Flying high at Foiling Week in Lake Garda

Flying high at Foiling Week © Foiling Week / Martina Orsini

Flying high at Foiling Week © Foiling Week / Martina Orsini

The RYA is riding high after attending the recent Foiling Week in Lake Garda, Italy, and presenting on the exciting integration of foiling in its training schemes.

Foiling Week, which aims to shine a spotlight on the thrilling foiling world, offers enthusiasts a huge variety of talks, workshops and presentations as well as the chance to put view the latest equipment and designs, while putting their skills and knowledge to the test on the water.

RYA First Flight 'Learn to Fly' foiling taster sessions were given a fantastic showcase, and delivered by the professional team of RYA-qualified Foiling Instructors from Lake Garda-based RYA Training Centre, Andrew Simpson Watersports Centres (ASWC), at the exciting four-day Italian sailing regatta.

The RYA's taster sessions enabled participants to experience flying above the water for the very first time, on a variety of boats.

The team at ASWC said they enjoyed showing how accessible foiling can be, offering both sailors and windsurfers the opportunity to take flight. All participants received an RYA taster certificate at the end.

RYA Chief Instructor for Dinghy and Windsurfing Amanda Van Santen said around 35 RYA First Flight taster sessions were delivered altogether for both sailing and windsurfing.

She said of the event: 'It was a fantastic opportunity for the RYA to be invited to attend and open The Foiling Week forum and tell the foiling community about our plans was an amazing opportunity. The event is truly inspiring!

RYA Centre, ASWC Lake Garda and their team did a fantastic job of showcasing the RYA foiling courses and demonstrating how accessible this incredible aspect of our sport can be. It was amazing to see the excitement on everyone's faces after their first foiling experience and we look forward to inspiring more first time flyers on our RYA foiling courses.' Tommaso Cilli, a 420 class skipper, who tried the taster said: " I'm really happy because getting up on the foil is a whole new sensation compared to what I usually feel in the 420, it's something beyond words, really."

Bruno Mantero, a 420 class bowman added: "The stability actually is an important point of this boat as it rests essentially on just one very narrow hull which is much narrower than the boats I normally go in and so that was the hardest challenge. It went well though."

Other Foiling Week highlights during the week included foil boat coaching with Paul "Goody" Goodison, three-times Moth World Champion who ran a Moth clinic dedicated to beginners and intermediate level moth sailors. Plus Andrew "Macca" McPherson, Nacra Olimpic Coach hosted a catamaran beginners-intermediate level clinic, and shared his secrets of boat rigging and how to make your foiling cat faster!

Luca Rizzotti, president and co-founder of The Foiling Week, said that having the RYA and Andrew Simpson Watersports Centre, Lake Garda, as a partner has brought a professional approach to first-time foiling.

He added: "Amanda Van Santen (RYA) and Shaun Priestley (AWSC) provided great insight into how a sailing institution such as RYA is looking at the future of sailing by taking the necessary steps to ensure we will be able to safely experience foiling and prepare future generations of sailors and instructors."

Find out more about RYA Foiling Courses for sailing or windsurfing.

Find an RYA centre which teaches foiling