Electrify Your Foils

Foiling has the potential to change how people experience the water. For some, it is about performance. For others, it is about discovering a completely new way to move, progress and experience the freedom of being above the water. Now, Foil Drive and Australian Sailing are working together to help make that experience accessible to more people. Australian Sailing has announced Foil Drive as its Official Electric-assisted Hydrofoiling Partner, formalising a partnership focused on supporting the development of Para Sailing and creating new opportunities for people of all abilities to experience and progress in foiling. For Foil Drive, the partnership builds on our involvement with Australian Sailing's Para Inclusive Wing Development Program, including the seated wing foiling camps being held around Australia. Creating new ways to experience foiling The Para Inclusive Wing Development Program is exploring what happens when traditional approaches to sailing are adapted around the individual. Rather than starting with a fixed idea of what the sport should look like, the program is developing the equipment, techniques and skills alongside the athletes taking part. That was the focus of the recent Para Wing Foiling Camp in Townsville, the fourth camp in the program following sessions in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. Participants came together to try seated wing foiling, build confidence and develop their skills on the water. For some, it was their first experience of foiling. For others, it was an opportunity to continue developing something they had already discovered they loved. The Australian Sailing camp video captures that progression, from learning the fundamentals through to the feeling of getting up and flying across the water. “It's just this free flying feeling of soaring across the water.” That feeling is at the heart of why we believe foiling can be so powerful. Technology that helps remove barriers Getting onto foil traditionally requires a combination of paddling, pumping, balance and physical movement. Electric assistance can change that equation. Foil Drive provides powered assistance during take-off and low-speed riding, giving riders another tool to help them get up on foil and develop their skills. For adaptive riders, that can create opportunities to approach foiling differently. The right setup might involve a different board, foil, mast position, cable length, riding position or level of powered assistance. The important thing is that the equipment can be adapted around the rider, rather than expecting every rider to adapt to the same setup. Explore Adaptive Foiling with Foil Drive. We've seen this firsthand through our adaptive foiling community and our work with riders like Jason Sauer, whose experience and practical advice are featured in our Adaptive Foiling with Foil Drive article. There is no single way to foil adaptively. The goal is to find a setup that works for the individual and helps them progress. From the first flight to greater independence For the athletes involved in the Townsville camp, the experience was about much more than simply learning a new watersport. Participants spoke about the freedom of getting onto the water and experiencing flight from a completely different perspective. Coaches and athletes worked together to develop skills, solve problems and explore what could be possible. The program is also opening up a different pathway into sailing. Traditionally, Para Sailing has largely centred around boats. Seated wing foiling introduces the possibility of experiencing sailing and foiling from a board, with participants able to develop new skills and experience the water in a different way. And importantly, the sport is still being developed. As the Townsville camp demonstrated, athletes, coaches and organisers are learning together, developing equipment and refining techniques as they go. Looking towards Brisbane 2032 Australian Sailing's work is part of a broader effort to grow Para Sailing in Australia and explore potential pathways towards the return of sailing to the Paralympic Games at Brisbane 2032. For Foil Drive, supporting that work is an opportunity to contribute technology, equipment and technical expertise while learning alongside the athletes and coaches developing the sport. As Foil Drive Global Sales and Marketing Director Chris Radford explains: “Our role is not to define what people can or can’t do, but to provide the technology, equipment and support that helps sailors find their own pathway into foiling and progress at their own pace.” That philosophy extends beyond Para Sailing. Foil Drive was founded in Australia with the ambition of making foiling more accessible and giving more people the opportunity to experience what is possible on a foil. The work being done with Australian Sailing is another step towards that goal. The future of inclusive foiling The Townsville camp showed what can happen when athletes, coaches, organisations and technology come together to explore something new. There is still plenty to learn. Equipment will continue to evolve. Techniques will continue to develop. And every rider will have their own pathway. But that is what makes adaptive foiling so exciting. It is not about finding one solution that works for everyone. It is about creating more possibilities.  

