Foiling oppie: The making of...

Behind the scenes of the making of the foiling Oppie. The picture diary of her transformation from tender to foiler.

Foiling Oppie

“Impossible is not a declaration, it’s a dare”

An Oppie… on foils…many people have said it is impossible, (or at least those that saw me launching her into a cold and blustery December morning did). But this is a story of faith and belief.

Despite the doubters, I believed; believed that plugging my Moth hydrofoils into an Oppie would make her fly; believed that once the rowlocks had been removed an old wooden Oppie that was destined for life as a tender would be the vessel to achieve this feat; believed that somehow she would push her aerodynamic bath-tub form through the water to a sufficient speed for take off.

Was my faith misplaced? Well after a faltering start with a few moments of foil assist but not take off,  a big gust hit… she accelerated… she started to lift…the bow was out…  

the rudder lifted… that was it, she was out of the water…I was foiling!!! In an Oppie!!!...

She popped out… There was lots of spray…

but she’d done it… A foiling Oppie!

I started with a quote on the impossible by John Maxwell, but I think Walt Disney may have captured my feelings more accurately:

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible”

Unfortunately the moment of glory eluded the ties of modern digital imagery and we only got a picture of the landing, but rest assured she flew and with a bit of additional lift on the rudder she will be flying again soon.