Do you know the foils? Those wings placed under a boat or a board that allow you to fly on water? Well, the Société Nautique de Bandol has equipped itself with the latest two innovations in this area… and we had the pleasure of testing them for you!
entry into the matter
When we learned that the SNB (Société Nautique de Bandol) had equipped itself with a Birdy Fish and a Wing Foil, the first reaction we had was: of what? Yes, because if you don't know anything about boating, the foil doesn't really speak.
And what a pity! Because this little technological jewel, in addition to being super fun, allows you to obtain nice sensations of speed on the structures which are equipped with it.
Suddenly, the vagueness very quickly gave way to enthusiasm. And when the SNB called us to offer to test his new material, there, it was downright euphoria.
Appointment made
We went, Célia, Charlène, Mélanie and me to the SNB at 8:30 a.m., in order to start the day well. The, Denis, the director, and Edwige, instructor, greeted us with a smile and good humor.
Eye catching our sizes, we were equipped In two shakes of a lamb's tail suits and life jackets. The tests would be able to begin ...
Presentations above all
The SNB has therefore equipped itself with two novelties in the field of boating and sensations: the Birdy Fish, and the Wing Foil. One is a foil-mounted boat looking like a big sea bird; the other just looks like improved kite surfing equipment.
Their particularities: no need for a lot of wind. The foil allows you to reach good speeds without too much wind and thus opens nautical activities every day, even on the driest days.
Where is the slide?
3 teams: one aboard the motorboat driven by Edwige to allow us to track (or try to track!) the Birdy Fish; the other, aboard the Birdy Fish with Denis; and finally the last, David, instructor, who followed us to give us demonstrations on Wing Foil.
The first of us to pass was me Kelly. So on the road with Denis to see what this sea bird had in the belly. Installed next to Denis, my mission was to manage the jib, the small sail. Finally when I say manage, don't worry, Denis accompanies you all the way to give you directions!
My mission was therefore to pull on the rope when necessary and to change sides when Denis told me to. That was more than enough for me to feel like a sailor!
As the coast slowly began to recede, the tone was quickly set. In a few seconds, we took a pretty incredible speed and especially an unexpected height. The boat is simply taken off from the water, so as not to touch the sea at all. Our only contacts with the Med were the two wing-shaped foils placed under the boat.
In addition to speed, the noise is also impressive. The foils began to sing. Yes, to sing. We would have thought we were underwater, listening to the whale fields. Which made this already sumptuous ship even more elegant.
next
After a few laps at high speed, the time had come to give my place to Célia and Charlène so that both of them also try the boat. While waiting for his turn, Mélanie decided to go for it and try to tame Wing Foil.
For the first time, she did very well! Hard to believe that without even a pole to lean on, we can stand up on the board, with outstretched arms and holding the sail and all with a foil that makes us take off.
And yet, that's what David showed us. Honestly, it is very impressive. A mix between surfing, paddleboarding and kite-surfing. Et accessible Furthermore. Because even if you are a complete novice, Edwige and David assured us that in 3 or 4 lessons, we could already start having a lot of fun.
return to port
Unanimous opinion: it was great. On the Birdy fish, this sensation of speed associated with the soft sound of the foils and the total absence of friction with the hull of the boat is quite exceptional. As to wingfoil, not being great professionals of paddle and any kind of sliding sport, we were not able to take full advantage of it BUT, it really made you want to. I myself hesitated to sign up for a few courses ...
On this beautiful morning spent with Edwige, David and Denis, we leave with a smile on our face, with beautiful memories in our heads.
and our friend the coronavirus in all of this?
Obviously, a protocol is in place at the SNB to prevent the virus from spreading. If you have your own suit, it is best to take it with you. And if you don't have any equipment at all, don't worry, you can borrow some. It will have been completely disinfected the day before with special products.
the balance sheet
If you are adept at this kind of technology: go for it without further delay to the SNB to test them. And if you are totally new and curious of these new ships of the sea, then you will not be disappointed and will discover completely new sensations ... In any case, we would gladly do it again without hesitation!
Find all the SNB (Société Nautique de Bandol) contacts at the end of the article.
We hope you enjoyed these new adventures and have given you some ideas for activities for this summer. See you soon for new experiences!
birdy fish & wing foil à la snb
Accessible from 12 years old.
Birdy fish (per one hour session accompanied by an instructor):
- For 1 person = 120 € per session and 300 € for 3 sessions;
- For 2 people (2 people at the same time on the boat) = 160 € per session and 450 € for 3 sessions.
wingfoil (private lesson of 1h30):
- For 1 person: 100 € the lesson and 270 € the 3;
- For 2 people: 160 € the course and 420th the 3.
Contact and reservation: 04 94 29 42 26 / sn-bandol@wanadoo.fr
To find out more, go to the SNB website.
