FORUM : WAKE FOIL SAFETY MEASURES !!!

“Hello, Wakefoil can be one of the most fun things there is. You get to  share everything live with our buddies, you can progress very quickly because you can repeat it over and over again. But for that you have to be careful : 1/ with the Boat to avoid any drama. Use a cage on the outboard motors. 2/ on the wave because they can be very hollow and the Foil has the tendency to flip over. And if possible only use it on perfectly flat water. A slight chop is detestable and the swell is hell. The length of the rope is of the order of a few meters, depending on the wave produced. The speed is between 10 and 11 knots depending on the wave it produces. The good habits according to me are : – The rider must remain motionless after a fall, do not row or swim. If he, and the Boat move, everything moves and the recovery manoeuvre becomes anarchic. Danger. – If necessary, signal yourself by pointing the Board towards the sky. – of course, wear the prescribed safety equipment. – have a bar with a large diameter rope, and never climb up the rope by hand. If you fall and your arm gets caught in the rope: you lose your arm! It’s not going to stop the boat. – The co-pilot announces clearly and loudly all the changes in the situation : tighten the rope, start, change gear, fall, danger, doubt. Communication is the key to a good session. – the Captain takes care to give a clear and safety-oriented briefing before each launch. People have the curious reflex of disconnecting their brains from the water. Anticipate. – the pull trajectory is always straight for proper surfing. We don’t slalom, not even five degrees. You just get your bearings and stick to them. Some Boats with a small wave require you to create a curve on the rider’s side. This curve must also be constant. The more constant the speed and heading, the better the wave. – At the end of the line, we always turn on the same side. The co-pilot is told his turn and the rider repeats it to the co-pilot. We check that the road is clear and we make a turn at constant speed, so with a little more gas. At the end of 180° we come to reposition the boat strictly in the axis of the original trajectory. This is how you will have a perfectly smooth stretch of water after several passages. – When there are several Boats on the spot, you have to move in parallel to avoid the risk of collision. You will inevitably have crazy slalomers and wake jumping fans, get away from these criminals as fast as possible and show your displeasure clearly. The danger is real. – The pilot looks far ahead and sweeps 180° to anticipate any danger. He is also perfectly aware of the seabed to fly in a hazard free area. – when the rider recovers from a fall, he indicates with gestures whether he continues or stops. In any case, you always turn on the same side to retrieve the rider on the same side. You put the line back in the water before reaching him and the bar will recover the rider with a slight curve. Under no circumstances is the rider the one who swims towards the Boat. He will only get back on Board on your order to make sure you have stopped the propeller. – Port maneuvers are the most complicated and anxiety-provoking. We do things smoothly and straightforwardly. Zero panic. Clear actions and everything will be fine. If it doesn’t work, we start again from scratch rather than forcing the maneuver. If docking is not possible at the starting point, there is surely a simpler solution on a temporary dock (petrol, visitor, something cooler than a cramped place). The crew is briefed and their roles are determined. Nothing should be left to chance. No one should jump between the Boat and the dock in case of imminent shock : the gel coat repairs itself better than a crushed limb… – you don’t fool around with a Boat. As soon as you get cocky, you’ll put everyone in danger. It’s systematic. – We respect the zones by not doing a wake in an anchorage zone or in a channel or a high-traffic area. Make sure your zone is also respected. The sea is everyone’s, ok. But if you have entered into an open area and want to keep it hazard free, nothing prevents you from signalling to the madmen and the curious that you want to be left alone. This is very true in Wakefoil because you will very quickly have Boats of the curious in your wake, who will sometimes come right behind the Rider to watch. They are very sick people, don’t let them get to you. The unconsciousness of some of them has no limit. Now you know everything 😉 Thank you.” Advisors : Patrice Guénolé and GONG-GALAXY.