Foiled!

When he wasn't busy working on his mad mandolin skills, chasing bats out of his house on Peaks Island, playing the cello, commuting by bicycle, or practicing with his high school soccer team, Maine Sailling Partners summer employee Charley Friedman was working on his hydrofoil sailboard.  Charley recently emailed me some pictures:
"I haven't had proper conditions for a true sail test of the foil-board.  However, numerous towing test have produced encouraging results.  At 15mph with a 25' rope the board had no trouble leaving the water.  Most trials ended with severe foil cavitation where the board would begin to shake.  This problem is due to being towed behind a motorboat.  The propeller of the motor boat creates a path of turbulent water that causes the hydrofoil to not work as well.  My plans are to secure the foil more stiffly to the board and experiment under sail.  Since the foil seems to work fine when tested behind a boat, except for the cavitation problem, I also plan on trying the hydrofoil with a different board."