After 30+ years of windsurfing, finally took the plunge to try winging, and after 4 sessions succeeded in reaching across Wolf Lake on my 120 L "beginner" foil board (schlogging not on foil). Trying to compare learning this sport versus windsurfing a long time ago, here's what seemed to be different.
1. Winging needs more wind to learn the baby steps. It's really hard with less than 15 knots, wing doesn't provide good counterbalance unless it is flying nicely. Unlike windsurfing, there is no rig weight to counterbalance, you have only a flying wing, a fickle yet necessary source of both counterbalance and propulsion. Ultimately I think this issue will be just like windsurfing, adjusting the wing for propulsion and balance will become second nature.
2. So-called "beginner" foil boards, 100-140 liters are really tippy even with the 10 lb keel and foil underneath. The board I got was smack in the middle or even the high volume range for my weight and prior experience (none). Absolutely needed some wing sessions on a big wide SUP (with a center board) to learn to handle the wing before even trying the foil board. Cannot initiate a run already standing on the foil board, too unstable, you have to stand up as you power up.
3. Drifting downwind more of a problem with winging. Due to the greater windspeed needed, and the wind blowing on the floating wing when you are down, you get blown downwind more, more walks of shame. Need to solve this issue, as I want to be able to wing at Greenwood, where suitable flat conditions will commonly be side off-shore. Need to be able to be efficient in positioning gear and starting a run quickly and reliably to minimize downwind drift.

What's not different.
1. Being a beginner is fairly exhausting, falling, climbing back on the board, reorienting the wing is so much work. When I fall windsurfing now, it's a chance to rest, relax, let the wind do the work, pop up and go.
2. Sense of accomplishment as little improvements and discoveries are made is similar to learning windsurfing.

Wow! Good on you for jumping into this and great post on what to expect.
Are we gonna see your windsurfing equipment soon for sale?

Really interesting to hear how you're getting along. It certainly sounds appealing even if just to have less gear to cart around.

I completely agree on what is not different no.1
Went out almost 3 weeks ago on 130L old BIC loaner and it's 6.8 sail companion.
I have never gone out on such a low displacement board (for me) with a sail that big with so little wind, 6 knots max.
I did manage, but not without more than a couple uphauls.
The conditions were not good, but the experience was very valuable.

3 days winging so far in California, its going to be all winging this trip. So many people taking up the sport, everybody so friendly and supportive. Avid windsurfers giving up their gear for the zen and ease of winging. Further winging lessons:
1. Good wind is necessary, really strong wind is great. 2 days of 20+ knots have produced the most progress, most stability in standing up, upwind, board stability. Only downside is when you are down, strong wind blows you and your wing downwind while you are setting up. I swapped wings up in size on these windy days, everything better.
2. Transition to foil is much more sudden and dramatic than schlogging to planing windsurfing. A lot more going on in a short interval of time, a lot of adjustments to make when that happens.

Peer support here is infectious. Every other winger I'm talking to says, "I was where you were at 2 weeks ago," and off they go, foiling away. Seems hard to imagine, but they can't all be lying or boasting.

David Mark wrote:

There seems to be a progression of the regression in the Bay Area...

Flashback 2018
Greg from Sheb. wrote:


Now we have to change the stickers to kite-wing foiling because regular string Kiteboarding has been canceled.




Next year riding moving walkways at airports will be considered a sport.




David Mark wrote:

Rent some real windsurfing gear. Don't waste good wind!

Hahaha! Funny but true!
An older sports trend in the same vein. Significantly more involving, though!

Progress after 6 sessions of wing foiling in Bay Area (previously only had 1 successful session on a foil board in Chicago, one reach across Wolf Lake). Every day progress was made. Wind was generally 15-25 knots every day, 4 days windsurfable on 6.0 or better (wings were 5.0 and 4.2). By the 3rd day I was consistently standing up from knees both directions on 120 L board in flat water. On days 5-6, I was in rougher onshore wind and able to do it by gaining some speed on knees before standing up. Staying upwind is now no problem as long as there is wind. I am improving handling of the wing for both propulsion and balance. I was able to do toe-side reach a few times. Falling in a way that you can reset the board, wing, and the leashes to avoid tangling really helps you relaunch quickly and avoid drifting down wind. Most of the foil action was involuntary and too slow, that was not my goal. Shifting your weight forward as you gain speed is important (opposite of what you do in windsurfing) In order to continue to learn to foil at my Evanston site, I need to have absolute confidence in upwind ability on our flat side-off SW winds and need to be able to stand up in small shorebreak on lighter 10-13 kt N winds. We'll see how it goes back in the midwest. Probably need more sessions at Wolf Lake to get up on foil on 10-20 knot days on my 6.4 wing. I think I've reached the equivalent of a pre-planing competent windsurfer, short of the goal of actual foiling (equivalent windsurfing would be planing in straps).

Really appreciate you sharing the process here, it's interesting to see what the challenges are and what carries over; hope you keep doing so! I've got a 4.6m wing that so far has just been used to blast around on skis on frozen lakes (and one time in a park full of dogs who were not having it at all)

(Somewhat) Sustained on-foil rides achieved with lateral and pitch control before the inevitable crash, glad to have gotten there before the end of the season. Needed flat water, straight off-shore S wind at Montrose beach helped a lot.

David, are you permanently switching to Wingfoiling? If not, when are the conditions that will make you more likely to ride the wing vs. windsurfing?

Hopefully will get light wind skill to wing in 8.0 conditions since I sold that sail off. Will still windsurf in side-off conditions where good wind is several hundred yards off shore, high wind N and NE winds with shorebreak and large swell. It's opened up a few venues closer to me than Evanston in conditions when I would never windsurf (W and NW on a city beach). Medium N winds could eventually be a tough call, foiling in swell looks so cool. Overall, it will ultimately be additive rather than substitutive of windsurfing.