ON THE WATER
Improve your skills
This issue, we're looking at hydrofoiling and electronic navigation
TRY THIS
Take flight
How to master hydrofoiling, by world champion, Andy Brown
Over recent years, boardsports have taken off – literally. Adding to paddleboarding and windsurfing's popularity has been the introduction of hydrofoils to boards, which let athletes 'fly' above the water. These iQFOiL boards became the official windsurfing equipment at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Andy started his windsurfing journey in local sessions on Loch Insh in the Scottish Highlands, and spent years coaching with RYA's Scottish Sailing Team.
We caught up with him to discover his five top tips to getting started in iQFOiL'ing.
1. Lean forward
As in traditional windsurfing, the biggest mistake is leaning back too early. Get the board planing flat on the water before you worry about flying. Keep your weight forward, drive pressure through the mast foot and let the board build speed. If you start to fly too high, move your weight forward to bring everything back under control.
2. Bend your knees
Stay low, keep your arms fairly straight and make sure your knees are bent. This helps you stay balanced and absorb the movement of the foil underneath you. Bent knees also make it easier to react to gusts and changes in the water without making big, sudden movements. The smoother your inputs, the easier foiling becomes.
3. Let the foil do the work
One of the most common mistakes is trying to force the board into the air by pulling up on the sail. Instead, focus on building speed. Once you’re comfortably planing, move your hips slightly back and apply a little more pressure through your back heel.
4. Look where you want to go
Keep your eyes up and scan for gusts, lulls and the route you want to take across the water. Your body naturally follows your line of sight, so looking forward helps with both balance and direction – a simple change that can make all the difference.
5. Most importantly, have fun
Everyone falls in. Everyone has sessions where things don’t work. The more you enjoy the journey, the quicker progress tends to come.
Hydrofoiling world champion, Andy Brown.
Hydrofoiling world champion, Andy Brown.
TRY THIS
Take flight
How to master hydrofoiling, by world champion, Andy Brown
Over recent years, boardsports have taken off – literally. Adding to paddleboarding and windsurfing's popularity has been the introduction of hydrofoils to boards, which let athletes 'fly' above the water. These iQFOiL boards became the official windsurfing equipment at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Great Britain's Andy Brown will be defending his 2025 world championships gold on home waters at the 2026 iQFOiL World Championships in Weymouth & Portland in September. Andy started his windsurfing journey in local sessions on Loch Insh in the Scottish Highlands, and spent years coaching with RYA's Scottish Sailing Team.
We caught up with him to discover his five top tips to getting started in iQFOiL'ing.
1. Lean forward
As in traditional windsurfing, the biggest mistake is leaning back too early. Get the board planing flat on the water before you worry about flying. Keep your weight forward, drive pressure through the mast foot and let the board build speed. If you start to fly too high, move your weight forward to bring everything back under control.
2. Bend your knees
Stay low, keep your arms fairly straight and make sure your knees are bent. This helps you stay balanced and absorb the movement of the foil underneath you. Bent knees also make it easier to react to gusts and changes in the water without making big, sudden movements. The smoother your inputs, the easier foiling becomes.
3. Let the foil do the work
One of the most common mistakes is trying to force the board into the air by pulling up on the sail. Instead, focus on building speed. Once you’re comfortably planing, move your hips slightly back and apply a little more pressure through your back heel.
4. Look where you want to go
Keep your eyes up and scan for gusts, lulls and the route you want to take across the water. Your body naturally follows your line of sight, so looking forward helps with both balance and direction – a simple change that can make all the difference.
5. Most importantly, have fun
Everyone falls in. Everyone has sessions where things don’t work. The more you enjoy the journey, the quicker progress tends to come.
NEED TO KNOW
Electronic navigation
While the latest technology can greatly improve situational awareness and reduce workload, it should never replace good seamanship and sound judgement. So, how can you get the most out of electronic navigation aids?
Use technology to enhance your boating
There’s no doubt that a modern Electronic Chart System (ECS) can make short work of navigation. It allows you to plan, execute and monitor the whole passage on one easy-to-read screen, and offers all the data you might need at the touch of a button. However, it’s important to know how to use yours intelligently to get the most out of your boating.
Be aware of limitations
The functionality and performance of electronic navigation aids is staggering – but no system is perfect. Make sure you’re aware of the limitations, and have a plan to mitigate against these and work around them if needed.
Become familiar with the system you're using
There's currently no universal standard for how ECS manufacturers collect, interpret and display information to end users. This means that one chart system may work differently and look and feel completely different from another. So, you need to ensure you’re familiar with the terminology and features of the system you’re using, and understand how the information will be displayed – an assumption here could prove disastrous.
Always have a back-up
Make sure you have a secondary means of navigation in case your primary system goes down: at least one other way of plotting or confirming your position is essential. Many people still rely on paper charts as a back-up, but with modern electronics becoming more and more reliable, this doesn't have to be the case. It is, however, vital to regularly verify the position given by your system using independent means – typically tried-and-tested techniques such as bearings, depth contours, transits and estimated positions (EPs).
Get trained
There are a number of RYA navigation courses aimed at all levels of experience and ability. The RYA Day Skipper Theory course covers electronic navigation, as well as chartwork, meteorology and the basics of seamanship. Find out more at rya.org.uk/training.
Enhance your knowledge
The Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN) has recently launched an updated second guide to the safe use of electronic navigation and associated systems, which also includes the pros and cons of different systems and approaches. Written with input from the RYA and designed to complement our shore-based training courses, the booklet – Electronic Navigation Systems: Guidance for safe use on leisure vessels V.2 – is available as a free download from the RIN website at rin.org.uk/page/ENavRec.
For more about electronic navigation, visit rya.org.uk/electronic-navigation-aids
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