Since foils were fitted under super-fast yachts and catamarans in the sailing world, making these craft float above the water at even higher speeds, as it were, foiling has also nestled into the large family of board and surf sports.

A foil is a wing mounted under the board that causes the user to float above the water from a certain speed so that the board no longer faces resistance from the water and the only contact is the foil that provides stability below the surface and keeps everything going.

It was windsurfers who were the first to mount a foil under their windsurf board, followed by kitesurfers, suppers and surfers, which eventually resulted in the invention of a new sport: the now-famous wingfoil.

One thing led to another, and efoiling made its appearance. A surfboard with a battery mounted inside, and at the bottom of the board a motor with a propeller controlled by remote control in the hand.

Meanwhile, everyone had realised that once you make contact with the water only through the foil, you can be pushed forward by the swell of the sea or ocean for a very long time.

Foildrive

From Australia came "foildrive" with an initial propeller mounted just below the board that allows the user to generate just enough speed to get on the foil, without any help from the wind, paddle, wing or kite.

Foildriven" conquered the world, including Belgium, and now Surfers Paradise in Knokke-Heist. The foildrive system is controlled via a remote control in the hand, standing on the board, which ensures that the board comes out of the water and simply continues to glide on the swell or on a wave. Hence "foil support". Once the board is out of the water, the propeller stops spinning and you float on propelled by the energy of the sea. This way, you can get going for a full hour and surf one wave after another without any problem, or keep following the swell for kilometres without your board hitting the water. In the pictures, you can clearly see that when surfing, the propeller is stationary and does not touch the water, so you only surf purely on the foil with the power of the wave. So this is the big difference from an efoil where the propeller constantly provides propulsion.

Foil drifting has already spread worldwide and is mainly used to surf places where the wave is not steep enough to surf traditionally on manpower. The advantage is that the little motor takes you right behind the waves after which you wait for the right moment to take a wave after which the foil does the rest. Another application is a big ocean swell that can carry you for hours without using the propeller !

Foildrive ambassador Marc Shinn (UK)

On Thursday 31 July, Marc Shinn (53) is coming to Surfers Paradise to give a free foildrive clinic and demo to all interested parties, from 3-7pm. This in collaboration with L'apercu sportshop, Zeedijk 300A in Knokke-Heist. Together they will ensure that all AXIS foils will be available for testing, together with Xsurf foilboards. A first for our country !

Marc Shinn is not among the least of these: in addition to a successful windsurfing career, he was twice world kitesurfing champion in addition to many other international podium finishes and won the Red Bull King of the air, among others.

Quite an honour to host such a world-class champion. He will not only give a demonstration, but will also give everyone the opportunity to try foildriving themselves, using his experience as foildrive Ambassador.

The clinic will cover all aspects: explaining purchase, installation, maintenance and use. Not to be missed by all foildrivers and all foildrivers-to-be.

Foildrive Clinic by Marc Shinn in collaboration with L'Apercu Sportshop.

Surfers Paradise Knokke-Heist

Thursday, July 31, continuous from 3-7pm

Everyone welcome, free participation.