Why Speed & Smarts Mattered At The US Wing Foil Championship
“I WAS FAST.
MY LENS TECHNOLOGY ALLOWED ME TO BE SMART.”
There’s an old saying in the sport of sail racing: Speed helps you look smart.
Tactics always play a critical role in sail racing … the racetrack is a dynamic, moving chess board of wind, water and competition. At the first ever US Wing Foil Championship, if you weren’t fast, you weren’t in the game. The winner was fast and smart.
“I was fast. My lens technology allowed me to be smart,” said overall champion, Johnny Heineken as tactics played a critical, and defining role among the fastest at the top of the fleet. He sits down with 3rd place finisher, his tuning partner, and provider of that polarized lens technology that made the difference, Tajima Direct co-founder and CEO Jacob Rosenberg to break it all down. Why speed and smarts mattered on the iconic racetrack that is the San Francisco City Front.
Winner Johnny Heineken. 3rd place finisher, Tajima co-founder Jacob Rosenberg.
Jacob Rosenberg: First of all, congratulations on a really well sailed event, Johnny! It was a hard-fought win over 54 competitors and a top group that was really fast with tight racing. Was the event what you expected in terms of competition, and what stands out to you as the key elements or advantages that put you over the top to take the win?
Johnny Heineken: Thanks Jacob! It was a really fun weekend, and super exciting to see so many people come from all around the country to race. I was expecting a pretty high level of competition since there had been two weeks of clinics leading up to the event, but I really didn't know who was going to be quick, or just how fast they would be. The fact that you and I didn't even know who the guy was (JP) that won the first race shows there has been a lot of growth in the class recently.
Key elements to success were having fast gear that I was comfortable sailing through varying conditions, as well as confidence and familiarity with the City Front racecourse. We had a wide range of conditions, from fluky and puffy to classic nuclear SF Bay. I was able to sail fast while mostly making good decisions around the course. I seemed to have a bit of an upwind speed advantage, while you and JP were a little quicker downwind. I was generally trying to eek out everything I could upwind, even if I was leading, to give myself some buffer for the runs.
JR: We really started to ramp up our wing foil training when the wind came back to San Francisco in the spring and then through the summer with our weekly race nights. Wing and foil technology has been advancing pretty quickly and you were kind enough to share your knowledge and some key pieces of gear with me so we were able to develop and push each other to higher levels. What was your approach with wings, foils, and board development? Would you have done anything differently now that the event is over?
JH: I'm lucky to have sponsors that make the fastest gear out there. Mike's Lab has been a leader in race foils for years, and this year Ozone released the industry's first double skin wing, which has been a game changer on the racecourse. This put me in a good position, but I still had to learn the gear and combination of foils & wings that are fastest in given conditions. This is why the tuning you and I did was so valuable. The thing we could have done better was have all the wing sizes earlier so we could better test not only different foil sizes but also wing size in the lighter conditions. My big wings showed up right before the event so I was learning their ranges as we raced.
JR: Going on the water winging every day in the Bay, I started to notice my eyes were getting fried by the sun, speed, and blasting wind and saltwater. Combine that with my newer need to wear prescription corrective lenses. I’m near-sighted - not able to see distance as sharp as I’d like - I started making myself Tajima Polarized Prescription lenses to wear on the water. For protection from the elements, but also for more detailed reading of the streaky wind pressure and changing tide, ultimately seeking tactical advantages with enhanced color, texture and detail. I began experimenting and testing with different frames, lens tints and coatings to find what worked best since I didn't really know anyone wearing eyewear while winging. Not only did it turn out to be a difference maker for me, I found I wouldn't go on the water without them. Then you and a few others noticed and started asking questions, so I was excited to make you a pair of our Tajima Polarized lenses in the Brown 15 with Black Mirror color to use this summer. Tell me about that experience … starting to wear Tajima polarized lenses on the water while winging, down-winding, etc.
