World champion windsurfer and friends attempt to wing foil around the Isle of Wight

Thursday 23rd September is going to be a very special day for the Island Sailing Club in Cowes.

The club is famous for playing host to the world-famous Round the Island Race – the annual yacht race that attracts 1000s of competitors each year which has been running since 1931.

However, tomorrow the Club “steps into the future” as World champion windsurfer, Ross Williams and some of his friends attempt to wing foil the 50 nautical miles around the Isle of Wight, whilst raising funds for HASAG in memory of Ross’s father Ceri Williams, who sadly passed away in 2020.

Click on images to see larger versions

On the team
Joining the local legend will be Tom Court, Sam Light and Thomas Buggy, all planning to make the “herculean inaugural attempt” of wing foiling around the Island.

The event is organised by the Island Sailing Club and the squadron of foilers aim to set out from Cowes around mid morning on Thursday 23rd September.

Foiler, Tom Buggy, says,

“We will have lots of different conditions, from big waves on the south side of the Island, tidal rips, flat water in wind shadows and some upwind sailing.”

You’ll be able to follow their progress on social media.

What is wingfoiling?
If you hadn’t hear of wing foiling before, Rupert Holmes explained,

“Wingfoiling is a new discipline that’s only four or five years old and is usually practiced for short periods on a small area, so foiling around the notorious Isle of Wight race course represents a massive step into the unknown.
“To date there have been no wing foiling challenges held over such distance and this really will be a test of the athletes resolve to endure the course on little more than a sail powered Weetabix.”

Overton: We still don’t know if it’s possible
Will Overton from Island Sailing Club added,

“A key challenge will be in the selection of the most appropriate equipment, as usually different size foils and sails are chosen for optimal performance in a small range of wind strengths.
“By contrast the squadron of wingmen will need to select gear that gives sufficient power in the lightest wind they will experience, without being so large as to be overwhelming at the other end of the spectrum. It’s not been done before and we still don’t know if it’s possible.”

This promo video below below gives you a great idea of the speed that the wing foilers can go.

If you found yourself mesmerised by that footage, Tom Court has a longer version on his YouTube Channel – watch below.

Supporters
Island Sailing Club share huge thanks to their Foil the Wight event partners and supporters:

Spinlock, Icom, Seasafe, Kevin Mole Outboards, Mermaid Gin, Catercycle, Pc Consultants, Bembridge Ribs, Tradewinds Cafe, Jamie Hancock film, images by Paul Wyeth and John Carter.