Eyewitness: East Oz Foil Fest
Australia Eyewitness Foiling Magazine Rider stories Spitfire Surf foil
This feature first appeared in Foiling Magazine issue 17 (September 2023) as "East Oz Foil Fest", in the magazine's Eyewitness series. Words Luke Atkinson, photos Matt Argentin. Republished with the magazine's kind permission.
It’s amazing what a pro-active foiler can achieve via WhatsApp… Zane Westwood managed to pull together dozens of foil frothers for the inaugural Foil Fest at Point Plomer on the eastern shore of Australia. Luke Atkinson fills us in on how it all played out… and which team won.
The East Oz Foil Fest is one of the first foil comps in Australia, that’s if you can call it a competition… Everyone was just so stoked to meet up and foil with a bunch of like-minded people, no one was all that focused on competing!
The idea originated with Zane Westwood creating a group chat with about 15 foilers and proposed the idea of doing a foil/surf tag team event. The word spread, and the final turnout for the event was unbelievable. I would say around 50 foilers from all over the east coast converged for three days of absolute foil madness.
The conditions in the lead up to the event were superb. Friday brought glassy, clear water conditions with small rippable lumps in the comp zone and bigger waves just around the corner where an epic tow session went down. There was also an unforgettable sunset session that day with amazing conditions, all lit up by the most incredible sky. That night the competition structure came together, with a meeting at the Central Coast Foil Pigs campsite. There, the format, rules and structure of the event were debated, debated some more, and decided upon.
The event was held in a two-hour continuous rotational heat with five teams of four to five people. Surfers could catch a wave and maintain priority over the line-up for one pump-out, however only the highest scoring wave of that ride would count. We thought that this was the best way to maintain the use of foils and pumping into the line-up to select waves, but also maintain the ‘surf’ element of having individual waves scored. The teams included in the event were Northern Beaches Sydney, Eastern Beaches Sydney, Central Coast, Ballina and Byron Bay.
On the morning of the competition, conditions were not so favorable, with 10 knots of cross-onshore wind, very small swell and a rather low tide, however we pushed on and what a spectacle it was. From the first rotation in the water, surfers were having a ball; shredding, laughing, slamming rocks and really just enjoying themselves! The energy, positivity and laughter shared in the line-up and on the beach was really something special. For me personally, that is one of my favorite aspects of foiling. No matter who you are or where you’re from, the foil community is so welcoming and supportive of everyone, something found less and less in surf culture.
We were super lucky to have this event and the days around it filmed from all angles by the boys at FoilFilms (Ben Tayler, Tony Prescott and for these still shots, Matt Argentin). The boys did an outstanding job capturing footage of all riders and focusing on creating content that’s more suited to bigger, “feature” length foil films, something you tend to see in other water sports such as surfing. To be honest I am really looking forward to seeing what happens with the foil video space as a whole. With the passion and quality of work that the guys from FoilFilms have, I'm sure they’ll be at the forefront of that.
These couple of days were also my first opportunity to ride the new AXIS Spitfire wings. I had been out of action and injured for a few months prior to the event and hadn’t got to see or ride them previously. When Jeremy Wilmotte showed up with a car full of them, I quickly took advantage and got my hands on the SF900. My first impressions? Wow. I know it is easy for riders to hype up a wing, particularly for a brand they ride for and represent, but coming from the ART range, the Spitfires really are an amazing surf wing! Most notably for me is the ability to handle large wingtip breaches and their performance in whitewater, not dropping unexpectedly, or launching you into the air. The SF900 for me is perfect for smaller 1-2ft days, pumping and linking waves with minimal effort and tight, smooth and fast carves. When there is a bit more energy in the ocean, the SF840 is perfect with even better turning and carves as well as maintaining the ability to link many waves together. I’m a big fan.
Overall, the East Oz Foil Fest tag team event was a massive hit. The vibes were high and as everyone packed up and the weekend drew to a close, people were wondering when the next event will be and if they really have to wait a year to do it all over again. I want to thank everyone involved in the creation, filming and running of this weekend, all the people that showed up and made it such a wicked time. The enjoyment shared by everyone was real and pure. I think it is safe to say that this event will definitely run again, but whatever the future brings for this event and the foil rituals, the focus will be on the fun, passion and enjoyment we foilers draw out of this sport.
Results:
1st- Ballina
2nd- Northern Beaches Sydney
3rd- Eastern Beaches Sydney
4th- Central Coast Foil Pigs
5th- Byron Bay
The wings in this story
Read more from Foiling Magazine, and find issue 17 online.
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