Foil Racing UK

2019 has witnessed an explosion of UK Windsurfing Association (UKWA) foil racing; Rod Davis of the UKWA gives us an insight into the competition series.

- Rod Davis

Rod Davis – “Foil racing is offered at both our slalom and course racing events. In the slalom series, foiling races are held when the wind speed is between 7 and 11 knots, if it’s above that, then sailors switch to slalom boards. At present there are many more sailors who simply only race slalom, but the number of foilers is creeping up as it provides the alternative of actually racing rather than sitting on the beach waiting for the wind speed to reach 12 knots. At our course racing events, a separate foiling fleet has now been created in which sailors only use foiling boards and do not switch to conventional boards when the wind gets above 11 knots, unlike in the slalom series. Here foiling seems to have taken over from the Formula fleet, most of whose members have now taken up the new discipline, with the added spice and expertise from some of the young RS:X sailors who are currently making the running. There are no kit limits at the moment in either series, anything may be used with no restriction on