JH: Yes, the Tajima polarized lenses have been a total game changer for me in terms of both comfort and awareness on the water. I've been in the Gorge all summer freeriding and the sun is brutal up here. I wear a full hood and hat for sun protection, and good eye protection is a natural part of this package. I am more relaxed both on the water as well as after a session where I felt less fatigued. While riding I'm now more aware of what's coming down the river, whether that's a puff/lull or a set of waves I want to play on. The afternoon sessions here can be tough because looking into the wind and swell also means staring at the sun and harsh glare reflecting off the water. The Tajima lenses have completely removed the harsh glare and discomfort from this aspect.
I was a little worried that water spots and fogging would make wearing these in such a wet sport more trouble than they're worth, but this has been a non-issue. Right after a fall I just need to make sure they get a little airflow and they clear right up.
JR: Taking it back to this event, after the first couple races on day one, we both came in to refuel and were chatting about how important the City Front tactics were since the wind was puffy, shifty and coming down in big streaks, making for challenging and tricky conditions when you combine that with the strong flood tide and changing current lines - it was a dynamic race course to say the least. I think I had the overall lead at that early juncture, and you realized you had forgotten to put your lenses on for those first races. You jumped in your van and grabbed them… then proceeded to win the next two races and never took them off the rest of the event, ultimately taking the win in 10 of the remaining 13 races. Do you think your lenses made a difference for you? If so, how and what were you looking for that allowed your lenses to enhance your racing? Did you feel any comfort differences during or after racing with your eyes protected from the harsh elements all day?
JH: Yea the helmet requirement threw me off from my normal gear preparation that first morning! The first couple races were pretty tough for me, I missed some shifts and just didn't feel like I had a good grasp of what the breeze was doing. Once I put on my lenses the pressure over the course became so much more defined. I was seeing everything so clearly, thus, able to dig farther into the top left of the course with confidence because I could see the next streak of pressure coming, then tack at the right time to ride it all the way up the course. Timing into those streaky puffs really was the difference between 1st and 5th at the top mark, so it’s not an exaggeration to say that the lenses played a big part in my results. I was able to sail smarter!
As far as comfort, there's no comparison. We were on the water for 3-4hrs each day sailing in either sunlight or bright white fog, both very taxing on the eyes. But my fatigue was limited to winging muscles, not my eyes!
JR: You've been on the leading edge of this sport of wing foiling really since its inception. We're seeing so much development and rapid evolution in the gear and design, from the foils to the wings and even the board shapes. I mean the Ozone Fusion wing is a perfect example as the first double skin wing - less than a year old - and it was pretty clear at this event that you needed one to be in the top group (the top 9 finishers were all riding double skin Fusions). Do you have any predictions or thoughts on what's coming next / what the next major evolutions and advancements in wing foiling will be?
JH: Oh man, that's the big question! The Fusion has proven to be a step change in performance, enough so that many riders sponsored by other brands were riding them in this event. I'm sure we'll see other brands releasing their own double versions soon. Many people are already adding lower skins to the front portion of wings to create a double luff sail - sort of a halfway measure. So far I haven't seen anything faster yet than the full double skin, but I predict a continued development on both fronts. I'm really excited to see how fast we can get, a few years ago I never would have predicted that we'd be faster than formula windsurfers, but we're there (at least relative to the California fleet)!
JR: Finally, with the (board) foiling world as a whole growing and evolving so quickly, we're seeing so many different niches and disciplines, from kite foiling to wing foiling, SUP foiling and prone foiling in waves, down winding, etc. I know we actually became much closer through foil surfing Ocean Beach a lot together last winter, rather than actually winging. What's getting you most excited right now in the foiling world and what can we expect to see Johnny focusing on in the next year or so?
JH: This summer I've had lots of fun improving my downwind foiling in the Gorge. The freedom of riding endless swell on a river without a wing in hand is pretty special. I'm excited to get into this on the California coast next spring when the NW ocean wind returns. But for now, I think you and I are both ready for the wind to die and the surf to build! Think you can design any lenses/glasses that'll stay on at OB?!!
JR: Haha…it’s actually been on the whiteboard…I do know one thing, we already have the lens technology!
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All US Wing Foil Nationals Photos Taken By: Simone Staff with US Sailing