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Balancing Wing Foiling Gear
Over the last five years we have been through yearly foil upgrades. Balancing each of the board/foil combinations. The two of us have had nine front foils each, and six stabilizers each, shimming all but the first two. Keep in mind over five years we foiled year round. So we have had a lot time dialing in each setup to help us improve. Lesson here is find a great package, and stick with it for a season or more so you progress faster, and have more fun. When we started foiling five years ago with the Armstrong 132 ltr board, 2400…
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The Life of Motivation
To me that title is appropriate That was one of my nicknames in my teens and early 20’s. So a perfect name for my first production racer/cruiser. The reason this post came about is our friends Liz Baylis & Todd Hedin stopped in Westbrook, CT on their way south. Texting with Liz, brought back so many great memories of the time I lived at the boat yard, and on my boat in Westbrook Harbor. This had me searching my photo archives. I did not find everything, but I found enough to support this post. The year was 1980 and…
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Build and Install Head Fresh Water Tank
When we purchased Felix 2000 Albin 28 TE, the previous owner had changed the head to fresh water, and electric macerator flush. This is the first boat we have owned that has electric, and fresh water head. We are not as concerned about weight as on our past race boats, so adding a second fresh water tank is not a problem. Felix handles the load we put on him well, and the difference in fuel between loaded and unloaded is minimal. Inspecting the head this past winter I noticed the check valve for the fresh water was not in great…
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One Man, One Wing, 55 Miles
Nevin Sayre, is One Man, One Wing, 55 Miles around Matha’s Vineyard to raise money for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services. See the video below filmed, edited, and produced by Paul Cronin Studios, with producer Carol Newman Cronin. Watch the video while you get to see Nevin’s skills wingfoiling,. All for an excellent cause.See you soon, Paul
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Double Handed Bermuda Race Coaching
I had the opportunity to coach a double handed team prior to the 2026 Bermuda Race. This is the first season for the team of Ned Oakley and Rob Miles sailing the SunFast 3300, Tiger Blood. Due to slow shipment of new prop shaft the team had to delay the launch for a month. So we had a short time to work on getting up to speed, and knowing the boat. The first day on the boat I met Ned who is a lifelong sailor, smart, fun person, and easy to coach. Ned is always learning, and a pleasure…
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New boat
As some of you know we did not owned a boat for the last year, spent the year wing foiling. So in November we purchased an 2000 Albin 28 TE. This boat was built in Rhode Island, has a great reputation and following. Yes, it is a powerboat and not a shorthanded sailboat. For our cruising we sail with Carol’s dad on his wonderful custom built Morgan 38, Katrina. The Albin will be our wing foiling travel platform. Lot of fun adventures coming. The new boats name is Felix, and is currently in my shop having some upgrades, along…
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Tuning your foils for better control
After the last post on sanding a Donaldson Trailing Edge, I thought it only fitting to show how I take our foil tuning one more level. Do you have to go through all of this sanding and work to have fun with your foil gear, not at all. But for me who is always experimenting, testing, and learning, it is fun, and I feel the difference, as do foilers in our group. One caution is don’t sand too much, you can break through the clear coat that is on a lot of foils and that will mean spraying clear…
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Removing the Noise/Vibration from Foils
You buy a new hydro foil, skeg, keel, centerboard, daggerboard, rudder, and it makes noise. It could be a low drone, humming, or a whistle. This is annoying and might be effecting the efficiency of the foil. While studying Naval Architecture I use to meet with my favorite professor Ernest Brierley in his office. He would take time to help me further my knowledge on a subjects of my choice. These meeting were beyond the normal curriculum. One day I said something about keel/rudder humming since I was drawing the foils for a new 33’ design. His great response,…
Capturing the Passion
