A foil tack is a type of turn performed on a foilboard. The manoeuvre requires  you to turn the foilboard up into and then through the wind without the board touching the water. Feet positions are switched during the manoeuvre. You will ride off in the other direction having gained ground upwind.

As some of you may have noticed I’m more than a little obsessed with kite hydrofoil. The seeds were planted back in  2003 when I saw a vid of someone in Maui riding one.

These seeds lay dormant for ten years until Gabor Vagi showed me a video of Johnny Heineken performing hard fast foiling tacks.

I was so inspired by this seemingly impossible manouvre that I spent time learning how to duck tack my airush sector and surfboards on which it is also possible all be it without the flying part.

The seeds germinated that same autumn whilst watching Gabor learn to foil. I needed to foil and I really needed to learn the foiling tack.

This summer I have finally achieved some consistency in my tacks and I have to say that for me it is one of the best feelings in kiting to fly around a turn and gain ground upwind especially given the effort it took.

Learning the foiling tack was a slow but very rewarding process.

Learning the move first on a directional helped a lot. The duck tack video from CKPerformance was watched repeatedly. I hate to imagine learning the duck tack first on a foil – not impossible but possibly harmful. It’s also possible to learn the basics of this move on a twintip.

Step Two
I had to learn to foil, possibly the most rewarding thing I’ve learnt for a long time. We offer foilboarding lessons in Isla Holbox, Mexico between November and June each year at www.holboxkiteboarding.com

Step 3
Then came the hard bit learning the timing, body positions and kite control to make the tack whilst on the foil.
Videos by Gunnar Biniasch and Marvin Baumeister helped a lot at this stage as I had noone around to learn from.

I found that being powered makes life easier and that each windspeed or kite will require a significant adjustment of timing.

Entering fast into the tack and giving a little kick really helps me to glide through the tack.

Switching my feet laterin the tack improved success. I am always in a hurry to switch my feet and as Gunnars video shows you will tend to fall off the back of the board.

I reached a point where I would regularly make the tack but with a touch down. I then tried to learn to  foil around upwind to toeside without the foot switch. This helped me a lot in achieving a fully foiling tack. My progress speeded up et voila. Now work on improving consistency and my weak side must continue.

I’ve been practicing non stop, here are some of my latest attempts. Weak side now dialled in when conditions are good.