My goals were to learn to 1) Mount, 2) Taxi (up & downwind), 3) Fly - in that order. I only expected to get 1 & 2 in this session.
Wow, it really is like starting all over again. 'Impossible' went though my mind many times in that exhausting first session. Crash, crash, crash
One side was better than the other and sometimes I was able to taxi upwind, while the other side had a serious learning disability (just like when I learned to kite/windsurf). Some very surprising upsurges from the foil. Finally I figured out that I was preferring to put my right foot on the board first on both sides, but I need to touch first with the back foot so the nose doesn't swing downwind before mounting. Crash, crash, crash. Finally I dragged to the shallows for a long walk of shame back to the launch area. Fun? From an adventure and challenge sort of way, yes. The nice guy on shore who helped me get my stuff on shore said I appeared to be struggling a lot. Heck, yes! No injuries and the foil and my board didn't break. A ragged success.After a long rest on shore I went out for another go. This time I started way upwind for some margin. My goal is to learn to mount, taxi, and control well enough on bother sides so that I can stay upwind. Maybe I'll try flying a bit too. This time both sides seemed to understand better. After a few initial fails, there was a 'click': something got clearer and I could feel the foil contributing. On a taxi, initially there was a lot of drag while the board was low in the water but I could use the foil to arc it upwind and as the foil contributed more & more it transitioned to very low drag quickly. Upwind was easy now. My dumb side started getting it too. Soon I found I was most relaxed on my dumb side and trying out S carves more than on my good side. It's nice to have two working sides now.
As I expanded my Taxi boundaries, getting better at control and speed over wider and wider ranges, and tried a few jibes (failing in every case), the feel of foil itself kept coming through. As I felt more at ease and able to anticipate accurately I relaxed more & more and enjoyed how razor accurate the foil acted. From time to time I couldn't resist and I'd un-weight the front foot to allow it to rise into flight. Oh Wow! Of course I fell EVERY time in some manner or another. My longest 'flight' was about 15 feet before wreckage, but it felt so SOLID under my feet (and so SLIPPERY - like a puck on a friction-less table). One time the foil shot up and entangled itself in my lines. That was scary and a mess to get out of.
BTW, the skim board mount is working really really well (in my tiny amount of experience). I was worried about it nosediving easily because it has very little rocker, but it's been very good. I think mounting it far back was a good move for balance. So far I prefer my back foot between the bolts, right on top of the mast. Once I start flying more I may change my mind. I am sooooooo glad I'm NOT using straps. I avoided many close encounters of the unwanted kind by not being strapped in. Keeping my feet in good contact on the board is not even close to a problem - so far.
For those of you who are considering foiling... I thought it may be worthwhile for me to share my plan, experiences, and learning curve. I'm looking forward to session 2.