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WAKE
ZONE
Getting Started on the
Hydrofoil
We
have been fascinated with hydrofoiling since we
saw some riders at our lake early this summer (see the previous article
High Flyin'
Hydrofoilers). We were lucky that one of the hydrofoilers that we
saw that day happened to see the picture of them we
posted on our local lake website
LakeAnnaBuzz.com. He sent us an e-mail
thanking us for posting the pictures. Typical of the hydrofoiler community,
a local rider offered to stop by our dock sometime and give my husband a lesson.
We tried to set up a date a few times, but kept getting rained out.
Then luck was with us. We were having a busy weekend with a houseful of guests, when we happened to see the same hydrofoilers we had spotted earlier this year out on the water. We stopped to say "hi" and introduce ourselves. They thanked us for doing the hydrofoiling article, and we struck up a conversation. My husband mentioned that he had been hoping to get a lesson on the hydrofoil this summer, and they offered to stop by and give it a try.
Sure enough, an hour or
so later, they came cruising up to the dock and offered us a ride.
First, we got to take some great pictures of Ray Brantley (shown riding here
and above) doing some
impressive tricks. These were taken from inside the tow boat, pulled by the president of the
U.S. Hydrofoiling Association (USHA,
www.hydrofoil.org),
Brad Scott. Watching the
pros is always a great experience. They make it look so easy to do the big
tricks and you can tell they are having great time.
Next, Ray spent some
time explaining the theory and
approaches to flying over the water on a
hydrofoil. I have been enjoying watersports my entire life. I love waterskiing, kneeboarding, and wakeboarding.
I was hopeful that I would be as
successful at hydrofoiling. Ray got
into the water to help me get started. The boat pulled away and
up I went, and then down I went. For about a half hour I tried
and tried again. Our new hydrofoiling friends patiently pulled me again and
again, and eventually I successfully completed a few short runs.
Every water sport has
its own guidelines for riding successfully, and it took some time to get the
feel of the hydrofoil and understand how it responds to various leans. Wakeboarding requires the rider to lean back for stability, while the
hydrofoil launches high into the air with the same movement! Needless to say
there were a few air launches, which I wasn't quite ready for. The
pro riders said I
did great for my first time, and with a little more experience would become
very comfortable with my newfound sport.
Safe to say, there is most likely a new water toy in our future. My only suggestion is that perhaps we could start with a used one, rather than going out and buying a new one right away.
More pictures of Ray Brantley:
http://www.lakeannabuzz.com/photos/2004/2004-08-22.htm
More hydrofoilers:
http:/www.lakeannabuzz.com/photos/2004/2004-05-16.htm
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