around it sucks lol

You lucked out. It sucks there! Folks you'll be disappointed if you come... 😉

"Getting over a cold".... Sometimes this is River Nose which is the legacy often from the pollen floating on the surface getting rammed up into your sinuses in crashes

What was the total cook time and how many pounds was your pig?

Which lift foils were you riding for the downwind?

Glad you liked our town! Been here 45 years and still can’t get enough. 🤙🏼😎🏄‍♀️

Great job filming and explaining the Gorge DW scene. It's been a long time since I've been there for windsurfing in the 1990s and later kiting in the in the early 20s. After watching this video, I would love to go back and DW it.

I'm heading up to the UP for the summer. Are the conditions good for winging on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior over the summer. Like over 11 ? knots

Great video! I'm a decent winger and wanting to get into downwinding. What length mast are you using? What size foil? Looks super fun!

I bet the Gorge is a lot warmer

👍🍺

epic trip! looks so fun.

Great video! You were riding with my buddy - Bob! Great drone footage! Glad you had a great trip!

Looks like you had a great trip, best part is the realization how you have epic conditions at home to foil on the Great Lakes too!

My first introduction to sports was a VHS tape about Hood river about 35 years ago. I still remember watching that dozens of times. I was sick at home for 6 months, and after buying my first windsurf sail would sneak into the garden when my parents were gone and rig the sail and pretend I was surfing. This exhausted me to the point that I could not walk inside anymore, but my perents never found out. When I got a little better I started mounting the sail to a skateboard, and a year later I was on the water for real. At 48 years old now, I'm no longer windsurfing but foiling and kitefoiling are even better.

As a Great Lakes waterman you are an inspiration, man. Thanks for sharing. Question: when conditions are great do you prefer downwinding to winging?

17:55 Nice compilation. BTW : The FarcEast Gorge Wallula Gap ala Port Kelly will blow your mind if you ever get to see it when its firing...swells are tilted football fields genuine breaking coast like unbelievable for inland. I wrote a few stories about windsurfing Port K in the '90s for a local mag.

Great video thanks! I'm doing my first trip this summer too. What foils do you recommend? I ride Lift and am probably a similar weight and skill level to you. I was going to bring the 150 and 120, but since the 130 and 110 just came out, now I'm considering them instead. What did you ride and what do you recommend? Thanks!

You mentioned the glide of the 180hax being better than the 170ha, but how do you compare the low end (stall speed and getting up flying) 170 vs 180. Does the 170 have any advantages or is the 180 better in every way?

Hey how can we reach out to you locally? I’d like to get into the sport (Port Franks)

Inspiring! What was the water and air temp, and what brand wetsuit were you wearing?

I do it quite a bit. Kneeling on DW board, placing paddle strokes to help save battery. Easy to gain 1-2 miles upwind, then turn around.

Hey Waterman, thank you for sharing :-) I'm sure you could ride out on foil in this conditions. Definitely worth a try. Greetings from Europe Alfred

The way you paddle up I'd say no or wait for something better built and more refined. My Foildrive stays home 98% of the time.

Another great video, Mike! I am Experienced and frothing owner of a FoilDrive. Over 20 hrs riding on the gen 2. And proud and happy owner of a gen one FoilDrive. In all conditions. Strong wind, medium, light and no winds. Big and small waves. I could talk for hours on foildrive. I keep it short. To answer your question, YES. You should absolutely get a foildrive. No doubt. “ To know and not to do, is not to know.” On this day. You could easily motor straight out upwind. No problem. Motor out 1-2 Ks and turn into a swell and ride it all the way back to beach. I do that alot at my local spots. Look alot like yours. The other day i was motoring straight into an 18mph headwind for 2-5 minutes. Then turned around and rode straight downwind no motor all carving and cruising. Im 195lbs. When i do my 5 or 8 mile downwinders with the foidrive i motor to get started then free foil the wholw way and end the run with 70-85 percent battery left. Then ill fuck around at the end spot and motor back upwind some and ride more swells to keep the party going! You could be riding a small prone board or a wing board in the conditions you are filming in. The foildrive is a quality product and have excellent customer support. Im so stoked. Videos to come down the pipeline on my CZcams channel. It’s so worth it.

You mentioned it. On the Great Lakes, waves=wind=wing. Rare are the glassy days and when it's on around a long pier, the police boat is out and FD is not yet technically legal in Canada.

Headed here next month. Nice video! The grasshopper tour snorkeling footage- wow! That is you diving with an underwater camera? That’s an incredible spot if so! Cost of that tour? Also on the beach at the resort- do they have snorkel masks provided?

When people ask me how foiling feels, I always say 'like boarding in some deep powder x2'

I am considering now to buy a FD after multiple injuries due to hard paddling in flat conditions but also shortening learning curve to DW as not living close to the shore

Great vid, good points. I saw Surf Culture Canada does foil drive demos, I think they’re near Windsor. Could be an option to try it out

The foil drive would work perfectly to motor out while on foil straight into the waves>

Looks wild and good afternoon man

I would wait man. You can always wing. Its not like you have 16 second glassy head high to tow yourself into with the foil drive, and you can already DW SUP easily.

Do you think you get more time out paddling or winging? Hard finding the good wind sometimes.

I got a gen 1 foil drive assist plus. Not a huge fan for the Great Lakes. I put in maybe $5k for all the gear and gadgets. It’s just a lot of setup and taking care of the battery. For light wind foiling, my money is better spent on a wide foil, a big wing, and a light wind board. I went out today on an 84L board and I’m 100kg. So it’s a little tricky keeping the connection as my cord is not long enough to place it on the nose of the board. Then it’s fun to efoil for 20 minutes before the battery is dead. For safety concerns, I would never let my wife or kid use it. It might make sense if I ever got into downwind SUP. I tried using it for light wind winging and it was a jerky pain in the butt. I would rather just work on my light wind pumping skills. Also Stoke makes a better solution for light wind winging.

It works great.