Winter foiling news, the 2018 review
by Rob Andrews, Foiling World 14 Dec 2018 11:21 GMT
7-8 February 2019
F101 fleet © Foiling World
It's the end of another year in the life of the F101 and we feel that we now have real momentum as we go into 2019. The first newsletter of 2019 will look at the key areas that underpin our philosophy, namely the boat, people and venues, but more of that in 2019.
As it's the end of 2018 it seems appropriate to look backwards, rather than forwards!
Production
Consolidation has been key for us in 2018, confirming that we are happy with production. We have also changed a number of parts on the boat as the early adopters have reported back. Key changes have been:
- Re-designed jib cleat brackets
- New kicker / boom take off
- Clear calibration system
From a production viewpoint all these small changes have given us a reliability and calibration system that allows everyone to fly and fly consistently as they develop their foiling skills. In fact the one surprise that will be taken away from 2018 has been the amazing ability of the F101 to cope with such a diverse range of sailing abilities. 2018 has seen it cope with sailors foiling who have just learned to sail, through to our highest ages of Charly at 73 owning a boat in the US, through to Alan's father Dave (83) driving his son around the Mar Menor. This year there have been many sailors taking their children for sails and most incredibly EVERYONE foiled!
Events
Early events for the F101 have also shown that this versatility is taken into the racing, with racing format experiments taking place giving sailors the ability to share boats. Added into the mix is the way that the TRIBE are key to deciding how the class develops with an emphasis on coaching as well as events open to sailors of different abilities and boat ownership options. We have just put some options out to the existing TRIBE, with provisional dates for a European circuit in 2019 which will expand in future years to an international format.
Looking ahead to 2019
At present we are planning to winter at Pro Vela in Spain, moving to France as it warms up and then visiting the UK for the summer before transferring back to Spain for an Autumn and winter programme. Once we have feedback from the TRIBE we will confirm this in the next newsletter in January.
In 2019 we will be focusing on coaching, to get new and existing TRIBE members further down the foiling experience. This will primarily be run by Alan and Rob (who are both not ones to promote themselves) but in this case we have run a brief CV which shows how qualified they really are to run this level of coaching.
Coaching event
Alan Hillman and Rob Andrews will be running a Learn to Fly course for prospective F101 purchasers on the 7th and 8th February 2019. This course will take place in Spain at Pro-Vela in the Mar Menor, Murcia, the winter base for one of our Tribes.
The Learn to Fly course is for those who really want to know the basics about foiling, and how to get the most from their F101. The course covers aspects such as how the boat works, rigging and tuning, pre-flight checks and safety, launching/landing, the secure position, turning around, tiller and main sheet management, how to deploy, furl and sail with the Zero, sailing fundamentals of weight, steering and trim, controlling the boat when foiling, points of sailing and speeding up the turns.
If you race a dinghy at your club and can manage a Laser in planing conditions then you are good enough to start learning how to fly.
Cost: £500 including a copy of Alan's "The Dinghy Foiling Book."
This cost is fully refundable upon the purchase of a new or used F101 from Foiling World in 2019.
Booking: to book a course please confirm as soon as possible via email to or call Alan on 07917 678299 and we will send out an invoice and joining instructions to you.
*Course cost refunded in full when ordering an F101.
Find complete coaching information here
Lastly the one big idea coming out of 2018 was to make foiling more accessible. To this end we now have the TRIBE class at events where you share boats, so bring along a friend or better still share the cost of owning, transporting and maintaining a boat. We will also be running coaching clinics on a more regular basis and these will be run before any of the F101 TRIBE events. With a spare boat at all events there is a great opportunity for new foilers or existing foilers to try the F101 and charter for the F101 TRIBE events.
New boats for sale
If you want to join the TRIBE we are taking orders for build slots in 2019 and with the F101 being exhibited at the Paris and Toronto Boat Show in December and January respectively, then we encourage those keen on joining the TRIBE in 2019 to get a build slot as soon as possible.
Refurbished boats for sale
We also have some refurbished boats at reduced prices available for immediate delivery, so it's a great time to join the TRIBE in Spain for some winter / sunny training time.
Prices start at £12,000 ex VAT and contact for the full specification of these boats.
How do I buy an F101?
"F101 takes you through your foiling journey, providing a progression pathway from the beginner foiler to the Olympian. F101 sets new challenges and goals at whatever level you come in; from expert to beginner."