actually Eyefly a local crew, but agree : best videos !
the kids here are taking it to a new level
i had a very brief go (rodeo ride), and i can see the attraction and challenge
i was surprised by the large sized sail apparently needed for overall ease of use.
has anyone successfully mastered using a foil on a rig like a 4.5m in 12knots-ish winds? That would be a real move forward imho 
what sized sail / wind strength is used in your photos Sean?
the kid (Corto Dumond) is using a freek 4.8 in 16knts (his smallest sail)
as you said many use oversized sails, this wednesday (12knts) I was on 7.8 (92kg) another kid (65kg) was using 8.6 !!! arms race I guess.
But you can definitely go small, just requires finesse and pumping technique.
It also comes down to what foil you're using, a manta or a naish will get you going easily in 10/12 with 4.8/5.0
Larger wings are being released (*board/lokefoil), approx 1100/1200cm?. Early take off with smaller sails will come along.
Select to expand quoteHaircut said..
i had a very brief go (rodeo ride), and i can see the attraction and challenge
i was surprised by the large sized sail apparently needed for overall ease of use.
has anyone successfully mastered using a foil on a rig like a 4.5m in 12knots-ish winds? That would be a real move forward imho what sized sail / wind strength is used in your photos Sean?
Personally I think videos like the Naish one where Robby is cruising on a 4.7 in '8kts' of wind are taking the p$&#. There is a limit even given a super high lift foil like the naish in what you can take off in. At my weight (68kg) with a 5.2 wave sail and a very good pumping technique it's about 12kts on a Pryde F4 with the race wing, which is a super efficient foil; with my 7.8 it's 7-8kts...can keep foiling down to 6kts once going.
Lift increases with the square of windspeed so 10kts is a lot more that 6kts in terms of the power your sail can generate and there is simply no way of getting around it even with the highest lift foil in the world.
The other thing to consider is with a 5.2 in 12kts, yeah you can cruise around but if you are into course racing you are going to have a bad day. You need power to sail good angles, particularly in the lighter winds. Take Sunday at the foil nationals just gone, Sunday was solid 25kts with higher gusts, most of the fleet was on a 7.0 or 7.8.
Select to expand quote
Personally I think videos like the Naish one where Robby is cruising on a 4.7 in '8kts' of wind are taking the p$&#.
It's called marketing 
Kitefoils were "able" to race in "4 kts" based on some people during the trial to choose the Olympics classes...
