Sunday had my first go with a wing. Neighbor had gotten a 4.2 slingwing and had taken it out a couple times before (no luck getting up on foil), I'd never used any wind device before. We're on the north shore of Oahu, decided to go up to Sunset and just do a downwinder to our beach a little past Waimea (leftovers). 1 foil board(6'11 with Maliko 200) and wing, and 1 guy on standup with paddle. We'd just take turns and hopefully have it figured out by the time we get home...
A buddy drove us to sunset, we pump up the wing and off we go. Neighbor is on wing first and is able to get out past kami's ok, fell once, but no drama in the surf, made it around find. we are both goofy so easier for us to go out to sea than come back towards shore. So we are going, falling a lot, going out to sea, but both of us felt comfortable with where we were. each would do a tack out than try another towards shore. We're pretty far out, because that's where the better wind is, close to the beach it gets blocked by land. We're falling like crazy and just laughing and having fun. Weren't able to get up on foil as it felt like the wind died a bit and my buddy didn't quite pump the wing up all the way. Anyways we are pretty far out, so when we got to Keiki beach we decided we needed to just focus on going toward shore, so we don't overshoot our beach. Of course the wind mostly dies around the same time.
Holding the wing up is a lot harder when there is very little wind, but we are making decent but slow progress. And when one guy gets tired, we switch it up. We're still laughing at each other when we fall, and super relaxed. Anyways we are now outside Waimea, probably about a mile out to sea (thats where the wind is), and pretty much where we planned to be at that point. just going slower than expected. Next thing we hear this guy yelling. I look over and see a guy prone paddling and yelling at us. I'm on the standup so I start paddling towards him thinking he needs help. I get closer and realize it's a lifeguard, then I realize I know him so I call out his name. Haha He immediately changes his demeanor. But soon as he gets closer he's just like "what are you guys doing?? Where are you going?" Turns out they'd received multiple 911 calls about 2 guys with a red wing being blown out to sea in distress! We just started laughing. I guess the lifeguards had been watching us, and said we didn't look like we were in distress, but that we were falling a lot. And since they were about to close for the night they had to check on us so the fire department didn't have to come save us. We said we were totally fine and right on track. (he wanted us to deflate and just paddle in, but my buddy had just kept on sailing and was making decent progress) I apologized for him having to paddle out a mile to talk to us, and off we went. It was slow going at the end, but we made right to where we wanted.
I'm looking forward to the next mission. I should get my f-one thursday or friday. but next time I think I'll let the lifeguards know where I'm going before I head out a mile + from the beach, haha.... but it was good to do it with another person just watching on a standup, we were able to give pointers about arm position, etc.. with a little more wind and i think if we move the foil forward a bit, we should have no trouble getting on foil.