For Steven Anderson a love of the ocean, product and progression has shaped much of his life. From kite surfing and wakeboarding to motorbikes and now foiling, Steven has always been drawn to the next challenge. Alongside that, he has built a career around products, eventually starting his own brand, Follow, almost 15 years ago. Today, life is busy. With a wife, three kids, a business, staff and plenty of travel, finding time for himself can be difficult. For Steven, that's where Foil Drive has made a real difference. A Love of Product Steven's interest in products started well before Follow. Having spent much of his working life in retail, he became fascinated by how products work, why they work and, sometimes, why they break. Attention to detail became a big part of how he approached both his work and the products he used himself. That eventually led to the creation of Follow, the brand he has built over the last 15 years or so. But the interest in product goes beyond the business side of things. Steven has always loved trying new sports, new equipment and learning how everything works. He's naturally drawn to the early stages of a sport and the process of figuring things out. “I get to a level of something and then I'm like, what's next?” It's a mindset that has followed him from one pursuit to the next. Chasing the Next Challenge Kite surfing played a big role in Steven's early years, and from there the search for the next challenge continued. Even more recently, he found himself chasing speed and adrenaline through motorbike racing, competing on supersport motorcycles despite having a wife and three kids. A few crashes, broken collarbones, plates, screws and months spent recovering eventually put a different perspective on things. At around the same time, Steven's love of foiling was starting to take hold. Rather than spending as much time chasing speed on the asphalt, he found himself increasingly drawn back towards the water. As Steven has got older, work-life balance has become increasingly important. “Time's something you don't get back.” With a busy work life and a young family, there isn't always time for a long surf session. Foil Drive has given Steven another way to make the most of the time he does have. Being able to turn up at the beach and get a large number of waves in a short session has completely changed what a session can look like. “Just being able to turn up at the beach and get 30 waves in an hour is something I didn't have prior.” For Steven, it's not just about getting more waves. That extra time in the water has helped improve his fitness, his foiling and ultimately his overall lifestyle. The Ocean as a Reset The ocean has always played an important role in Steven's life. When work becomes stressful or life starts to feel overwhelming, time in the water gives him a chance to switch off. He describes the ocean as something that has always had a calming effect on him, and it's something he now sees in his own kids. After work, they might be waiting at the front door with skateboards or surfboards, ready to get outside. There's an understanding between them that sometimes you just need to get in the water, get moving and clear your head. For Steven, foiling brings that same feeling while still delivering the speed, adrenaline and challenge that have always attracted him to action sports. From Foil Drive Training Tool to Everyday Gear Steven initially approached Foil Drive as a training tool. After around a year and a half of prone foiling, he was still only catching three or four waves in a session. Plenty of paddling and limited opportunities to ride made progression difficult. Foil Drive changed that by giving him the ability to catch more waves and get more repetition in every session. Going from three or four waves to around 30 meant more time standing, more time riding and more opportunities to improve. That repetition also helped build fitness. As his fitness improved, so did his foiling, creating a cycle that encouraged him to spend even more time on the water. Interestingly, Steven still spends the majority of his sessions prone foiling. “I'd still say 70 to 80% of my time in the water is still paddling.” But when conditions are too difficult to paddle, or he simply wants to maximise the session, Foil Drive gives him another option. A Growing Foiling Community Steven has also seen a huge change in the local foiling community on the Gold Coast. When he first started, seeing one or two people foiling was relatively unusual. Now, groups of 12 to 15 foilers can regularly be found sharing the same banks. For Steven, that reminds him of the early days of kite surfing. There's a similar sense of community, with people helping each other and sharing the same enthusiasm for something that is still evolving. That community has become another important part of the experience. There are also plenty of highly skilled foilers around the Gold Coast, which gives Steven even more motivation to keep improving. “It just motivates me to be better, and also be fitter.” The 5am Routine Steven's days often start before sunrise. The night before, the messages begin. Where are we going? What's the swell doing? What's the forecast? What's the plan? Then comes the 5am alarm. By around 5:30am, Steven is at the beach watching the sunrise, checking the conditions and getting the gear ready. From there, it could be a prone session, Foil Drive, or a combination of both. After the session comes coffee with the crew, then it's off to work. By 8am, the phone is already going, with Steven dealing with a busy work schedule and plenty of international business. But those early hours on the water give him something important before the working day begins. “That early morning is a time where I get to centre myself and relax. I start the day with a clear mind.” From there, it's a full day. Work. School pickups. Kids' activities. Skateboarding. Surfing. Dinner. Family time. Then, by around 7:30 or 8pm, the day starts to wind down. Until the messages begin again. Another morning. Another forecast. Another session. It's a routine that works because it gives Steven something to look forward to and creates space in an otherwise busy schedule. For someone who has spent his life chasing the next challenge, whether that's building Follow, learning a new sport or improving on the water, Foil Drive has become another part of that progression. Not a replacement for prone foiling, and not simply another piece of gear, but a way to spend more time doing something he loves. Because ultimately, for Steven, it's about making the most of the time you have. And getting in the water whenever you can. [product-carousel]

At 77, surfing legend Gerry Lopez is still exploring new ways to ride. From his days at Pipeline to discovering foiling and riding with Foil Drive, Gerry reflects on a lifetime spent chasing new experiences on the water.