Barrett posted this pic the other day. It's almost becoming common place - scooting around without a white cap in sight.

When foiling first appeared about a decade ago, we (including me) asked, "but is it faster than a fin?" I remember seeing a pic of a foiler on a 7.5 keeping up with a Formula board and it still didn't register. It was only when I tried it that I realized that I and others had been asking the wrong question.

No doubt, what's going on with foils in up/downwind racing and professional slalom racing where foil speeds around a race course are equaling and beating fins is noteworthy. But, for us in Atlanta, the most profound thing is the reduction at drag at lower speeds which means using what little wind we often have so much more effectively.

Many of us can remember the disappointment we'd feel when after driving an hour to the lake, we didn't see hardly a white cap on the water. The trip was wasted and, for some, the toll of wasted trips meant that windsurfing (or kiting) was no longer fun and they wandered off to do other things.

How crazy is it that all we need are some dark patches on the water and we are up and flying? This is a very cool thing and I'm very glad I'm around to be able to enjoy it.